SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MONITORING REJECT STREAMS FROM FIBER PROCESSING UNITS

Abstract

A fiber processing system includes a fiber processing unit having an inlet, accepts outlet, and solid discharge outlet and configured to remove solid contaminants from a fiber-containing stream to produce an accepts stream exiting the accepts outlet and a solid discharge stream exiting the solid discharge outlet. The fiber processing system includes an optical system having an imaging device and image processing system. The imaging device is configured to capture images of the solid discharge stream at or downstream of the solid discharge outlet, and the image processing system is configured to determine relative fiber content, a relative generation rate, types of materials in, or combinations thereof of the solid discharge stream from the captured images. The fiber content, generation rate, and/or types of materials of the solid discharge stream are used to control operation of the fiber processing system or other upstream pulp processing equipment.

Claims

1. A fiber processing system comprising: a fiber processing unit comprising an inlet, an accepts outlet, and a solid discharge outlet, wherein the fiber processing unit is configured to remove solid contaminants from a fiber-containing feed stream to produce a fiber processing accepts stream exiting the accepts outlet and to generate a solid discharge stream comprising the solid contaminants and exiting the solid discharge outlet; and an optical system comprising at least one imaging device and an image processing system, wherein: the at least one imaging device is configured to capture at least one image of the solid discharge stream at or downstream of the solid discharge outlet; and the image processing system is configured to determine a relative fiber content in the solid discharge stream, a relative rate of generation of the solid discharge stream, types of one or more materials in the solid discharge stream, or combinations thereof from the at least one image.

2. The fiber processing system of claim 1, further comprising a control system comprising at least one processor, at least one memory module, and machine readable and executable instructions stored on the at least one memory module, wherein the control system is communicatively coupled to the image processing system and the machine readable and executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the control system to automatically: receive one or more signals from the image processing system indicative of the relative fiber content in the solid discharge stream, the relative rate of generation of the solid discharge stream, the types of one or more materials in the solid discharge stream, or combinations thereof; and control one or more controlled variables of the fiber processing unit based on the relative fiber content in the solid discharge stream, the relative rate of generation of the solid discharge stream, the types of one or more materials in the solid discharge stream, or combinations thereof.

3. The fiber processing system of claim 2, wherein the one or more controlled variables of the fiber processing system comprise a flow rate of dilution water added to the fiber-containing stream upstream of the fiber processing unit, a flow rate of wash water introduced to the fiber processing unit, a production rate or speed of the fiber processing unit, a pressure of the fiber-containing stream to the fiber processing unit, a flow rate of the fiber-containing stream to the fiber processing unit, a flow rate of the fiber processing accepts stream exiting the fiber processing unit, a flow rate of the solid discharge stream exiting the fiber processing unit, or combinations thereof.

4. The fiber processing system of claim 2, further comprising a consistency meter disposed in the fiber processing accepts stream downstream of the fiber processing unit, wherein the consistency meter is configured to measure a consistency of the fiber processing accepts stream exiting the fiber processing unit, wherein the consistency meter is communicatively coupled to the control system, and the machine readable and executable instructions, when executed by the processor, may cause the control system to automatically: receive one or more signals from the consistency meter indicative of the consistency of the fiber processing accepts stream; and control one or more controlled variables of the fiber processing unit based at least in part on the consistency of the fiber processing accepts stream.

5. The fiber processing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one imaging device is positioned to capture the at least one image of the solid discharge stream as the solid discharge stream exits the solid discharge outlet.

6. The fiber processing system of claim 1, further comprising a solids conveyor downstream of the solid discharge outlet, wherein the solids conveyor receives the solid discharge stream exiting the solid discharge outlet and the at least one imaging device is positioned to capture the at least one image of the solid discharge stream on the solids conveyor downstream of the solid discharge outlet.

7. The fiber processing system of claim 6, further comprising a spreader coupled to the solids conveyor, wherein the spreader is configured to spread out the solid discharge stream over a width of the solids conveyor and the at least one imaging device is positioned to capture the at least one image of the solid discharge stream on the solids conveyor downstream of the spreader.

8. The fiber processing system of claim 6, further comprising a shredder downstream of the solids conveyor and a second solids conveyor downstream of the shredder, wherein the at least one imaging device is positioned to capture the at least one image of the solid discharge stream on the second solids conveyor downstream of the shredder.

9. The fiber processing system of claim 1, wherein the fiber processing unit comprises a drum screen unit, a detrasher, a drum pulper, a reject compactor, a sand separator, a reject sorter, a fiber refiner, or any combinations thereof.

10. The fiber processing system of claim 1, wherein the fiber processing unit is a drum screen unit comprising a housing, a rotating drum screen disposed within the housing, an inlet, a filtrate outlet, and a drum screen reject outlet, wherein the at least one imaging device is configured to capture at least one image of a drum screen reject stream at or downstream of exiting the drum screen reject outlet and the image processing system is configured to determine a relative fiber content of the drum screen reject stream, a relative rate of generation of the drum screen reject stream, types of one or more materials in the drum screen reject stream, or combinations thereof.

11. The fiber processing system of claim 10, further comprising a control system comprising at least one processor, at least one memory module, and machine readable and executable instructions stored on the at least one memory module, wherein: the control system is communicatively coupled to the image processing system and to the drum screen unit; and the machine readable and executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the control system to automatically: receive one or more signals from the image processing system indicative of the relative fiber content of the drum screen reject stream, the relative rate of generation of the drum screen reject stream, the types of the one or more materials in the drum screen reject stream, or combinations thereof; and control one or more controlled variables of the drum screen unit based on the relative fiber content of the drum screen reject stream, the relative rate of generation of the drum screen reject stream, the types of the one or more materials in the drum screen reject stream, or combinations thereof.

12. The fiber processing system of claim 11, wherein the one or more controlled variables of the drum screen unit comprise a rotational speed of the rotating drum screen, a flow rate of wash water to the rotating drum screen, a flow rate of dilution water to the drum screen unit, a pressure of the fiber-containing stream to the drum screen unit, a flow rate of the fiber-containing stream to the drum screen unit, a flow rate of a drum screen filtrate exiting the drum screen unit, a flow rate of the drum screen reject stream exiting the drum screen unit, or any combinations thereof.

