Method of Controlling Caliper of the Fiber Web of a Parent Roll and Production Line for Producing Fiber Webs

Abstract

To minimize the cost of a fiber web due to the web, particularly a board web, being manufactured overly thick to compensate for loss of caliper in the reel-up, the web is made thicker just for the inner layers of what will become a parent roll. The caliper of the web is measured as or after it is unwound. A caliper curve of the parent roll as a function of the diameter of the parent roll is calculated as a function of the diameter of the parent roll and/or the customer roll. The fiber web is adjusted by changing running parameters of the production line: web speed i.e. production speed, headbox-flow, head-box consistency, coating weight of the coating paste or calender nip load.

Claims

1. A method in a fiber web production line of minimizing changes in caliper of a fiber web produced on the fiber web production line after the fiber web is wound into a parent roll, the method comprising the steps of: forming a fiber web in web production line of a targeted caliper; wherein before a parent roll is started in a reel-up of the fiber web production line, a first length of the fiber web is formed with a caliper greater than the targeted caliper such that as the parent roll is begun, the first length of the fiber web is wound to form a first part of the parent roll with the fiber web of greater caliper; winding a second part of the parent roll with the fiber web having a second length with a caliper of the targeted caliper to form the parent roll; and wherein the fiber web of greater caliper is arranged so as to compensate for loss of web caliper in the parent roll as wound, such that the caliper of the fiber web wound in the parent roll as formed varies less than if it was formed with a constant caliper.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first length of the fiber web is 5-10% of the fiber web wound to form the parent roll which comprises the first length of the fiber web of greater caliper plus the second length of the fiber web of the targeted caliper.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: measuring the caliper of the fiber web as and/or after the fiber web is unwound in an unwinding station of the fiber web production line to determine an unwound caliper measurement; if the unwound caliper measurement is less than the targeted caliper, increasing the formed caliper of a subsequent first length of the fiber web formed with a caliper greater than the targeted caliper which is wound in the fiber web production line on a subsequent parent roll; and if the unwound caliper measurement is greater than the targeted caliper, decreasing the formed caliper of a subsequent first length of the fiber web formed with a caliper greater than the targeted caliper which is wound in the fiber web production line on a subsequent parent roll.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of measuring the caliper of the fiber web as and/or after the fiber web is unwound in an unwinding station is preformed by taking samples of the fiber web after unwinding in the unwinding station and measuring the caliper of the samples.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of measuring the caliper of the fiber web as and/or after the fiber web is unwound in an unwinding station is preformed by measuring the diameter of the parent roll as it unwinds and calculating the fiber web caliper.

6. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of measuring the caliper of the fiber web which was unwound in the unwinding station as said fiber web is wound into a customer roll in a winding station of the fiber web production line.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of measuring the caliper of the fiber web as the fiber web is wound into a customer roll, is by taking samples of the fiber web as the fiber web is wound into the customer roll and measuring the caliper of the samples.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of measuring the caliper of the fiber web as the fiber web is wound into a customer roll, is by measuring the diameter of the customer roll as it is wound and calculating the fiber web caliper.

9. The method of claim 1 where the step of forming the first length of the paper web with the caliper greater than the targeted caliper in the fiber web production line is selected from the group consisting of: decreasing the production speed of the web in a forming section, increasing headbox flow in a head box, increasing head-box consistency, increasing coating weight of a coating paste in a coater section, and reducing calender nip load in a calender.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the first length of the fiber web wound on the parent roll is provided to have a fiber web caliper which is a function of the diameter of the parent roll.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the caliper of the first length of the fiber web is provided with caliper values exceeding the target value by decreasing the running speed of the production line.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the caliper of the first length of the fiber web is provided with caliper values exceeding the target value by increasing headbox-flow of a headbox within the fiber web production line.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the caliper of the first length of the fiber web is provided with caliper values exceeding the target value by increasing head-box consistency within a headbox within the fiber production line.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein an unwinding station unwinds the parent roll subsequent to its being wound on the fiber web production line, and wherein an on-line sensor with a calculation system is disposed with respect to said unwinding station which transmits caliper data on the basis of which is determined a time-interval of producing a first length of fiber web with a caliper greater than the targeted caliper for winding of a subsequent parent web.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the parent roll is unwound at an unwinding station subsequent to its being wound on the fiber web production line, and is then wound on customer rolls at a winding section, wherein an on-line sensor with a calculation system is disposed with respect to said winding section which transmits caliper data on the basis of which is determined a time-interval of producing a first length of fiber web with a caliper greater than the targeted caliper for winding of a subsequent parent web.

