Indications of the onset of fiber cutting in low consistency refining using a refiner force sensor: The effect of pulp furnish

Detection of the onset of fiber cutting is beneficial in low consistency refining as it may prevent reduction of average fiber length, optimize fiber quality improvements by operating at gaps just wider than the critical gap, avoid decreasing the strength properties of paper, and increase energy efficiency. The objective of this study is to understand the effect of pulp furnish on measured bar forces and, more specifically, on the detection of fiber cutting. Bar forces, i. e. forces applied to pulp fibers by the refiner bars, are measured with a custom-designed piezoelectric force sensor. Trials were conducted with an AIKAWA 16-in. single-disc refiner using hemlock/balsam softwood thermomechanical pulp, SPF softwood thermomechanical pulp, northern bleached softwood kraft pulp, and aspen hardwood thermomechanical pulp at 3.0 to 3.5 % consistency at rotational speeds of 1200 and 1400 rpm. The power of the time domain signal of the measured forces is introduced as an indicator of the onset of fiber cutting. Our results show that this new fiber cutting metric is a sensitive and reliable metric for determination of fibre cutting for a range of pulp furnishes. The study suggests that the refiner force sensor has potential to be exploited for in-process detection of fiber cutting.