13. The fiber processing system of claim 11, further comprising a consistency meter on the filtrate outlet of the drum screen unit, wherein the consistency meter is configured to measure a consistency of a drum screen filtrate produce by the drum screen unit, wherein the consistency meter is communicatively coupled to the control system, and the machine readable and executable instructions, when executed by the processor, may cause the control system to automatically: receive one or more signals from the consistency meter indicative of the consistency of the drum screen filtrate; and control one or more controlled variables of the drum screen unit based on the consistency of the drum screen filtrate.

14. The fiber processing system of claim 10, wherein the at least one imaging device is positioned to capture the at least one image of the drum screen reject stream at the drum screen reject outlet, on a first solids conveyor downstream of the drum screen reject outlet, on a second solids conveyor downstream of a shredder, or combinations thereof.

15. The fiber processing system of claim 1, wherein the fiber processing unit is a trash processing unit configured to receive a reject stream from an upstream process and separate the reject stream to produce a trash processing filtrate and a trash processing reject stream comprising solid contaminants, wherein: the trash processing unit comprises an inlet, a trash processing filtrate outlet, and a trash processing reject outlet; the at least one imaging device is configured to capture at least one image of the trash processing reject stream at or downstream of exiting the trash processing reject outlet; and the image processing system is configured to determine a relative fiber content of the trash processing reject stream, a relative rate of generation of the trash processing reject stream, types of one or more materials in the trash processing reject stream, or any combinations thereof.

16. A pulp processing system comprising the fiber processing system of claim 1, the pulp processing system comprising a pulp production unit, a detrashing system downstream of the pulp production unit, and a coarse screening system downstream of the pulp production unit and parallel to the detrashing system.

17. The pulp processing system of claim 16, wherein the detrashing system comprises a trash well downstream of the pulp production unit, a detrasher unit downstream of the trash well, and a drum screen system downstream of the detrasher, wherein the fiber processing system is the drum screen system, the drum screen system comprises a drum screen unit and the optical system, and the drum screen unit is configured to receive a detrasher reject stream from the detrasher unit and separate the detrasher reject stream to produce a drum screen filtrate and generate a drum screen reject stream.

18. The pulp processing system of claim 17, further comprising a control system operatively coupled to the trash well, the detrasher unit, the drum screen unit, and the optical system, the control system comprising at least one processor, at least one memory module, and computer readable and executable instructions stored on the at least one memory module, wherein the machine readable and executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the control system to automatically: receive one or more signals from the optical system indicative of a fiber content of the drum screen reject stream, a relative rate of generation of the drum screen reject stream, types of one or more materials in the drum screen reject stream, or any combinations thereof; and control one or more controlled variables of the trash well, the detrasher unit, the drum screen unit, or combinations thereof based on the relative fiber content of the drum screen reject stream, a relative rate of generation of the drum screen reject stream, types of one or more materials in the drum screen reject stream, or any combinations thereof.

19. The pulp processing system of claim 18, wherein the one or more controlled variables include a wash water flow rate to the trash well, a dilution water flow rate to the drum screen unit, a rotational speed of the drum screen unit, a wash water flow rate to the drum screen unit, a production rate or speed of the drum screen unit, a pressure of the detrasher reject stream to the drum screen unit, a flow rate of the detrasher reject stream to the drum screen unit, a flow rate of the drum screen filtrate exiting the drum screen unit, a flow rate of the drum screen reject stream exiting the drum screen unit, one or more operating conditions of the detrasher, or combinations thereof.

20. The pulp processing system of claim 16, wherein the coarse screening system comprises a hydrocyclone cleaner system, at least one coarse screening unit downstream of the hydrocyclone cleaner system, and a trash processing unit disposed downstream of the coarse screening unit, wherein the fiber processing unit is the trash processing unit and the trash processing unit is configured to receive a coarse screen reject stream from the coarse screening unit and separate the coarse screen reject stream to produce a trash processing filtrate and generate a trash processing reject stream, wherein the trash processing unit comprises the optical system comprising the at least one imaging device and the image processing system, wherein the at least one imaging device is configured to capture at least one image of the trash processing reject stream exiting the trash processing unit and the image processing system is configured to determine a relative fiber content of the trash processing reject stream, a relative rate of generation of the trash processing reject stream, types of one or more materials in the trash processing reject stream, or any combinations thereof.

21. The pulp processing system of claim 20, further comprising a control system operatively coupled to the hydrocyclone cleaner system, the at least one coarse screening unit, the trashing processing unit, and the optical system, the control system comprising at least one processor, at least one memory module, and computer readable and executable instructions stored on the at least one memory module, wherein the machine readable and executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the control system to automatically: receive one or more signals from the optical system indicative of the relative fiber content of the trash processing reject stream, the relative rate of generation of the trash processing reject stream, the types of the one or more materials in the trash processing reject stream, or any combinations thereof; and control one or more controlled variables of the hydrocyclone cleaner unit, the at least one coarse screening unit, the trash processing unit, or combinations thereof based on the one or more signals.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the various embodiments and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate the various embodiments described herein, and together with the description serve to explain the principles and operations of the claimed subject matter.

[0009] FIG. 1 schematically depicts a fiber processing unit having an optical system for determining one or more properties of the solid discharge stream from the fiber processing unit, according to embodiments shown and described herein;

[0010] FIG. 2 schematically depicts a detrashing system of a pulp processing system, according to embodiments shown and described herein;

[0011] FIG. 3 schematically depicts a coarse screening system of a pulp processing system, according to embodiments shown and described herein;

[0012] FIG. 4 schematically depicts a drum screen unit in partial cross section, according to embodiments shown and described herein;

[0013] FIG. 5 schematically depicts a drum screen system comprising the drum screen unit of FIG. 4 in partial cross section and having an optical system for determining one or more properties of a drum screen reject stream, according to embodiments shown and described herein;

[0014] FIG. 6 schematically depicts a drum screen system comprising the drum screen unit of FIG. 4 and an optical system, according to embodiments shown and described herein;

[0015] FIG. 7 schematically depicts a trash processing unit of the coarse screening system of FIG. 3 having an optical system, according to embodiment shown and described herein;

