New Technology Addresses Organic Loading in Wet Felts While Enhancing Press Section and Paper Machine Performance, 2003 Spring Technical Confernce Proceedings

The closing up of a mill’s water system, the increased use of recycled furnish, and the use of synthetic papermaking additives often result in increased contaminant loading in the wet end and press section of a papermaking system. Wet felt filling due to contaminant loading can lead to any number of problems, including poor sheet quality, lost production, unscheduled shutdowns, and increased operating costs. Additionally, the frequent use of high doses of expensive chemicals to clean wet felts can add to a mill’s operating cost while simultaneously negatively impacting regulatory and environmental compliance.

In addition to discussing traditional approaches used to treat wet felts, this paper discusses a new, environmentally friendly press fabric passivation technology that prevents felt filling, compaction, and excessive wear in situations where closed water systems, recycled fiber usage, and high organic loading cause production and quality problems.