Refiner plate with gradually changing geometry

• US 10,675,630 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2018
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Andritz Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Andritz Incorporated
• Inventors: Gingras, Luc
• Primary Examiner(s): Self, Shelley M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Guthrie, Teresa A
• Application Number:
  US15/935,719
• Publication Number:
  US 20180214883A1
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 241298
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 7/12 Shape or construction of discs
• CPC Class Codes: D21D 1/306 Discs

Abstract

A refiner plate segment with a continuous transition zone spanning from the periphery or near the periphery of the plate in a substantial spiral toward the axis of rotation of the plate adjacent the breaker bar zone.

Claims

1. A refiner plate segment comprising:

an outer periphery;

an inner arc distally disposed from the outer periphery;

a first lateral edge;

a second lateral edge distally disposed from the first lateral edge; and

a refining surface disposed between the outer periphery and the inner arc comprising;

a pattern of bars and grooves disposed between the outer periphery and the inner arc in multiple bands, wherein the pattern of bars and grooves in each band of the multiple bands has a density, wherein each bar has ends,

wherein the pattern of bars and grooves in a first band of the multiple bands disposed closer to the inner arc has a lesser density than a pattern of bars and grooves in an adjacent band of the multiple bands disposed closer to the outer periphery as measured along a radial line configured to extend from a center of rotation of the refiner plate segment when the refiner plate segment is mounted to a mechanical refiner; and

a transition zone, wherein the transition zone is arranged at an angle of between 20° and

85°

relative to the radial line, wherein the transition zone borders a side of at least one of the multiple bands, wherein the density of the pattern of bars and grooves increases within a band of the multiple bands as measured from a point on the band nearer the inner arc to a point on the band nearer the outer periphery, and wherein the transition zone is distributed across the refining surface.

2. The refiner plate segment of claim 1, wherein the transition zone is arranged at an angle of between 30°

and 80°

relative to the radial line.

3. The refiner plate segment of claim 1, wherein the transition zone is configured to align with a transition zone of an adjacent refiner plate segment to thereby form a spiral shape spanning a refining surface of a refiner plate assembly, wherein the refiner plate assembly comprises two or more refiner plate segments.

4. The refiner plate segment of claim 3, wherein the transition zone is distributed in a curve forming a spiral shape spanning at least 50% of the refining surface of the refiner plate assembly.

5. The refiner plate segment of claim 3, wherein the transition zone is distributed in a curve forming a spiral shape spanning at least 60% of the refining surface of the refiner plate assembly.

6. The refiner plate segment of claim 1, wherein the transition zone is distributed in a curve forming a spiral shape spanning at least 50% of the refining surface.

7. The refiner plate segment of claim 1, wherein the transition zone is distributed in a curve forming a spiral shape spanning at least 60% of the refining surface of the refiner plate segment.

8. The refiner plate segment of claim 7, wherein the transition zone has one or more discontinuities in the pattern of bars and grooves, the discontinuities amounting to less than 10% of the refining surface.

9. The refiner plate segment of claim 1, wherein the transition zone is distributed in a curve forming a spiral shape spanning at least 75% of the refining surface.

10. The refiner plate segment of claim 1, wherein the transition zone is radially distributed on at least 50% of the refining surface.

11. The refiner plate segment of claim 1, wherein the refining surface is mirrored along a central axis of the refiner plate segment, wherein the transition zone spans the refining surface, and wherein the transition zone is shaped like a “

V,”

a “

W,”

an inverted “

V,”

or an inverted “

W.”

12. The refiner plate segment of claim 1, wherein the refining surface is disposed radially outward of a breaker bar section, wherein the breaker bar section is a first refining zone disposed closest to the inner arc of the refiner plate segment.

13. The refiner plate segment of claim 1, wherein the transition zone is configured to align with a transition zone of a right adjacent refiner plate segment and a left adjacent refiner plate segment to thereby form a spiral shape spanning a refining surface of a refiner plate assembly comprising three or more refiner plate segments, wherein the spiral shape of the refiner plate assembly extends from a radially outer perimeter to a radially inner perimeter of the refining surface.

14. The refiner plate segment of claim 1, wherein the refining surface is disposed on at least 30% of an area between the inner arc and the outer periphery.

15. The refiner plate segment of claim 1, wherein at least two bands of the multiple bands extend to the second lateral edge of the refiner plate segment, wherein a first band of the at least two bands is configured to align with a first adjacent band on an adjacent refiner plate segment, wherein a second band of the at least two bands is configured to align with a second adjacent band on the adjacent refiner plate segment, and wherein each of the first adjacent band and the second adjacent band extend to a first lateral edge of the adjacent refiner plate segment.

16. The refiner plate segment of claim 15, wherein the first adjacent band and the second adjacent band asymptotically approach a tangent line at the outer periphery of the adjacent refiner plate segment.

20. The refiner plate segment of claim 1, wherein the transition zone is defined by a structure selected from the group consisting essentially of:

a full surface dam, a subsurface dam, connected and partially connected bar ends, or a combination thereof.

17. A refiner plate segment comprising:

a refining zone having a pattern of bars and grooves wherein each bar has ends; and

transition zones disposed on the refining zone to create X shapes,

wherein diamond shapes are created in the refining zone by the X shapes created by the transition zones, and

wherein a density of bars in the pattern of bars and grooves within each diamond shape increases radially from a first diamond shape nearer to an inner arc to an adjacent diamond shape further from the inner arc, wherein the transition zones are distributed across the refiner plate segment.

18. A refiner plate segment comprising:

an outer periphery;

an inner arc disposed across from the outer periphery;

a first lateral edge;

a second lateral edge disposed across from the first lateral edge; and

a refining surface having a pattern of bars and grooves, wherein the refining surface is disposed between the inner arc and the outer periphery, the refining surface comprising;

multiple transition zones, wherein the transition zones are disposed to adjacent transition zones, wherein each transition zone is distributed in a line across the refiner plate segment, wherein the line spans the refining surface at an angle of between 20° and

85°

relative to a radial line passing through the refiner plate segment, wherein the radial line is configured to extend from a center of rotation of the refiner plate segment when the refiner plate segment is mounted to a mechanical refiner,

wherein an area between adjacent transition zones forms a spiral band,

wherein multiple adjacent transition zones form multiple spiral bands,

wherein one or more bars span across two or more transition zones,

wherein the pattern of bars has a density,

wherein a transition zone of the multiple transition zones is defined by an increase in density between a first spiral band of the multiple spiral bands disposed closer to the inner arc and an adjacent spiral band of the multiple spiral bands disposed further from the inner arc, and

wherein the density increases within the multiple spiral bands from a point of each spiral band disposed closer to the first lateral edge to a point of the spiral band disposed closer to the second lateral edge.

19. The refiner plate segment of claim 18, wherein the transition zone of the multiple transition zones is in a form of a V shape or an inverted V shape.