# US 12,214,522 B2 · Arrangement for feeding wood particles into impregnating

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- Number: US 12,214,522 B2
- Document ID: US12214522B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/426,254
- Filed: 2019-01-29
- Published: 2022-05-05
- Granted: 2025-02-04
- Earliest claimed: 2019-01-29
- Assignees: Upm-Kymmene Corporation
- Applicants: Upm-Kymmene Corporation
- Inventors: Sami Turunen; Mika Laitila
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12214522B2

## CPC

- B27K 3/0207: {Pretreatment of wood before impregnation}
- B27K 3/16: Inorganic impregnating agents
- B27K 5/007: {using pressure (B27K3/08 takes precedence)}
- Y02E 50/10: Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
- B27K: PROCESSES, APPARATUS OR SELECTION OF SUBSTANCES FOR IMPREGNATING, STAINING, DYEING, BLEACHING OF WOOD OR SIMILAR MATERIALS, OR TREATING OF WOOD OR SIMILAR MATERIALS WITH PERMEANT LIQUIDS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces in general B05; coating wood or similar material B44D); CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL TREATMENT OF CORK, CANE, REED, STRAW OR SIMILAR MATERIALS
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

An arrangement for feeding wood particles into an impregnating stage of a wood treatment process comprises a feed silo (301, 701), at least one impregnating vessel (305, 601, 602, 603, 703) for receiving wood particles into said impregnating stage, and two or more conveyors (302, 303, 304, 501, 502, 503, 702) between said feed silo (301, 701) and said at least one impregnating vessel (305, 601, 602, 603, 703), for transferring wood particles from said feed silo (301, 701) to said at least one impregnating vessel (305, 601, 602, 603, 703). Each of said conveyors (302, 303, 304, 501, 502, 503, 702) is a compressing conveyor for applying pressure to the wood particles on their way through the respective conveyor.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An arrangement for processing wood particles, comprising:
a feed silo;
at least one impregnating vessel configured to subject wood particles received therein to an impregnating stage of said wood treatment process;
for feeding said wood particles into said impregnating stage, two or more conveyors between said feed silo and said at least one impregnating vessel, for transferring said wood particles from said feed silo to said at least one impregnating vessel; and
downstream from said impregnating stage in the process, a reactor configured to subject wood particles impregnated in said impregnating stage to hemihydrolysis and steam explosion;
wherein each of said two or more conveyors is a compressing conveyor is configured to apply pressure to the wood particles on their way through the respective conveyor and comprises a respective conveyor input and a respective conveyor output, and wherein the conveyor inputs of said two or more conveyors are coupled to said feed silo in parallel for receiving a respective component stream of the wood particles from said feed silo for causing an elastic compressing deformation of the wood particles in said two or more conveyors and subsequently relaxing the elastic deformation when releasing the wood particles into the impregnating stage.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said feed silo is a pre-steaming silo for treating said wood particles with steam.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein each of said two or more conveyors is a plug screw feeder or a force feed screw.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a divider between said feed silo and said conveyor inputs for dividing the wood particles from said feed silo into said component streams.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein one of said at least one impregnating vessels is coupled to at least two of said conveyor outputs for receiving at least two of said component streams.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein
a first of said at least one impregnating vessel is coupled to the conveyor output of a first of said two or more conveyors, to receive a first component stream of said component streams,
a second impregnating vessel is coupled to the conveyor output of a second of said two or more conveyors, to receive a second of said component streams,
the arrangement further comprising a combiner stage after said first and second impregnating vessels for combining outputs of said first and second impregnating vessels.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said impregnating stage comprises soaking said wood particles in a dilute acid solution.

### Claim 8

An arrangement for processing wood particles, comprising:
a feed silo;
at least one impregnating vessel configured to receive wood particles received therein to an impregnating stage of said wood treatment process;
for feeding said wood particles into said impregnating stage, two or more conveyors between said feed silo and said at least one impregnating vessel, for transferring wood particles from said feed silo to said at least one impregnating vessel; and
downstream from said impregnating stage, a reactor configured to subject wood particles impregnated in said impregnating stage to hemihydrolysis and steam explosion;
wherein each of said two or more conveyors is a compressing conveyor for applying pressure to the wood particles on their way through the respective conveyor and comprises a respective conveyor input and a respective conveyor output,
wherein each of said two or more conveyors is a plug screw feeder, and the conveyor input of a first conveyor of said two or more conveyors is coupled to said feed silo for receiving said wood particles from said feed silo, and
the conveyor output of said first conveyor is coupled to the conveyor input of a second conveyor of said two or more conveyors for transferring said wood particles through said first and second conveyors in sequence on their way from said feed silo to said impregnating stage for causing an elastic compressing deformation of the wood particles in said two or more conveyors and subsequently relaxing the elastic deformation when releasing the wood particles into the impregnating stage.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The arrangement according to claim 8, wherein said feed silo is a pre-steaming silo for treating said wood particles with steam.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The arrangement according to claim 8, wherein
a first of said at least one impregnating vessel is coupled to the conveyor output of a first of said two or more conveyors, to receive a first component stream of said component streams,
a second impregnating vessel is coupled to the conveyor output of a second of said two or more conveyors, to receive a second of said component streams,
the arrangement further comprising a combiner stage after said first and second impregnating vessels for combining outputs of said first and second impregnating vessels.