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Effect of high sulfate content on viscosity of recovery boiler molten smelt, TAPPI Journal March 2024
ABSTRACT: A systematic study was conducted to examine the effect of high sulfate content on the freezing temperature of molten smelt and how this may contribute to the formation of viscous jellyroll smelt in recovery boilers. The results show that even for recovery boilers with a smelt reduction as low as 70%, the sulfate content in smelt has no or little effect on smelt freezing temperature, and hence, on molten smelt fluidity. The perceived adverse effect of high sulfate content on smelt fluidity and on jellyroll smelt formation comes from the high sulfate content in deposits that have fallen from the upper furnace. Fallen deposits may or may not form jellyroll smelt, depending on whether or not they can melt and be well-mixed with molten smelt by the time they reach the smelt spouts. It is not the high sulfate content in smelt resulting from the low smelt reduction efficiency that makes molten smelt viscous and forms jellyroll smelt, but rather, it is the incomplete melting of fallen deposits that results in one of the proposed mechanisms for jellyroll smelt formation.
Journal articles
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Chemical addition to wet webs using foam application, TAPPI Journal January 2023
ABSTRACT: In papermaking, the conventional way to add chemicals to the web is to dose them into the fiber stock and form the paper afterwards. However, in many cases, adding chemicals directly to the stock is challenging. For example, strength aids tend to increase flocculation in the stock, which limits the addition amounts of those aids. The need for better performance of paper (and paperboard) products has given rise to the need for functionalization of paper. Adding such functional chemicals to the stock is usually rather inefficient. Hence, novel methods are needed to add chemicals to the paper bulk. One such method is dosing chemicals to the wet web via foam application. In this study, we built a laboratory-scale sheetfed dynamic foam application device and utilized it to study addition of starch to wet bleached chemithermomechanical pulp (BCTMP) paper handsheets. The impact of parameters such as vacuum level, the amount of added chemical, and the viscosity of the foaming liquid on the penetration of starch into the wet web was explored. Starch penetration into wet webs was measured via iodine-potassium iodide staining, followed by image analysis. According to our results, controlling the viscosity of the foaming liquid gives the best possibility to control the penetration.
Journal articles
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Z-direction chemical analysis for new application methods, TAPPI Journal January 2023
ABSTRACT: In conventional wet-end chemical addition during paper production, chemical distribution through the z-direction of the sheet is usually not considered an important characteristic. With a nontraditional chemical dosing approach, such as foam-assisted additive addition, the chemistry can appear at different concentrations throughout the sheet, typically in a z-direction gradient. To fully understand the strength properties of the sheet, it is helpful to view or quantify the chemical distribution through the sheet in the z-direction. One qualitative method uses a dye technique along with confocal laser scanning microscopy to generate an image where the relative chemical concentration can be observed. A quantitative method involves compiling nitrogen analyses of layered subsections of the sheet into a composite graph of relative chemical concentration vs. the z-direction of the sheet. Chemical distribution analysis can be paired with traditional z-direction strength tests, such as Scott bond and z-direction tensile, to help one understand and improve the chemical addition process and its effects.
Journal articles
Magazine articles
Review of coating cracking and barrier integrity on paperboard substrates, TAPPI Journal November 2022
ABSTRACT: Barrier packaging formats are major growth areas for the pulp and paper industry. It is technically challenging to maintain barrier properties during converting and end-use applications. Improved manufacturing capabilities and coating formulation knowledge will help maintain barrier integrity and enable growth of barrier products in challenging applications. These improvements will accelerate product development and commercialization, and allow faster response to product performance issues such as cracking. The literature on coating cracking provides knowledge mostly on the effects of coating formulations and to a lesser extent on substrate effects. Despite a large number of publications dedicated to coating failures, the approach to improve coating cracking remains empirical, and the transferability between studies and to real life applications has not been well established. Model development that successfully predicts commercial performance is in its infancy. However, some of these simplified models do a fairly good job predicting experimental data. The current work reviews the state of understanding as regards coating and barrier cracking and highlights the need for more research on cracking and barrier integrity.
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A feasibility study of using the organic Rankine cycle for power generation from the flue gases of recovery boilers, TAPPI Journal August 2022
ABSTRACT: Almost 415 tons/h of flue gases with a temperature of 160°C are released to the atmosphere from the recovery boiler of a pulp mill with capacity of 1000 air dried (a.d.) metric tons of pulp per day. This is a large waste heat stream that can be used to generate power, to decrease the operating costs of a pulp mill, and to save carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. In this work, the feasibility of using an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) with ammonia as the working fluid to generate power from the flue gases of recovery boilers is studied. CHEMCAD and Taguchi methods are used for simulation of the process and for optimization of operating conditions, respectively. The temperature of the ammonia and flue gases at the exit of evaporator, exit pressure of the pump and turbine, and the degree of subcooling of ammonia at the exit of the condenser are five operating parameters that are manipulated to optimize the process. Three different scenarios are defined: minimizing the net power cost, maximizing the ORC efficiency, and maximizing the net profit. Different aspects of these scenarios, such as net power generation, cost, efficiency, and CO2 emission savings are discussed, and optimum operating conditions are reported.
