Apparatus and methods of continuous digesting

Abstract

Abstract METHODS FOR THE CONTINUOUS PULPING OF A COMPACTED MASS OF WOOD CHIPS IN AN UPRIGHT ELONGATED REACTION VESSEL HAVING MEANS FOR FEEDING WOOD CHIPS SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY INTO THE INLET END OF THE VESSEL AND DISCHARGING THEM SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOULY FROM THE OPPOSITE OUTLET END OF THE VESSEL, THE MASS OF WOOD CHIPS BEING ADVANCED THROUGH THE VESSEL FOR TREATMENT IN LIQUID SUBMERGENCE BY ADVANCING LIQUID THROUGH A PORTION OF THE SUBMERGED CHIP MASS ADJACENT THE INLET END OF THE VESSEL. IN ONE EMBODIMENT THIS IS ACCOMPLISHED BY RECIRCULATING FROM ONE INTERMEDIATE STRAINER BACK TO THE ENTRANCE END OF THE VESSEL, AT A TURBULENT LIQUID FLOW RATE DIRECTED GENERALLY ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE CHIP MASS FOR A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE OF AT LEAST ABOUT ONE-HALF THE CROSS SECTION DIMENSION OF THE MASS, SUCH PROVIDING A WOOD CHIP PROPELLING FORCE EFFECTIVE TO ADVANCE THE MASS OF WOOD CHIPS CONTINUOUSLY THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH OF THE VESSEL IN ANOTHER EMBODIMENT, IT IS ACCOMPLISHED BY GENERATING LIQUID PROPELLING PULSES, PREFERABLY BY UTILIZING AN ACCUMULATOR AT ONE END OF THE VESSEL AND A CYCLING TIMER FOR OPERATING IT, SUCH PROPELLING PULSES BEING EFFECTIVE TO CAUSE THE RATE OF MOVEMENT OF THE SUBMERGENCE LIQUID RELATIVE TO THE WOOD CHIPS IN THE MASS TO VARY CYCLICALLY TO PRODUCE A CYCLIC ADVANCING MOVEMENT OF THE LIQUID AT A RATE AT LEAST NOT LESS THAN THAT OF THE ALTERNATING INTERVENING MOVEMENT OF THE LIQUID, SUCH ADVANCING MOVEMENT OF THE LIQUID BEING EFFECTIVE TO ADVANCE THE WOOD CHIPS THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH OF THE VESSEL FROM THE INPUT TO THE OUTPUT END THEREOF.

Inventors

• 👤 John Parker Rich
• 👤 Lawrence Allan Carlsmith

Bibliographic Details