16. The method of claim 8 wherein the fiber web production line further comprises a parent roll storage with a parent roll sample taking station and/or a customer roll storage with a customer roll sample taking station and wherein caliper data from either the customer roll sample taking station or the parent roll sample taking station is uses to determined a time-interval of producing a first length of fiber web with a caliper greater than the targeted caliper for winding of a subsequent parent web.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises the steps of: setting the target caliper of the fiber web; selecting running parameters to produce a fiber web with the target caliper; measuring the web caliper in the parent roll as and/or after the fiber web is unwound in an unwinding station; based on the received caliper data determining whether the caliper of the fiber web as a function of the diameter of the parent roll is constant in the parent roll or in a customer roll; and if the caliper of the fiber web in the parent roll or in the customer roll is not constant, a diameter dependent correction factor is changed and the forgoing steps starting with the selecting running parameters are repeated, and wherein at least one running parameter is changed.

18. A production line for producing a fiber web comprising: a head box, a forming section, a press section, a drying section, a calender, a coating section, a reel-up for reeling a parent roll, an unwinding station for parent rolls, and a winder for winding customer rolls, all arranged to form a fiber web and wind the fiber web into a parent roll and unwind the parent roll and wind customer rolls; online measuring sensors, with a calculation system, arranged to defme the caliper of the fiber web of the parent roll during unwinding in the unwinding station and/or to defme the caliper of the fiber web as a customer roll is formed in the winding section; wherein the production line further comprises a database and calculating device to collect and store caliper data received from the measuring sensors and to calculate and determine a caliper curve of the parent roll as a function of the diameter of the parent roll; a control device in the fiber web production line in caliper data receiving relation to the database and calculating device; and wherein the control device is arranged to adjust at least one parameter of the head box, the calender, or the coating section, to control the caliper of the fiber web.

19. The production line of claim 18 wherein the production line further comprises a parent roll storage, a sample taking station at the parent roll storage and/or a customer roll storage and a sample taking station at the customer roll storage to take samples of the fiber web so as to define the caliper of the fiber web.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] In the following the invention is explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing to which the invention is not to be narrowly limited.

[0041] In FIG. 1 is shown schematically an advantageous example of a fiber web production line according to the invention.

[0042] In FIG. 2 is shown a schematical example as flowchart illustrating steps of the method of controlling caliper of a fiber web of a parent roll.

[0043] In FIGS. 3A-3B is schematically shown example graphs of caliper losses, in FIG. 3A in accordance prior art and in FIG. 3B in accordance with the invention.

[0044] In FIGS. 4A-4B is schematically shown portion of one caliper run of a parent roll, in FIG. 4A in accordance prior art and in FIG. 4B in accordance with the invention.

