Method for washing a fibrous particle mat with wash liquor having an impact energy sufficient to disrupt and rearrange the interstitial pore matrix

Claim 1

A method of flushing suspension liquor from a liquid slurry including fibrous particles suspended in said liquor comprising the steps of: A. pressure differentially drawing said slurry against a filter screen for separating said particles from said liquor by passing said liquor through said screen which retains said particles deposited thereon in a fibrous mat accumulation having a porous matrix of interstitial flow channels formed therein: B. removing said screen from said slurry with said mat deposited thereon and said flow channels saturated with said liquor; C. first flushing said liquor from said mat flow channels with a first quantity of wash liquor applied gently and substantially uniformly to the surface of said mat without substantial disturbance of the interstitial pore matrix within said mat; D. following said first flushing, applying a second quantity of wash liquor with direct impingement into said mat with sufficient impact energy as to disrupt and rearrange the interstitial pore matrix of flow channels within said mat thereby opening previously closed pores and flow channels without dislodging said mat from said filter screen; and, E. following said direct impingement, second flushing said mat with a third quantity of wash liquor applied gently and substantially uniformly to the surface of said mat without substantial disturbance of said rearranged interstitial pore matrix of flow channels therewithin, said second quantity of wash liquor being less than 20 percent of the total of said three quantities of wash liquor.

Claim 2

A method of flushing suspension liquor from a liquid slurry including fibrous particles suspended in said liquor comprising the steps of: A. pressure differentially drawing said slurry against a filter screen for separating said particles from said liquor by passing said liquor through said screen which retains said particles deposited thereon in a fibrous mat accumulation having a porous matrix of interstitial flow channels formed therein: B. removing said screen from said slurry with said mat deposited thereon and said flow channels saturated with said liquor; C. first flushing said liquor from said mat flow channels with a first quantity of wash liquor applied gently and substantially uniformly to the surface of said mat without substantial disturbance of the interstitial pore matrix within said mat; D. following said first flushing, applying a second quantity of wash liquor with direct impingement into said mat with sufficient impact energy as to disrupt and rearrange the interstitial pore matrix of flow channels within said mat thereby opening previously closed pores and flow channels without dislodging said mat from said filter screen; and, E. following said direct impingement, second flushing said mat with a third quantity of wash liquor applied gently and substantially uniformly to the surface of said mat without substantial disturbance of said rearranged interstitial pore matrix of flow channels therewithin, said second quantity of wash liquor being less than 20 percent of the total of said three quantities of wash liquor.

Claim 11

A method of washing process liquor from cellulose fiber comprising the steps of: A. accumulating a mat of said fiber on the surface of a moving screen from a liquor suspended slurry of said fiber with a pressure differential applied across said screen; B. removing said screen from said slurry with said mat deposited thereon, said mat comprising a first interstitial pore matrix of flow channels formed therewithin by said fiber, said flow channels being saturated with said suspension liquor upon removal from said slurry; C. with minimal disturbance of said interstitial pore matrix, applying a first quantity of wash liquor to the surface of said mat for substantial displacement of said wash liquor from said flow channels; D. following said first quantity application of wash liquor, directly impinging a second quantity of wash liquor against the surface of said mat with sufficient impact energy to disrupt and rearrange said first interstitial pore matrix of flow channels into a second flow channel matrix thereby opening previously closed pores and flow channels but without displacement of said mat from said screen; and, E. following said second quantity application, applying a third quantity of wash liquor to said mat with minimal disturbance of said second flow channel matrix, said first and third quantities of wash liquor being substantially equal and the second quantity being no more than 20 percent of the sum of the three quantities.

Claim 12

A method of washing process liquor from cellulose fiber comprising the steps of: A. accumulating a mat of said fiber on the surface of a moving screen from a liquor suspended slurry of said fiber with a pressure differential applied across said screen; B. removing said screen from said slurry with said mat deposited thereon, said mat comprising a first interstitial pore matrix of flow channels formed therewithin by said fiber, said flow channels being saturated with said suspension liquor upon removal from said slurry; C. with minimal disturbance of said interstitial pore matrix, applying a first quantity of wash liquor to the surface of said mat for substantial displacement of said wash liquor from said flow channels; D. following said first quantity application of wash liquor, directly impinging a second quantity of wash liquor against the surface of said mat with sufficient impact energy to disrupt and rearrange said first interstitial pore matrix of flow channels into a second flow channel matrix thereby opening previously closed pores and flow channels but without displacement of said mat from said screen; and, E. following said second quantity application, applying a third quantity of wash liquor to said mat with minimal disturbance of said second flow channel matrix, said first and third quantities of wash liquor being substantially equal and the second quantity being no more than 20 percent of the sum of the three quantities.