Wet-End Characterization wet end will provide machine operators with the
necessary feedback they need to make definitive
of Paper Web
We are developing an intelligent, vision-
based apparatus for the paper industry that
provides better control of the papermaking
process.
The paper industry has had a long-standing need
to better understand and robustly control its
papermaking process upstream, specifically, in the
forming section (also known as the wet end). We are
developing a unique state-of-the-art vision system
that automatically measures and interprets pertinent
paper web parameters at the wet end. Unlike
ower Generation
currently available sensing systems that are intended
to operate downstream, our vision system provides
timely measurements of important web parameters at
the crucial stage of paper formation. Having this
capability can create both short-term and long-term
changes in the paper industry and can dramatically
Power
affect product quality and production yield. In the
short term, the ability to characterize the web at the
Industrial Markets: Industrial Applications and P
(a)
(c)
(d)
The top two images depict the wet end of a paper machine, the headbox (a) and the press section (b).
Image (c) shows the subsystem deployed to capture high-quality, on-line images of the slurry; two such images
are shown at the bottom. Note the distinct structures present in the images, (d) water beads and (e) web streaks.
Contact: Hamed Sari-Sarraf
Phone: 865-574-5542
Fax: 865-574-6663
E-mail: sarisarrafh@ornl.gov
28 Instrumentation and Controls Division
adjustments to the headbox [figure (a)] and hence
minimize the undesirable effects of formation
variations. In the long run, the industry can expect
significant advances in headbox design and control
as their researchers use this same capability to better
understand and quantify headbox flow dynamics.
The wet-end characterization of the paper web
by our vision system involves a four-dimensional
measurement of the slurry (fiber and water mixture)
in real time. These measurements include the two-
dimensional spatial information, intensity profile,
and depth profile of the slurry. To infer the pertinent
web parameters from these measurements, the
system employs a suite of sophisticated image-
processing and pattern recognition algorithms.
Automatically inferred parameters, such as
homogeneity of the web and location and topography
of the web streaks, are then used to quantify paper
formation characteristics or to monitor production
events (e.g., table activity and web breaks). One of
the subsystems of this apparatus has been designed
and tested in a paper mill for on-line evaluation. The
overall system is expected to be completed by the
end of fiscal year 1999.
(b)
(e)
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