Integrated paper pulp and process machinery having integrated drive and control and methods of use thereof

• US 6,617,720 B1
• Filed: 10/06/2000
• Issued: 09/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kadant Black Clawson, Inc. (Kadant Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Kadant Black Clawson, Inc. (Kadant Incorporated)
• Inventors: Demler, Christopher L., Egan, John J. III
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLINS, BURTON S
• Application Number:
  US09/647,894
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 310/166, 310/113, 310/67.R, 310/87, 310/90.5, 210/380.3, 417/355, 417/423.7, 241/259.1, 241/30
• US Class Current: 310/67.00R
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 29/118 open-ended
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 29/86 Retarding cake deposition on the filter during the filtration period, e.g. using stirrers B01D29/908 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D21D 1/002 Control devices
• CPC Class Codes: D21D 1/30 Disc mills
• CPC Class Codes: D21D 5/026 with rotating cleaning foils
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/132 Submersible electric motors H02K5/128 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/09 with magnetic bearings
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/14 Structural association with mechanical loads, e.g. with hand-held machine tools or fans with fan or impeller for cooling the machine H02K9/06

Abstract

The invention pertains to equipment and methods in which the rotatable drive member of a variable speed motor, such as a switched reluctance motor, carries a rotatable pulp processing element (10). Magnetic bearings (22, 24) levitatingly support both the rotatable drive member (15) and associated rotatable pulp processing element (41) and control axial and radial positionning thereof relative to the axis of rotation of the drive member.

Claims

1. A disk refiner comprising a switched reluctance motor comprising a stator and a rotor rotatably disposed along a longitudinal axis within said stator, said rotor carrying a refiner plate, a second refiner plate positioned along said longitudinal axis and adjacent said first refiner plate, and magnetic bearings operatively associated with said stator and rotor for supporting said rotor, the disk refiner further comprising an end plate adjacent said stator and rotor and having said second refiner plate mounted thereon, and linear movement actuator means for selectively moving said second refiner plate along said longitudinal axis toward and away from said first refiner plate.

2. A disk refiner comprising a switched reluctance motor comprising a stator and a rotor rotatably disposed along a longitudinal axis within said stator, said rotor having a first end carrying a first refiner plate and a second end carrying a second refiner plate, first end plate spaced axially from said first refiner plate and a second end plate spaced axially from said second refiner plate with said first and second end plates and said stator defining an enclosed housing, a third refiner plate mounted on said first end plate and axially spaced from said first refiner plate, a fourth refiner plate mounted on said second end plate and axially spaced from said second refiner plate, and magnetic bearings operatively associated with said stator and rotor for levitatingly supporting said rotor with said stator, the disk refiner further comprising a first linear actuator means for selectively moving said third refiner plate along said longitudinal axis toward and away from said first refiner plate and a second linear actuator means for selectively moving said fourth refiner plate along said longitudinal axis toward and away from said second refiner plate.

3. An apparatus comprising a motor having a stationary member and a submersible rotatable drive member, bearing means for supporting said rotatable drive member and a submersible rotatable processing component carried by said rotatable drive member, said bearing means controlling axial and radial movement of said rotatable drive member relative to said stationary member, said stationary member being disposed along a longitudinal axis within said rotatable drive member, said rotatable pulp processing component being a screen cylinder.

4. A paper pulp processing apparatus comprising a variable speed motor having a stator and a rotor rotatably disposed along a longitudinal axis within said stator, a rotatable pulp processing component carried by said rotor, and magnetic bearings supporting said rotor and said rotatable pulp processing component and controlling axial and radial movement of said rotatable pulp processing component relative to said stator, said apparatus further comprising a hollow rotor and a hollow shaft rotatable pulp processing component for feeding paper pulp suspension through both said rotor and rotatable pulp processing component.

5. A paper pulp processing apparatus as recited in claim 4 wherein said variable speed motor is a switched reluctance motor.

6. A paper pulp processing apparatus as recited in claim 5 wherein said rotatable pulp processing component comprises a refiner disk and wherein said paper pulp apparatus is a disk refiner.

7. A paper pulp processing apparatus as recited in claim 6 wherein said rotatable pulp processing component comprises a fluid foil and wherein said paper pulp apparatus is a screen cylinder.