Journal articles
Magazine articles
Causes of poor dregs settling in a green liquor clarifier, TAPPI Journal August 2022
ABSTRACT: A study was conducted to examine the most likely parameters responsible for poor dregs settling at a kraft mill over a 2.5-year period, using multivariate data analysis (MVDA) and machine learning (ML) techniques. The dregs settling behavior seems to be seasonally influenced, implying that wood quality variation can be a factor. The results from the MVDA/ML analysis show that poor dregs settling is correlated to incomplete combustion and/or low load conditions in the recovery boiler, low sulfidity in the causticizing plant, and high flow in the green liquor•weak wash cycle. Compositions of dregs and black liquor were also examined to identify correlations with impaired dregs settling. The results show that poor dregs settling strongly correlates with high silicon (Si) content in dregs and moderately correlates with high iron (Fe) and high aluminum (Al) contents, and with low bulk density in dregs. For mills that experience dregs settling or green liquor filtering issues, regular compositional analyses of dregs, green liquor, weak wash, and black liquor are recommended in order to monitor the dynamics of silicon and other constituents in the recovery cycle.
Journal articles
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Calender barring review with experiences, TAPPI Journal July 2022
ABSTRACT: Excessive calender vibration affects all styles of calender stacks from single to multi-nip, all hard rolls, or a combination of hard and soft rolls. Calender vibration can be forced vibration or self-excited vibration. Forced vibration occurs at the first few harmonics of the calender roll rotational speeds and is caused by imbalance, misalignment, eccentricity, etc. Self-excited vibration, the focus of this paper, occurs at higher frequencies. Feedback paths for self-excited vibration must be understood in order to ameliorate the problem. This is presented in the context of the historical development of the theory of self-excited feedback mechanisms, followed by a survey of self-excited feedback mechanisms in various types of calender stacks. Methodology to determine which feed-back path is present and techniques to control or eliminate the resulting vibration follow. To obtain a flavor of the types of problems faced and practical remedial actions, a variety of experiences with barring issues are provided.
Journal articles
Magazine articles
Utilization of kraft pulp mill residuals, TAPPI Journal February 2022
ABSTRACT: Kraft pulp mills produce on average about 100 kg of solid residuals per metric ton of pulp produced. The main types of mill waste are sludge from wastewater treatment plants, ash from hog fuel boilers, dregs, grits, and lime mud from causticizing plants and lime dust from lime kilns. Of these, about half is disposed of in landfills, which highlights the need and potential for waste recycling and utilization. Sludge is either incinerated in hog fuel boilers to generate steam and power or used in various forms of land application, including land spreading, composting, or as an additive for landfill or mine waste covers. The majority of hog fuel boiler ash and causticizing plant residues is landfilled. Alkaline residuals can be conditioned for use in land application, manufacture of construction materials, and production of aggregates for road work. This technical review summarizes residuals utilization methods that have been applied in pulp and paper mills at demonstration- or full-scale, and therefore may act as a guide for mill managers and operators whose goal is to diminish the costs and the environmental impact of waste management.
Journal articles
Magazine articles
Probing the molecular weights of sweetgum and pine kraft lignin fractions, TAPPI Journal June 2021
ABSTRACT: The present investigation undertook a systematic investigation of the molecular weight (MW) of kraft lignins throughout the pulping process to establish a correlation between MW and lignin recovery at different extents of the kraft pulping process. The evaluation of MW is crucial for lignin characterization and utilization, since it is known to influence the kinetics of lignin reactivity and its resultant physico-chemical properties. Sweetgum and pine lignins precipitated from black liquor at different pHs (9.5 and 2.5) and different extents of kraft pulping (30–150 min) were the subject of this effort. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) was used to determine the number average molecular weight (Mn), mass average molecular weight (Mw), and polydispersity of the lignin samples. It was shown that the MW of lignins from both feedstocks follow gel degradation theory; that is, at the onset of the kraft pulping process low molecular weight-lignins were obtained, and as pulping progressed, the molecular weight peaked and subsequently decreased. An important finding was that acetobromination was shown to be a more effective derivatization technique for carbohydrates containing lignins than acetylation, the technique typically used for derivatization of lignin.
Journal articles
Magazine articles
New learnings and strategies for meeting future recovery boiler particulate emission limits with existing electrostatic precipitators, TAPPI Journal June 2021
ABSTRACT: It is foreseeable that recovery boiler particulate emission limits in the United States and Canada will continue to get more stringent with time. Because of this, continued improvement of emission control equipment, as well as a better understanding of how operating parameters affect performance, are necessary. Although electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) are often viewed as a mature technology, many improvements in ESP technology continue to be developed. In recent years, academic efforts have improved the understanding of recovery boiler operating conditions on ESP performance. Additionally, advancements in materials, power supplies, and design continue to improve the efficiency and reliability of ESPs.This paper discusses how recovery boiler and electrostatic precipitator (ESP) operating factors affect ESP perfor-mance based on process simulations and practical experience, and how these learnings can be implemented to improve future operation of existing ESPs.