[0045] During the course of the following description like numbers and signs will be used to identify like elements according to the different views which illustrate the invention and its advantageous examples. In the figures some repetitive reference signs have been omitted for clarity reasons.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0046] In FIG. 1 is very schematically shown a fiber web production line which comprises a head box 11, a forming section 12, a press section 13, a drying section 14, a calender 15, a coating section 16 with drying equipment 17, a reel-up 18, a parent roll storage 19, an unwinding station 21 of a slitter-winder, a slitting section (not shown) of the slitter-winder, a winding section 22 of the slitter-winder and a customer roll storage 23, as well as a packaging section 24. In the production line there are also guide rolls 10, 20 for guiding and supporting the fiber web W and/or the fabric F supporting the web W. The fiber web W is typically supported by fabrics during forming, pressing, and drying. The production line comprises measuring devices 31, for example sensors, advantageously on-line measuring devices, with a calculation system to measure and calculate for example as described in WO patent application publication 02102693 A1, the caliper of the fiber web W of the parent roll to be unwound in the unwinding station 21 and/or to defme the caliper of the fiber web to be wound to a customer roll in the winding section 22. The production line may also comprise sample taking stations 32 at the parent roll storage 19 and/or at the customer roll storage 23 to take samples of the fiber web in order to defme the caliper of the fiber web W. The production line further comprises a database and calculating device 33 to collect and store the caliper data received from the measuring devices with the calculation system and/or from the sample taking stations received information and to calculate and determine the caliper curve of the parent roll and/or to calculate the caliper as function of the diameter of the parent roll/the customer roll as out-put data sent as in-put data to a control device 34 of the fiber web production line to control production speed of the fiber web production line in order to decrease the production speed during reeling of the inner layers of the parent roll in the reel-up 18 to increase caliper and bulkiness temporarily for the inner layers of the parent roll to provide a parent roll with desired, advantageously constant target caliper fiber web as a function of the diameter of the parent roll for unwinding in the unwinder station 21 of the slitter-winder.

[0047] In FIG. 2 is shown a schematical example as a flowchart illustrating steps of the method of controlling caliper of a fiber web of a parent roll. Each fiber web grade has grade-based correction factor. In the target setting step 41 of the method the target caliper data of the fiber web is set and thereafter in the parameter selection step 42 the running parameters, web speed i.e. production speed, headbox-flow and/or head-box consistency, coating weight of the coating paste to be applied onto the fiber web at the coating section and/or calender nip load of the calender for the fiber web production line are selected and defined to produce a fiber web with the target caliper. In the measurement step 43 caliper data (advantageously calculated based on on-line measurement results with a calculation system received form a parent roll at the unwinding section of the slitter-winder) is received and thereafter in the checking step 44 based on the received caliper data is checked whether the caliper of the fiber web is desired as a function of the diameter of the parent roll and/or the customer roll, advantageously constant in the parent roll and/or in the customer roll. If the caliper of the fiber web in the parent roll is not as desired as a function of the diameter of the parent roll and/or the customer roll, advantageously the return branch 51 i.e. “NO” is selected and the diameter dependent correction factor is changed in factor changing step 45 and the selected running parameter(s) are changed accordingly in the parameter selection step 42. Additionally (or alternatively) in sample measurement step 46 caliper data (advantageously calculated based on on-line caliper data received form the of a sample taking station) is received and thereafter in the sample checking step 47 based on the sample measurement step 46 received caliper data is checked as to whether the caliper of the fiber web is as desired as a function of the diameter of the parent roll/the customer roll, advantageously constant in the parent roll and/or in the customer roll. If the caliper of the fiber web in the parent roll is not as desired, advantageously constant, the additional return branch 52 i.e. “NO” is selected and the diameter dependent correction factor is changed in factor changing step 45 and the selected running parameter(s) are changed accordingly in the parameter selection step 42. In case the caliper is desired as a function of the diameter of the parent roll and/or the customer roll, advantageously constant in the parent roll the continuation branch 53 “YES” is selected and the production is continued with set parameters.