[0016] FIG. 8 schematically depicts a control system for the drum screen system of FIG. 1, according to embodiments shown and described herein;

[0017] FIG. 9 schematically depicts feedback control of a portion of the detrashing system of FIG. 2, according to embodiments shown and described herein;

[0018] FIG. 10 schematically depicts feedback control of a trash processing unit of the coarse screening system of FIG. 3, according to embodiments shown and described herein; and

[0019] FIG. 11 schematically depicts feedback control of another trash processing unit of the coarse screening system of FIG. 3, according to embodiments shown and described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whenever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. Referring to FIG. 1, the present disclosure is directed to fiber processing systems 40 for removing solid contaminants from various fiber-containing streams 16 in a pulp processing system. The fiber-containing stream 16 can include, but is not limited to, a reject stream from one or more upstream unit operations in the pulp processing system 100. The fiber processing system 40 includes a fiber processing unit 10 and an optical system 350. The fiber processing unit 10 may comprise an inlet 14, an accepts outlet 21, and a solid discharge outlet 24, wherein the fiber processing unit 10 may be configured to remove solid contaminants from the fiber-containing stream 16 to produce a fiber processing accepts stream 20 exiting the accepts outlet 21 and generate a solid discharge stream 22 comprising the solid contaminants and exiting the solid discharge outlet 24. The optical system 350 may comprise at least one imaging device 352 and an image processing system 360. The at least one imaging device 352 may be configured to capture at least one image of the solid discharge stream 22 at or downstream of the solid discharge outlet 24. The image processing system 160 may be configured to determine a relative fiber content, a relative rate of generation, types of one or more materials in, or combinations thereof of the solid discharge stream 22 from the at least one image. The relative fiber content, the relative rate of generation, types of one or more materials in, or combinations thereof of the solid discharge stream 22 from the fiber processing unit 10 may then be used to control operation of the fiber processing unit 10 itself and/or the operating parameters of other unit operations in the pulp processing system 100 (FIGS. 2 and 3).

[0021] Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the present disclosure is also directed to a pulp processing system 100 having at least one of the fiber processing systems 40 and a control system. The control system may be configured to control any of the unit operations in the pulp processing system 100, such as any unit operation in the detrashing system 120 (FIG. 2) and/or the coarse screen system 200 (FIG. 3) based on the relative fiber content, the relative rate of generation, types of one or more materials in, or combinations thereof of the solid discharge stream 22 from one or more of the fiber processing units 10 (FIG. 1). The present disclosure is also directed to methods of determining the properties of the solid discharge stream 22 of the fiber processing unit 10 with the optical system 350 and methods of controlling any unit of the pulp processing system 100 (e.g., any unit in the detrashing system 120 and/or the coarse screening system 200) based on the properties of the solid discharge stream 22 of the fiber processing unit 10.

[0022] Unless otherwise expressly stated, it is in no way intended that any method set forth herein be construed as requiring that its steps be performed in a specific order, nor that specific orientations be required with any apparatus. Accordingly, where a method claim does not actually recite an order to be followed by its steps, or that any apparatus claim does not actually recite an order or orientation to individual components, or it is not otherwise specifically stated in the claims or description that the steps are to be limited to a specific order, or that a specific order or orientation to components of an apparatus is not recited, it is in no way intended that an order or orientation be inferred, in any respect. This holds for any possible non-express basis for interpretation, including: matters of logic with respect to arrangement of steps, operational flow, order of components, or orientation of components; plain meaning derived from grammatical organization or punctuation, and; the number or type of embodiments described in the specification.

[0023] Directional terms as used hereinfor example up, down, right, left, front, back, top, bottomare made only with reference to the figures as drawn and the coordinate axis provided therewith and are not intended to imply absolute orientation.

[0024] As used herein, the singular forms a, an and the include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to a component includes aspects having two or more such components, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0025] Aspects of the present disclosure may be described using cylindrical coordinates. As used herein, the terms longitudinal and/or axial refer to an orientation or direction generally parallel with a center axis A of a cylindrical device such as a pulper vessel or drum screen unit. As used herein, the term radial refers to a direction along any radius, which extends outward from the center axis A of a cylindrical device. As used herein, the term angular generally refers to a direction of increasing or decreasing angle about the center axis A of a cylindrical device. Aspects of the present disclosure may be described using cartesian coordinates (i.e., X, Y, Z).

[0026] As used herein, the term furnish refers to a solid fiber source that is combined with solvent (e.g., water) and processed to produce a fiber slurry for paper-making.

[0027] As used herein, the term solid contaminant or solid debris refers to solid objects, such as metal bands, plastic bands, plastic fragments, wood fragments, metal pieces, dried adhesives, sand, dirt, or other solid contaminants, that are not intended and not desired to be in the pulp slurry produced by the pulp processing system and may be distinguished from the solid constituents that are intended to be in the solid suspension, such as acceptable fibers for example.

[0028] As used herein, the term consistency refers to the concentration of solid fibers in a pulp slurry and is equal to the weight of pulp fibers in a sample volume divided by the total weight of the pulp slurry in the sample volume.

[0029] As used herein, the terms upstream and downstream refer to the positioning of components or units of a system relative to a direction of flow of materials through the system. For example, a first component may be considered upstream of a second component if materials or streams passing through the system encounter the first component before encountering the second component. The first component may be considered downstream of the second component if the materials or streams encounter the second component before encountering the first component.

[0030] As used herein, the term accepts refers to fibers meeting fiber quality specifications for use in a paper-making process. As used herein, the term accepts stream refers to a stream in which a majority of the fibers in the stream meet the fiber quality specifications.

[0031] As used herein, the term rejects refers to fibers that do not satisfy the fiber quality specifications for use in the paper-making process. As used herein, the term reject stream refers to a stream from a fiber processing unit that contains a greater proportion of solid contaminants compared to an accepts stream.

