Gap mechanics in pulp refiners, TAPPI Journal June 2025

Application: This study provides researchers with new ideas on the fundamentals of pulp refining with the aim of spurring research on this important process.

Author: R.. J. Kerekes

ABSTRACT: Studies of pulp refining have shown that a single bar impact on pulp has only a 1%•5% probability of producing a successful refining effect. This study has explored the reason why. An analysis of refining kinetics suggested that small segments of a fiber length, about a fiber diameter in size, are treated during each impact. Measurements of localized swelling along fiber lengths caused by refining supported this finding. Based on these findings, it was postulated that force transmittal through fiber networks occurred primarily at fiber crossings. The small size of fiber diameters relative to fiber lengths accounts for the low probability of a successful refining event at each impact. This probability, and the probability of fibers being captured and impacted during passage through a refiner, account for the need for multiple bar crossings to refine pulps.