The use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in pressure screen design

Today in the Pulp and Paper industry pressure screens are widely used for a variety of applications. The pressure screen allowed significantly increased flexibility and capacity over the old atmospheric type screens they replaced. All pressure screens can be generically classified as using a horizontal or vertically mounted shell, screen basket and rotor assembly. As the industry demands lower power consumption, better screen efficiency, higher capacity, etc. rotor and basket designs are evolving to meet the demands. One of the useful tools to evaluate new designs is Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis software. This paper will use both CFD computer modeling and lab measurements to evaluate a typical pressure screen foil attached to an open rotor assembly. Mechanical pressure measurements on the screen will be taken in an attempt to verify some of the computer generated results. An attempt will be made to relate the collected information to the real life problems of power consumption, capacity, etc..