[0032] Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, a pulp processing system 100 for producing pulp for paper making is schematically depicted. The pulp processing system 100 may include a pulp production unit 110, the detrashing system 120 downstream of the pulp production unit 110 (FIG. 2), and a coarse screening system 200 downstream of the pulp production unit 110 (FIG. 3). The pulp production unit 110 may be configured to combine furnish with water or other solvent, process the pulp fibers, and classify/separate the pulp fibers to produce a pulp slurry for use in a paper-making process. The pulp production unit 110 can include a conventional pulper, a hydrapulper, drum pulper, helical drum pulper, or other type of equipment designed to receive furnish or other sources of fibers, combine the furnish with water or other solvent, and process fibers from the furnish to produce a fiber slurry. The pulp production unit 110 produces an accepts stream 112 and a pulper reject stream 114. The accepts stream 112 may include the fiber slurry comprising acceptable fibers, which may be dispersed in a solvent, such as but not limited to water. The pulper reject stream 114 includes solid contaminants and out-of-specification fibers or fiber bundles removed from the pulp slurry by the pulp production unit. The pulper reject stream 114 may also include acceptable fibers inadvertently passed out of the pulp production unit 110 in the pulper reject stream 114. Likewise, the accepts stream 112 may include some solid contaminants that make it to the accepts outlet of the pulp production unit 110.

[0033] Referring to FIG. 2, the pulper reject stream 114 is passed to the detrashing system 120 for further processing of the pulper reject stream 114. The detrashing system 120 may include a trash well 130, a detrasher 150 downstream of the trash well 130, and a first drum screen unit 160 disposed downstream of the detrasher 150. In embodiments, the detrashing system 120 may also include a trash pump 140 disposed downstream of the trash well 130 and upstream of the detrasher 150.

[0034] The pulper reject stream 114 may be passed from the pulp production unit 110 to the trash well 130. The trash well 130 may be configured to separate heavy solid contaminants from the pulper rejects stream 114 to produce a rejects stream 132 and a heavy rejects 134. The heavy rejects 134 may include the densest solid contaminants that settle out in the trash well 130. The rejects stream 132 may include the lighter solid contaminants as well as any acceptable fibers from the pulper reject stream 114. The rejects stream 132 may also include some of the heavy solid contaminants not settled out in the trash well 130. The trash well 130 may include a trash well water line 136 for introducing dilution water or wash water to the trash well 130 during operation.

[0035] The detrashing system 120 may include a wash tower 138 and a grapple hoist for moving the heavy solid contaminants from the trash well 130 to the wash tower 138 and removing the heavy rejects 134 from the wash tower 138. The heavy solid contaminants may be lifted out of the trash well 130 by the grapple hoist and deposited in the wash tower 138. The wash tower 138 may be configured to wash the heavy solid contaminants with a solvent, such as water, to remove as much of the usable fibers from the heavy solid contaminants as possible. The remaining dense solids from the wash tower 138 may be removed with the grapple hoist to produce the heavy rejects 134. The wash water from the wash tower 138 may be passed back to the pulp production unit 110.

[0036] Referring again to FIG. 2, in embodiments, the detrashing system 120 may include the trash pump 140. The rejects stream 132 may be passed from the trash well 130 to the trash pump 140. The trash pump 140 may convey the rejects stream 132 to the detrasher 150 downstream of the trash pump 140. The detrashing system 120 may further include a trash pump dilution water line 144 for introducing dilution water to the trash pump 140. The dilution water may be added to the trash pump 140 directly or may be added upstream or downstream of the trash pump 140, such as by being combined with the reject stream 132 upstream or downstream of the trash pump 140. In embodiments, the detrashing system 120 may not include the trash pump 140, and the rejects stream 132 may be passed from the trash well 130 to the detrasher 150 through gravity, such as by locating the detrasher 150 on a floor below the trash well 130.

[0037] The detrasher 150 may include one or more devices operable to separate the rejects stream 132 into a detrasher accepts stream 152, a detrasher reject stream 154, and, optionally, a heavy contaminant stream 156. In embodiments, the detrasher 150 may be a Continuous Lights Detrasher from Kadant Black Clawson LLC. Other types of detrashers are contemplated for the detrasher 150. The detrasher accepts stream 152 may include acceptable fibers and solvent (e.g., water) and may be combined with the accepts stream 112 from the pulp production unit 110. The heavy contaminant stream 156 may be passed back to the trash well 130 and/or the wash tower 138 for further processing. In embodiments, the detrashing system may include a heavy contaminant pump (not shown), which may be operable to convey the heavy contaminants from the detrasher 150 back to the pulp production unit 110.

[0038] Referring again to FIG. 2, the detrasher reject stream 154 may be passed from the detrasher 150 to the first drum screen unit 160. The first drum screen unit 160 may be configured to receive the detrasher reject stream 154 and separate the detrasher reject stream 154 to produce a first drum screen filtrate 162 and generate a first drum screen reject stream 164. The first drum screen filtrate 162 may include solvent (e.g., water) and fibers (acceptable fibers, non-acceptable fibers, or both) and may be passed back to the pulp production unit 110. The first drum screen reject stream 164 may include any remaining solid contaminants from the detrasher reject stream 154 but may also include fibers and some of the solvent (e.g., water). The detrashing system 120 shown in FIG. 2 is one embodiment of a detrashing system. It is understood that the detrashing system 120 may have different types of fiber processing units 10 or arrangements of equipment and is not intended to be limited by the configuration depicted in FIG. 2. Other configurations of the detrashing system 120 may also fall within the scope of the claims present herewith.

[0039] Referring now to FIG. 3, the coarse screening system 200 for processing the accepts stream 112 from the pulp production unit 110 is schematically depicted. The coarse screening system 200 may include a hydrocyclone cleaner system 210, one or a plurality of coarse screening units 230 downstream of the hydrocyclone cleaner system 210, and a trash processing unit 240 disposed downstream of the coarse screening units 230. In embodiments, the coarse screening system 200 may further include a holding tank 220 disposed between the hydrocyclone cleaner system 210 and the coarse screening units 230. In embodiments, the coarse screening system 200 may include a pump 250 disposed between the coarse screening units 230 and the trashing processing unit 240.

[0040] The accepts stream 112 may be passed from the pulp production unit 110 to the hydrocyclone cleaner system 210. The hydrocyclone cleaner system 210 may include one or a plurality of hydrocyclone cleaners in series or in parallel. The hydrocyclone cleaner (HC) system 210 may be operable to remove at least a portion of the solid contaminants present in the accepts stream 112 to produce an HC accepts stream 212 and an HC reject stream 214. The HC accepts stream 212 comprises the acceptable fibers and the HC reject stream 214 includes at least a portion of the solid contaminants from the accepts stream 112. The HC accepts stream 212 may be passed to the holding tank 220 for accumulation of the HC accepts stream 212 upstream of the coarse screening system 230. The HC reject stream 214 may be passed out of the coarse screening system 200.

