US 12,571,161 B2 · Deflaking element for pulper

Abstract

A defibering and deflaking pulper has a defibering rotor-stator pair and a deflaking rotor-stator pair for processing a fiber-based material into smaller pieces. The defibering and deflaking pulper creates an impeller-produced vortical circulation that pulls the material through a defibering rotor-stator interface, where the material is broken down into smaller pieces, and then through a deflaking rotor-stator interface, where the smaller pieces are broken down into even smaller pieces. The defibering and deflaking pulper accumulates the defibered and deflaked material that passes through the defibering rotor-stator interface and the deflaking rotor-stator interface for further processing. This combination of defibering and deflaking in the defibering and deflaking pulper reduces plugging from larger pieces of the material and reduces downstream processing of the material, thus increasing productivity and reducing costs.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A defibering and deflaking pulper for processing a fiber-based material into smaller pieces, comprising:

a vessel having a wall with an opening;
a base having a pulper body forming a chamber, the pulper body attached to the wall at the opening;
a shaft suspended by at least one bearing mounted on the base;
a defibering rotor-stator pair comprising a defibering stator attached to the pulper body and a defibering rotor axially mounted to the shaft;
and
a deflaking rotor-stator pair having a deflaking stator attached to the pulper body and a deflaking rotor attached to the defibering rotor, the shaft, or both;
wherein the defibering rotor-stator pair is located within the vessel and the deflaking rotor-stator pair is located within the chamber.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Deflaking element for pulper

Life of this patent

Deflaking element for pulper

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20