[0048] According to an advantageous example of the invention, here explained with reference to the examples of FIGS. 1-2, in the method the caliper of the fiber web W of the parent roll is controlled as a function of the diameter of the parent roll. In the method at least one of the following running parameters of the production line: web speed i.e. production speed, headbox-flow, head-box consistency, coating weight of the coating paste and/or calender nip load is adjusted for reeling of a parent roll such that the caliper of the fiber web W to be wound as inner layers of the parent roll exceeds the target value and the desired caliper as a function of the diameter of the parent roll and/or the customer roll, advantageously constant caliper of the fiber web of the parent roll is achieved. Thus, the parameter(s) are adjusted beginning at the time for the fiber web W to be reeled as the innermost layer of the parent roll for a time-interval corresponding to reeling the inner layers of the parent roll. Advantageously, the running speed of the production line is decreased in order to run fiber web W with “over caliper” i.e. with caliper values exceeding the target value of the caliper of the fiber web W for the inner layers of the parent roll. The “over caliper” run is also achieved by increasing the headbox-flow, by increasing the head-box consistency, by increasing the coating weight of the coating paste and/or by reducing thee calender nip load. The time interval needed by the “over caliper” run of the inner layers of the parent roll is defined advantageously by measurement data received from an on-line measurement device 31, advantageously sensors, with the calculation system at the unwinding station 21 of the slitter-winder. Additionally or alternatively, the time interval needed by the “over caliper” run of the inner layers of the parent roll is defined by measurement data received from an on-line measurement device 31. Advantageously the sensors are used with a calculation system at winding section 22 of the slitter-winder and/or caliper measurement data received from a sample taking station 32 at the parent roll storage 19 and/or at the customer roll storage 23.

[0049] In FIGS. 3A-3B is schematically shown example graphs of caliper losses, in FIG. 3A in accordance with prior art and in FIG. 3B in accordance with the invention. In FIGS. 3A-3B for purpose of illustration a parent roll of 1.5 m diameter is shown. More typically the parent roll will about 5 m in diameter. On the X-axis is shown the diameter of a parent roll in mm and on the Y-axis is shown caliper in μm. In FIGS. 3A and 3B graphs 61A, 61B indicate the caliper of the fiber web before the reeling stage in the reel-up. The graphs 62A, 62B show the caliper of the fiber web in the parent roll, and graphs 63A, 63B show the caliper of the fiber web in the customer rolls in the winding stage in the winding section of the slitter-winder. The graphs 64A shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B indicate that in the prior art, a nominal formed web of 500 μm may meet only the requirement of a specified caliper of 455 μm. The graphs 64B according to the invention shown in FIG. 3B indicate the caliper which a nominal formed web of 500 μm can meet is a specified caliper of 475 μm. The reference numerals followed by the letter A indicate the values achieved by the prior art and the reference numerals followed by the letter B indicate the values achieved by the invention. As can be seen from FIG. 3A, in prior art systems the difference between the minimum caliper which a nominal formed web 61A of 500 μm can meet (the target value 64A for the caliper), is large; but as can be seen from the FIG. 3B in the invention the difference between the target value 64B of the caliper and the nominal formed web 61B of 500 μm caliper is much smaller scale, and the difference between the required target values, graphs 64A, 64B of the prior art and the invention is great and thus, the situation has significantly improved. Thus the nominal formed web of 500 μm can meet the target value 64B which is 20 μm greater or about 4.44% greater than the target value of prior art 64A.

[0050] In FIGS. 4A-4B is schematically shown a portion of over caliper run of a parent roll, in FIG. 4A in accordance with prior art and in FIG. 4B in accordance with the invention. As can be seen from FIG. 4A in the prior art the running time in over caliper is about 90% of the running time of the parent roll unwinding but in the invention as can be seen from FIG. 4B the running time in over caliper is only about 10% of the running time of the parent roll unwinding and thereby, the situation has significantly improved. Graphs 65A, 65B illustrate the diameter of the parent roll as a function of time and the covered areas 66A, 66B illustrate the portion of over caliper run.

[0051] In the description in the foregoing, although some functions have been described with reference to certain features and examples, those functions may be performable by other features and examples whether described or not. Although features have been described with reference to the certain examples, those features may also be present in other examples whether described or not.

[0052] Above only some advantageous examples of the inventions have been described to which examples the invention is not to be narrowly limited and many modifications and alterations are possible within the invention.