[0041] The HC accepts stream 212 may be passed from the holding tank 220 to the coarse screening units 230. The coarse screening units 230 may include one or a plurality of pressure screening machines, which are operable to further separate the HC accept stream 212 into a coarse screening accepts stream 232 and a coarse screening reject stream 234. The coarse screening accepts stream 232 may include acceptable fibers that can be passed on to the paper-making process or to a downstream hydrocyclone system (not shown) for further processing. The coarse screening reject stream 234 includes rejected fibers and additional solid contaminants that passed through the hydrocyclone cleaner system 210.

[0042] Referring again to FIG. 3, the coarse screening reject stream 234 is then passed from the coarse screening units 230 to the trash processing unit 240. The trash processing unit 240 may include one or more machines configured to receive the coarse screening reject stream 234 and separate the coarse screening reject stream 234 to produce a trash processing filtrate 242 and a trash processing reject stream 244. The trash processing filtrate 162 may include solvent (e.g., water) and fibers (e.g., acceptable fibers, non-acceptable fibers, or both) recovered from the coarse screening reject stream 234 and may be passed back to the pulp production unit 110. The trash processing reject stream 164 may include any remaining solid contaminants from the coarse screening reject stream 234 and may also include fibers and/or some of the solvent (e.g., water). The trash processing unit 240 may include a trash processing water line 246 configured to introduce wash water to the trash processing unit 240. The trash processing unit 240 may include any machine or processing unit that relies on perforated openings, specific gravity, mechanical forces, or combinations thereof to remove solid contaminants and/or dewater the reject stream. The trash processing unit 240 may include one or more of a drum screen unit, a trash sorter, a stock cleaner system, a reject compactor, or other machine capable of removing and/or dewatering solid contaminants from the coarse screening reject stream 234, or any combinations thereof.

[0043] In embodiments, the coarse screening system 200 may include a trash processing dilution water line 252 disposed between the coarse screening units 230 and the trash processing unit 240. The trash processing dilution water line 252 may be configured to introduce dilution water to the coarse screen reject stream 234 upstream of the trash processing unit 240. The coarse screening system 200 shown in FIG. 3 is one embodiment of a coarse screening system. It is understood that the coarse screening system 200 may have different types or arrangements of equipment and is not intended to be limited by the configuration depicted in FIG. 3. Other configurations of the coarse screening system 200 may also fall within the scope of the claims present herewith.

[0044] Both the detrashing system 120 and coarse screening system 200 may include one or a plurality of fiber processing units, such as but not limited to the detrasher 150, the first drum screen unit 160, the trash processing unit 240, the stock cleaner system 260 (FIG. 11), the second drum screen unit 270 (FIG. 11), or any other fiber processing unit incorporated into the pulp processing system 100. The common characteristic of these fiber processing units is that they receive a reject stream, such as a reject slurry or trash stream that includes solid contaminants, fibers, and solvent, and separate the reject stream to produce an accepted slurry stream and generate a solid discharge stream, which may be referred to herein as a reject stream and/or a trash stream. The accepted slurry stream may include mainly solvent (e.g., water) and acceptable fibers, and the solid discharge stream includes at least a portion of or all of the solid contaminants but may also include some acceptable and/or non-acceptable fibers and at least a small amount of the solvent.

[0045] Referring again to FIG. 1, one embodiment of a fiber processing unit 10 is schematically depicted. The fiber processing unit 10 may have an inlet 14 and may receive the fiber-containing stream 16. The fiber processing unit 10 may be configured to separate the fiber-containing stream 16 to produce a fiber processing accepts stream 20 and generate a solid discharge stream 22. The fiber processing unit 10 may separate the fiber-containing stream 16 by removing solid contaminants from the fiber-containing stream 16 to generate the solid discharge stream 22. The solid contaminants may include but are not limited to metal bands, plastic bands, plastic fragments, wood fragments, metal pieces, dried adhesives, sand, dirt, or other contaminants, that are not intended and not desired to be in the pulp slurry. The solid contaminants are passed out of the fiber processing unit 10 in the solid discharge stream 22. The fiber processing accepts stream 20 may be passed out of the fiber processing unit 10 through the accepts outlet 21. In embodiments, the fiber processing unit 10 may have a water inlet 18 for introducing water to the fiber processing unit 10.

[0046] The fiber processing unit 10 may be a drum screen unit, a detrashing unit, a reject compactor for dewatering reject streams (e.g., screw compactor, ram compactor, or other type of compactor for dewatering reject streams), a drum pulper (e.g., K DRUM drum pulper from Kadant Black Clawson LLC or similar drum pulper), a sand separator (e.g., a SANSGRIT sand separator from Kadant Black Clawson LLC or similar sand separator), a reject sorter (e.g., an ULTRASORTER reject sorter from Kadant Black Clawson LLC or other similar reject sorter), a fiber refiner (e.g., a DIABOLO refiner from Kadant Black Clawson LLC or other similar fiber refiner), other fiber processing units, or combinations of these fiber processing units.

[0047] During operation of the fiber processing unit 10, the solid discharge stream 22 may contain fibers, such as acceptable fibers and/or non-acceptable fibers. Most often, this solid discharge stream 22 is discarded, and the fibers remaining in the solid discharge stream 22 may represent a loss of potentially usable fibers, which reduces the yield from the pulp processing system 100 and increases the waste produced. There are currently no apparatuses or systems available to monitor the solid discharge stream 22 to determine the one or more properties of the solid discharge stream 22, such as but not limited to relative amount of fibers in the solid discharge stream 22, the relative rate of generation of the solid discharge stream 22, and/or types of materials in the solid discharge stream 22 coming out of the fiber processing unit 10. Therefore, an ongoing need exists for systems and methods for determining the relative fiber content, the rate of generation, and/or the types of one or more materials in the solid discharge streams 22 for the various fiber processing units 10 employed in a pulp processing system 100.