8. A paper pulp processing apparatus as recited in claim 5 wherein said rotatable pulp processing component is a rotatable screen cylinder.

9. A paper pulp processing apparatus comprising a variable speed motor having a stator and a rotor rotatably disposed along a longitudinal axis within said stator, a rotatable pulp processing component carried by said rotor, and magnetic bearings supporting said rotor and said rotatable pulp processing component and controlling axial and radial movement of said rotatable pulp processing component relative to said stator, wherein a portion of said rotor comprises an inclined surface positioned adjacent an inclined surface of said stator, said magnetic bearings positioned along said inclined surfaces and controlling both axial and radial positioning of said rotor and said rotatable pulp processing component relative to said stator.

10. A disk refiner comprising a switched reluctance motor comprising a stator and rotor rotatably disposed along a longitudinal axis within said stator, said rotor carrying a refiner plate, a second refiner plate positioned along said longitudinal axis and adjacent said first refiner plate, and magnetic bearings operatively associated with said stator and rotor for supporting said rotor, wherein said first refiner plate comprises an opening therein and wherein said rotor comprises a hollow shaft communicating with said opening in said first refiner plate to define a fluid flow input for feeding a pulp suspension between said first and second refiner plates.

11. A disk refiner comprising a switched reluctance motor comprising a stator and a rotor rotatably disposed along a longitudinal axis within said stator, said rotor carrying a refiner plate, a second refiner plate positioned along said longitudinal axis and adjacent said first refiner plate, and magnetic bearings operatively associated with said stator and rotor for supporting said rotor, wherein said first refiner plate is attached to said rotor at a first end surface of said rotor, said first end surface of said rotor positioned within a first end of said stator along a first end surface of said stator said first end surface of said rotor and said first end surface of said stator together presenting a pair of inclined surfaces, and where said magnetic bearings are positioned along said inclined surfaces for controlling axial and radial positioning of said rotor within said stator.

12. A disk refiner comprising a switched reluctance motor comprising a stator and a rotor rotatably disposed along a longitudinal axis within said stator, said rotor having a first end carrying a first refiner plate and a second end carrying a second refiner plate, a first end plate spaced axially from said first refiner plate and a second end plate spaced axially from said second refiner plate with said first and second end plates and said stator defining an enclosed housing, a third refiner plate mounted on said first end plate and axially spaced from said first refiner plate, a fourth refiner plate mounted on said second end plate and axially spaced from said second refiner plate, and magnetic bearings operatively associated with said stator and rotor for levitatingly supporting said rotor within said stator, wherein said first end plate, second refiner plate and first refiner plate comprise openings therein, said rotor comprising a hollow shaft in communication with said openings in said first and second refiner plates and said first end plate to define a fluid flow input for feeding a pulp suspension between said first and third refiner plates and between said second and fourth refiner plates.

13. A disk refiner comprising a switched reluctance motor comprising a stator and a rotor rotatably disposed along a longitudinal axis within said stator, said rotor having a first end carrying a first refiner plate and a second end carrying a second refiner plate, a first end plate spaced axially from said first refiner plate and a second end plate spaced axially from said second refiner plate with said first and second end plates and said stator defining an enclosed housing, a third refiner plate mounted on said first end plate and axially spaced from said first refiner plate, a fourth refiner plate mounted on said second end plate and axially spaced from said second refiner plate, and magnetic bearings operatively associated with said stator and rotor for levitatingly supporting said rotor within said stator, wherein said first end of said rotor borders said stator along a first inclined surface and wherein said second end of said rotor borders said stator along a second inclined surface and wherein said magnetic bearings are positioned along both said first and second inclined surfaces to control axial and radial positioning of said rotor within said stator.

14. A screen for screening a flow of papermaker'"'"'s stock comprising a switched reluctance motor having a stator and a rotor rotatably disposed along a longitudinal axis within said stator, a screen adjacent said stator and having an accepts surface and a fluid inlet surface, a housing surrounding said screen, a fluid foil carried by said rotor to induce a flow of papermaker'"'"'s stock along said fluid inlet surface of said screen, a first collection channel communicating with said accepts surface to collect fluid flowing through said screen, a second collection channel communicating with said fluid inlet surface to collect fluid that does not flow through said screen, and magnetic bearings operatively associated with said stator and rotor for levitatingly supporting said rotor.

