Chip Dimensions: The Effects of Digester Operation, 2003 Fall Technical Conference
A study has been made on the effects of different chip size distributions on the digester operations.
In the study woodchips with two separate chip lengths from two different pulpmills were used. The two chip supplies
were mixed with different chip thickness fractions so that the average chip thickness (measured electronically) could
be varied between 3,3 mm up to 5 mm.
The study showed a surprisingly great effect of chip thickness on the liquour flow in the digester.
As the chip thickness is lowered, the liquour flow resistance increases through the chip bed in the digester.
Chip quality from different suppliers measured according to the normal SCAN method, used in Scandinavia, does not
reflect the variations in chip thickness.
Chip Dimensions: The Effects of Digester Operation, 2003 Fall Technical Conference