[0048] The present disclosure is directed to fiber processing systems and methods for monitoring the solid discharge stream 22 of a fiber processing unit 10 to determine the relative amount of fibers in the solid discharge stream 22, the relative generation rate of the solid discharge stream 22, the types or one or more materials in the solid discharge stream 22, or combination thereof. Referring again to FIG. 1, the fiber processing systems 40 and methods disclosed herein may include the fiber processing unit 10 and an optical system 350 comprising one or a plurality of imaging devices 352 and an image processing system 360. The imaging devices 352 are configured to capture one or more images of the solid discharge stream 22 discharged from the fiber processing unit 10, and the image processing system 360 may be configured to process the images to determine one or more properties of the solid discharge stream 22, such as but not limited to a relative amount of fibers in the solid discharge stream 22, a relative rate of generation of the solid discharge stream 22, types of one or more materials in the solid discharge stream 22, or combinations thereof, from the images.

[0049] The present disclosure is also directed to systems and methods of controlling the pulp processing system 100 based on the relative amount of fibers in the solid discharge stream 22, the relative rate of the generation of the solid discharge stream 22, types of materials in the solid discharge stream 22, or combinations thereof of the fiber processing unit 10. The properties of the solid discharge stream 22 can be used in feedback control of the fiber processing unit 10 or feedback control of one or more upstream processing units 30 disposed upstream of the fiber processing unit 10. Feedback control may be accomplished with a control system 400, which may be separate from or integrated with the optical system 350.

[0050] Determining the properties (i.e., relative fiber content, relative generation rate, types of materials, etc.) of the solid discharge streams 22 of the fiber processing units 10 and feedback control of one or more units in the pulp processing system 100 based thereon may allow for the pulp processing system 100 to be adjusted to reduce the relative amount of fibers in the solid discharge streams 22 and/or the relative rates of generations of the solid discharge streams 22 of the various fiber processing units 10. This may in turn increase the yield of acceptable fibers from the furnish introduced to the pulp processing system 100 and may reduce the total amount of waste produced by the pulp processing system 100. The systems herein may also be used to track the quality of the furnish provided to the system, such as by determining the amount of processing needed to remove solid contaminants, which may impact the amount of fibers in the solid discharge streams 22 of the various fiber processing units 10, among other features.

[0051] Referring again to FIG. 1, one embodiment of a fiber processing system 40 of the present disclosure is schematically depicted. The fiber processing system 40 includes the fiber processing unit 10 and the optical system 350 for determining the relative amounts of fibers in the solid discharge stream 22, the production rate/volume of the solid discharge stream 22, types of materials in the solid discharge stream 22, or combinations thereof. The optical system 350 comprises one or a plurality of imaging devices 352 and the image processing system 360 communicatively coupled to the imaging devices 352. The fiber processing unit 10 may have any of the features, properties, or characteristics previously described herein for the fiber processing unit 10.

[0052] Referring again to FIG. 1, as previously discussed, the optical system 350 comprises at least one imaging device 352 and an image processing system 360 communicatively coupled to the at least one imaging device 352. The imaging device 352 may include one or more cameras or other types of imaging devices capable of capturing images of the solid discharge stream 22. The imaging device 352 may be configured to capture digital images of the solid discharge stream 22. In embodiments, one or more of the imaging devices 352 may be a hyperspectral camera or multispectral camera. In embodiments, the imaging devices 352 may include one or more high resolution imaging systems from Keyence Corporation, Cognex Corporation, or other vision system supplier, where the imaging systems integrate the imaging device with the image processing system. In embodiments, the imaging devices 352 may be a dumb camera and may be communicatively coupled to a separate image processing system distinct from the imaging device and having software or other machine readable and executable instructions configured to process the captured images.

[0053] The imaging device 352 may be positioned to capture images of the solid discharge stream 22 exiting the fiber processing unit 10 or downstream of the fiber processing unit 10. Referring again to FIG. 1, the imaging device 352 may be positioned proximate the solid discharge outlet 24 to capture images of the solid discharge stream 22 as it exits the fiber processing unit 10. The imaging device 352 may be oriented in a horizontal manner (i.e., in the X direction of the coordinate axis of FIG. 1) so that the imaging device 352 captures a side view of the solid discharge stream 22 exiting the solid discharge outlet 24. In embodiments, the imaging device 352 may be positioned above the solid discharge outlet 24 and oriented in a downward direction (i.e., the Z direction of the coordinate axis in FIG. 1) to capture a top view of the solid discharge stream 22 exiting from the solid discharge outlet 24. In embodiments, the imaging device 352 may be oriented at any angle between 0 degrees (i.e., horizontal and parallel to the X-axis in FIG. 1) and 90 degrees (i.e., vertical and parallel to the +/Z axis in FIG. 1) and in the direction of the solid discharge stream 22.

[0054] In embodiments, the fiber processing system 40 may include a chute (not shown), a solids conveyor (not shown), or both downstream of the solid discharge outlet 24, and the imaging device(s) 352 may be positioned to capture images of the solid discharge stream 22 as it falls into the chute or as is travels along the conveyor downstream of the chute. Positioning of the imaging device relative to a chute and/or solids conveyor is described in further detail in conjunction with the drum screen unit 300 in FIG. 5.

[0055] In embodiments, the optical system 350 may include a plurality of imaging devices 352 positioned in different locations to capture multiple images of the solid discharge stream 22 from different perspectives and/or angles. The plurality of imaging devices 352 may be positioned at various positions between the solid discharge outlet 24 and the end of a solids conveyor, if present. The plurality of imaging devices 352 may also be oriented at different angles relative to each other. Having multiple imaging devices 352 may provide verification of the measurements developed from the captured images and/or may improve the accuracy of the measurement of the relative fiber content and/or relative generation rate of the solid discharge stream 22. In embodiments, one or more of the imaging devices 352 may be used to calibrate measurements taken from another one or more of the imaging devices 352.

[0056] In embodiments, the fiber processing system 40 may include a spreader (not shown) with a conveyor. The spreader may be configured to spread the solid discharge stream 22 out to distribute the solids of the solid discharge stream 22 across a greater portion of the width of the conveyor. The spreader may distribute the solid discharge stream 22 over a larger area to make more of the solid discharge stream 22 visible to the imaging device 352. This may allow for a greater portion of the solid discharge stream 22 to be imaged, which may improve the accuracy of the determination of the relative fiber content and/or the relative generation rate of the solid discharge stream 22 by the image processing system 360. The spreader may also have reference lines to help the accuracy of the measurements.

