The effect of rotor position on pulp properties in a two-zoned low consistency refiner

Earlier studies have shown that plate gaps are sometimes unequal in two-zoned low consistency refiners and that unequal gaps render unevenly refined pulp. It is also known that optimisation of plate gap in low consistency refining leads to improved energy efficiency. In this work, trials were made in mill scale in a modem IMP line equipped with a prototype 72 inch TwinFlo low consistency refiner in second stage. The study was designed to investigate the development of pulp properties from different rotor positions by means of altering the outlet flow rate ratio. The specific energy consumption was calculated for each refining zone and setting, based on flow rate and temperature increase. In order to produce homogenous pulp, it was found that uneven plate gaps need to be compensated in low consistency refiners with dual refining zones. Results from the different flow rate adjustments indicated that the control setting with similar plate gap gave the most homogenous pulp. However, further studies are needed to find an adequate rotor control strategy. The temperature increase in each refining zone seems to correlate well with the applied specific energy consumption in each refining zone.