Monitoring and controlling of refining of fibrous pulp

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11788229-B2
Application number	US-202016865324-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 2, 2020
Priority date	May 3, 2019
Publication date	Oct 17, 2023
Grant date	Oct 17, 2023

Abstract

The refining of a fibrous pulp is monitored and controlled by capturing at least one image of a pulp sample, determining the amount of all fibers or non-fibrillated fibers in the at least one image, determining the amount of fibrillated fibers in the at least one image, determining the relation between fibrillated fibers and all fibers or non-fibrillated fibers in the pulp on the basis of the amount of fibrillated fibers and the amount of all fibers or non-fibrillated fibers in the at least one image, generating a control parameter on the basis of the determined relation between fibrillated fibers and all fibers or non-fibrillated fibers in the pulp, and controlling fiber refining by at least one pulp refining device on the basis of the control parameter.

First claim

I claim:

1. An apparatus for monitoring and controlling refining of fibrous pulp comprising:
a sample handling unit arranged to take samples of the fibrous pulp;
an imaging module in sample receiving relation to the sample handling unit wherein the imaging unit is configured to capture at least one image of the pulp sample;
a fiber analysis module in pulp sample image receiving relation to the imaging module, the fiber analysis module comprising a fiber detector and a fiber classifier arranged to classify and to count a number of non-fibrillated fibers and a number of fibrillated fibers in the at least one image;
a fibrillation related parameter generator in receiving relation to the count numbers of the fiber analysis module and arranged to generate a control parameter based on a ratio between the number of fibrillated fibers, and the number of non-fibrillated fibers; and
at least one of a mechanical refining controller and a chemical treatment controller configured for causing fiber modification based on the control parameter.

2. The apparatus of a claim 1 wherein the fibrillation related parameter generator is configured to determine the ratio between the number of fibrillated fibers, and the number of non-fibrillated fibers by adding the number of fibrillated fibers to the number of non-fibrillated fibers.

3. The apparatus of a claim 1 wherein the fiber classifier is configured to detect fibers and fibrils of fibers in the at least one image of the pulp sample and to classify the detected fiber as a fibrillated fiber in response to fibrils connected to the fiber reaching a predetermined threshold parameter.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the fiber classifier is configured to detect fibers and fibrils of fibers in the at least one image on the basis of at least one of: determined length of the object, width of the object, and area of the object.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the fiber classifier is configured to classify the fiber recognized in the at least one image into the non-fibrillated fiber or the fibrillated fiber on the basis of a determined area or a determined circle of the fiber.

6. An apparatus for monitoring and controlling refining of fibrous pulp comprising:
a sample handling unit arranged to take samples of the fibrous pulp;
an imaging module in sample receiving relation to the sample handling unit wherein the imaging unit is configured to capture at least one image of the pulp sample;
a fiber analysis module in pulp sample image receiving relation to the imaging module, the fiber analysis module comprising a fiber detector and a fiber classifier arranged to classify and to count a number of non-fibrillated fibers and a number of fibrillated fibers in the at least one image;
a fibrillation related parameter generator in receiving relation to the count numbers of the fiber analysis module and arranged to generate a control parameter based on a ratio between the number of fibrillated fibers, and a sum of the number of fibrillated fibers and the number of non-fibrillated fibers; and
at least one of a mechanical refining controller and a chemical treatment controller configured for causing fiber modification based on the control parameter.

7. The apparatus of a claim 6 wherein the fiber classifier is configured to detect fibers and fibrils of fibers in the at least one image of the pulp sample and to classify the detected fiber as a fibrillated fiber in response to fibrils connected to the fiber reaching a predetermined threshold parameter.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the fiber classifier is configured to detect fibers and fibrils of fibers in the at least one image on the basis of at least one of: determined length of the object, width of the object, and area of the object.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the fiber classifier is configured to classify the fiber recognized in the at least one image into the non-fibrillated fiber or the fibrillated fiber on the basis of a determined area or a determined circle of the fiber.

Assignees

• Valmet Technologies Oy
• Valmet Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Kauppinen Lasse

Classifications

• D21D1/002 Primary

  Control devices · CPC title

• D21D1/20 Primary

  Methods of refining · CPC title

• D21H11/18

  Highly hydrated, swollen or fibrillatable fibres · CPC title

• D21H11/20

  Chemically or biochemically modified fibres · CPC title

• D21C9/007 Primary

  by mechanical or physical means · CPC title