[0057] The images captured by the image capture device 352 may include data in any wavelength range of light or electromagnetic radiation. In embodiments, the images may be images of light received in the visible spectrum (i.e., from 380 nm to 700 nm in wavelength). In embodiments, the images captured by the image capture device 352 may be color images from which differences in color can be used to determine the relative amount of fibers in the solid discharge stream 22, the relative rate of generation of the solid discharge stream 22, and/or the type of one or more materials in the solid discharge stream 22. In embodiments, the images may be gray scale and the differences in contrast may be used to determine the relative amount of fibers in the solid discharge stream 22, the relative rate of generation of the solid discharge stream 22, and/or the type of one or more materials in the solid discharge stream 22. In embodiments, the images may be light scattering images containing information on the wavelength and intensity of light waves reflected by the solid discharge stream 22 when irradiated by a specific wavelength of light or by a range of wavelengths of light.

[0058] Referring again to FIG. 1, the fiber processing system 40 further includes the image processing system 360 communicatively coupled to the imaging device 352. The image processing system 360 may be integrated with the imaging device 352 or may be separate from the imaging device 352 and communicatively coupled to the imaging device 352, such as through wired or wireless communication methods. The image processing system 360 may comprise one or more processors 362, one or more memory modules 364 communicatively coupled to the processors 362, and machine readable and executable instructions 366 stored on the one or more memory modules 364. The machine readable and executable instructions 366, when executed by the processors 362 may cause the image processing system 360 to automatically receive one or more captured images from the imaging device 352 or plurality of imaging devices 352, process the images received from the imaging device 352, and determine one or more properties of the solid discharge stream 22, such as but not limited the relative amount of fibers, the relative rate of generation, a type of one or more materials, or combinations thereof in the solid discharge stream 22 based on the processing of the images from the imaging device 352.

[0059] A relative amount of fibers in the solid discharge stream 22, a relative generation rate of the solid discharge stream 22, the types of one or more materials in the in the solid discharge stream 22, or combinations thereof may be determined from the wavelengths and intensity of each wavelength of light captured in the images. In embodiments, the relative amount of fibers in the solid discharge stream 22 may be determined from color, color contrast, or both between different portions of the solid discharge stream 22, with certain color spectrums corresponding to fibers intermixed with the other solids and debris in the solid discharge stream 22. In embodiments, the images may be analyzed to identify one or a plurality of different regions within each image, where the different regions may be identified through color, color contrast, or both. Each of the different regions may correspond to a particular material present in the solid discharge stream 22. In embodiments, the color and/or color contrast of each region may be compared against one or more standards stored in the memory modules of the images processing system 360 to determine the type of material corresponding to each area in the image. In embodiments, the image processing system may be configured, such as through the machine readable and executable instructions, to calculate the area of each of the different regions in each image and compare the magnitude of the areas to determine the relative amounts of each of the materials represented by each of the areas identified in the images. This analysis can be used by the image processing system to estimate the relative amounts of each of the materials in the solid discharge stream 22. In embodiments, the relative areas of each region in the images may be used to determine a relative amount of fibers in the solid discharge stream 22. The fiber content of the solid discharge stream 22 may be a relative amount of fibers in the solid discharge stream 22, which may be an estimated value, a percentage, a ratio, or other relative indication of the fiber content in the solid discharge stream 22.

[0060] The relative generation rate of the solid discharge stream 22 may be determined through relative measurements of the solid discharge stream 22 determined from the images and/or comparison of the solid discharge stream 22 to reference images. The relative generation rate may be an estimate of the actual rate of generation of the solid discharge stream 22, percentage, ratio, area ratio, volume, volume ratio, or other indication of the relative rate of generation of the solid discharge stream. In embodiments, the image processing system 360 may be configured, such as through machine readable and executable instructions, to analyze the images from the imaging devices 352 to determine the one or more different types of materials or trash in the solid discharge stream 22, and optionally the relative amount or proportion of each type of material or trash in the solid discharge stream 22 using hyperspectral or multispectral cameras for example. The types of trash may include but are not limited to plastics, metals, wood chips, rope, sand, dirt, or other types of solid debris.

[0061] In embodiments, the image processing system 360 may be configured, such as through the machine readable and executable instructions, to capture a plurality of images, each at a set time interval, and to analyze each of the images to determine the relative areas of each of the regions identified in the images. When the fiber processing unit 10 is a drum screen unit, the time interval may be based on the rotation rate of the rotating drum screen. The areas of each region identified in the images may then be integrated over time to calculate a moving average of the relative amounts of the different types of materials in the solid discharge stream 22. The data on the areas of the different regions can also be used to calculate a standard deviation in the relative amounts of the different materials in the solid discharge stream 22. The total area of the solid discharge stream 22 can be determined from each image and the area integrated with respect to time to provide an indication of the relative rate of generation of the solid discharge stream 22. In embodiments, one imaging device 352 may be positioned to capture a side view of the solid discharge stream 22, such as a side view of the solid discharge stream 22 on a solids conveyor, and the image can be processed to determine an estimated height of the solid discharge stream 22. The area and the estimated height of the solid discharge stream 22 can be used to estimate a volume of the solid discharge stream 22 represented in each image. The volume can be integrated over time to also provide an indication of the relative generation rate of the solid discharge stream 22.

[0062] In embodiments, the machine readable and executable instructions 366, when executed by the processors 362, may cause the image processing system 360 to automatically produce one or more electronic signals, which may be indicative of the relative amount of fibers in the solid discharge stream 22, the relative rate of generation of the solid discharge stream 22, types of one or more materials in the solid discharge stream 22, or combinations thereof. In embodiments, the image processing system 360 may be configured to send instructions to the imaging device 352, wherein the instructions cause the imaging device 352 to capture an image of the solid discharge stream 22.