15. A screen as recited in claim 14 wherein said rotor comprises a hollow shaft defining a fluid inlet channel to feed said papermaker'"'"'s stock to said fluid foil.

16. A screen as recited in claim 14 wherein said fluid foil is integral with said rotor and where said fluid foil comprises apertures therein for forwarding said papermaker'"'"'s stock from said inlet channel to said fluid inlet surface.

17. A screen as recited in claim 14 wherein said magnetic bearings comprises radial magnetic bearings disposed about said rotor to control radial positioning of said rotor in said stator and said magnetic bearings also comprise axial magnetic bearings disposed along said rotor to control axial positioning of said rotor within said stator.

18. In a method of processing a pulp suspension wherein a rotatable pulp processing component is brought into contact with said pulp, the improvement comprising

(a) providing a variable speed motor having a stator and a rotor rotatably mounted along a longitudinal axis within said stator;

(b) combining said rotatable pulp processing component and said rotor along a common shaft, wherein said variable speed motor is a switched reluctance motor and said shaft is hollow;

(c) providing magnetic bearings along said common shaft and said stator to support both said rotatable pulp processing equipment and said rotor and control axial and radial movement of said rotatable pulp processing component relative to said stator; and

(d) providing a fluid flow through said hollow shaft.

19. A paper pulp processing apparatus comprising a motor having a stationary member and a rotatable drive member having conical ends, a rotatable pulp processing component carried by said rotatable drive member, and bearings supporting the conical ends of said rotatable drive member and said rotatable pulp processing component, said bearings controlling axial and radial movement of said rotatable drive member relative to said stationary member.

20. A paper pulp processing apparatus comprising a variable speed motor having a stator and a rotor having conical ends rotatably disposed along a longitudinal axis within said stator, a rotatable pulp processing component carried by said rotor, and magnetic bearings supporting the conical ends of said rotor and said rotatable pulp processing component and controlling axial and radial movement of said rotatable pulp processing component relative to said stator.

21. A disk refiner comprising a switched reluctance motor comprising a stator and a rotor having conical ends rotatably disposed along a longitudinal axis within said stator, said rotor carrying a refiner plate, a second refiner plate positioned along said longitudinal axis and adjacent said first refiner plate, and magnetic bearings operatively associated with said stator and rotor for supporting the conical ends of said rotor, and controlling axial and radial movement of the rotor.

22. A disk refiner comprising a switched reluctance motor comprising a stator and a rotor having conical ends rotatably disposed along a longitudinal axis within said stator, said rotor having a first end carrying a first refiner plate and a second end carrying a second refiner plate, a first end plate spaced axially from said first refiner plate and a second end plate spaced axially from said second refiner plate with said first and second end plates and said stator defining an enclosed housing, a third refiner plate mounted on said first end plate and axially spaced from said first refiner plate, a fourth refiner plate mounted on said second end plate and axially spaced from said second refiner plate, and magnetic bearings operatively associated with said stator and rotor for levitatingly supporting the conical ends of said rotor with said stator and for controlling axial and radial movement of the rotor.

23. In a method of processing a pulp suspension wherein a rotable pulp processing component is brought into contact with said pulp, the improvement comprising:

a.) providing a variable speed motor having a stationary member and a rotatable drive member;

b.) combinining said rotatable pulp processing component and said rotatable drive member into an integral unit; and

c.) providing bearings along said rotatable pulp processing component and said rotatable drive member to support conical ends of said rotatable drive member within said stationary member, and controlling axial and radial movement of said pulp processing component relative to said stationary member by said bearings.

24. In a method of processing a pulp suspension wherein a rotatable pulp processing component is brought into contact with said pulp, the improvement comprising:

a.) providing a variable speed motor having a stator and a rotor rotatably mounted along a longitudinal axis within said stator;

b.) combining said rotatable pulp processing component and said rotor along a common shaft; and

c.) providing magnetic bearings along said common shaft and said stator to support both said rotatable pulp processing equipment and conical ends of said rotor and control axial and radial movement of said rotatable pulp processing component relative to said stator.