[0063] Referring again to FIG. 1, methods for determining the relative fiber content in the solid discharge stream 22, the relative rate of generation of the solid discharge stream 22, the types of one or more materials in the solid discharge stream 22, or combinations thereof may include capturing one or more images of the solid discharge stream 22 downstream of the solid discharge outlet 24, such as between the solid discharge outlet 24 and the chute (if present), on the solids conveyor downstream of the chute (if present). The methods may further include processing the images in the image processing system 360 and determining the relative fiber content of the solid discharge stream 22, the relative rate of generation of the solid discharge stream 22, the types of one or more materials in the solid discharge stream 22, or combinations thereof from the processed images. In embodiments, the methods may include transmitting the images from the imaging device 352 to the image processing system 360. Processing the images may include comparing the colors, contrast, or other properties in different regions of the images to reference values to determine the percentage of materials in the solid discharge stream 22 that represent usable fibers. Processing the images may include measuring a width, depth, area, or other dimension of the solid discharge stream 22 to determine the relative rate of generation of the solid discharge stream 22. Other methods of processing the images to determine the relative fiber content, relative rate of generation, types of one or more materials, or combinations thereof of the solid discharge stream 22 are contemplated. One or more steps of the methods disclosed herein may be embodied in computer readable and executable instructions stored on one or more memory modules of a system and performed by executing the computer readable and executable instruction using one or more processors.

[0064] Referring again to FIG. 1, fiber processing system 40 may comprise the control system 400, which may be configured to receive the information on the relative fiber content of the solid discharge stream 22, the relative rate of generation of the solid discharge stream 22, the types of one or more materials in the solid discharge stream 22, or combinations thereof and control one or more controllable variables of the fiber processing system 40 based thereon. The control system 400 may include one or more processors 402, one or more memory modules 404 communicatively coupled to the processors 402, and machine readable and executable instructions 406 stored on the memory modules 404. The control system 400 may be communicatively coupled to the optical system 350, such as to the image processing system 360 for the fiber processing unit 10 and may be configured to receive one or more signals indicative of the relative fiber content, relative generation rate, or type of one or more materials of the solid discharge stream 22 from the image processing system 360. In embodiments, the imaging processing system 360 may be integrated with the control system 400 so that a single set of processors and memory modules are used to process the images from the imaging devices 352 and execute control actions based on the relative fiber contents, relative generation rates, or types of one or more materials in the solid discharge stream 22.

[0065] In embodiments, the fiber processing system 40 may include a consistency meter (see consistency meter 422 in FIGS. 6-11) in the fiber processing accepts stream 20. The consistency meter may be communicatively coupled to the control system 400 and may be configured to measure a consistency of the fiber processing accepts stream 20. The consistency of the fiber processing accepts stream 20 may be used to control operation of the fiber processing unit 10 alone or in combination with any of the relative fiber content, relative generation rate, type of materials, or combinations thereof of the solid discharge stream 22.

[0066] The control system 400 may be communicatively coupled to one or more control devices for controlling the fiber processing unit 10, one or more upstream units 30, or both. As previously discussed, the fiber processing unit 10, may be the detrasher 150, the first drum screen unit 160, the trash processing unit 240, the stock cleaner system 260, the second drum screen unit 270, or any other fiber processing unit incorporated into the pulp processing system 100. Other fiber processing units may include but are not limited to a ram compactor for dewatering one or more of the reject streams, a drum pulper, a sand separator, a reject sorter, a fiber refiner, or any combinations thereof.

[0067] Referring again to FIG. 1, the control system 400 may be configured, such as through the machine readable and executable instructions, to control one or more controlled variables of the fiber processing unit 10 based on the relative fiber content, the relative generation rate, the types of materials, or combinations thereof of the solid discharge stream 22. The controlled variables may include but are not limited to a flow rate of dilution water added to the fiber-containing stream 16 upstream of the fiber processing unit 10, flow rate of wash water introduced to the fiber processing unit 10, a production rate or speed of the fiber processing unit 10, a pressure of the fiber-containing stream 16 to the fiber processing unit 10, a flow rate of the fiber-containing stream 16 to the fiber processing unit 10, a flow rate of the fiber processing accepts stream 20 exiting the fiber processing unit 10, a flow rate of the solid discharge stream 22 exiting the fiber processing unit 10, a consistency of the fiber processing accepts stream 20, other controlled variable, or combinations thereof.

[0068] The control system 400 may be also be communicatively coupled to one or more units of the pulp processing system 100 and may be configured, such as through the machine readable and executable instructions, to control the operating parameters of one or more of the units of the pulp processing system 100 based on the relative fiber content, the relative generation rate, the types of materials, or combinations thereof of the solid discharge stream 22 of the fiber processing unit 10 and/or the consistency of the fiber processing accepts stream 20. Control of various units of the pulp processing system 100 in response to the relative fiber content, the relative generation rate, the types of materials, or combinations thereof of the solid discharge stream 22 of the fiber processing unit 10 will be described in further detail herein.

[0069] In embodiments, the fiber processing unit 10 may be a drum screen unit, such as but not limited to the first drum screen unit 160 of the detrashing system 120 of FIG. 2, the second drum screen unit 270 of FIG. 11 for the coarse screening system 200, or any other drum screen unit incorporated into the pulp processing system 100. Referring now to FIG. 4, one embodiment of a drum screen unit 300 is schematically depicted. The drum screen unit 300 can be used for the first drum screen unit 160 and/or can be used for a second drum screen unit used as the trash processing unit 240 in the coarse screening system 200. The drum screen unit 300 may include a housing 302, an inlet 304, a rotating drum screen 306 disposed within the housing 302, a filtrate outlet 308, and a drum screen reject outlet 310. The drum screen unit 300 may also include a wash water line 312. The inlet 304 may be configured to introduce a drum screen feed 305 (e.g., the detrasher reject stream 154, the coarse screening reject stream 234, or other stream expected to contain solid contaminants) into the housing 302 at a position within an interior volume of the rotating drum screen 306. The drum screen feed 305 may be the equivalent of the fiber-containing stream 16 for the fiber processing unit 10 of FIG. 1. The inlet 304 may be on either end of the rotating drum screen 306. In embodiments, the inlet 304 may introduce the drum screen feed 305 axially into the rotating drum screen 306. In embodiments, the inlet 304 may introduce the drum screen feed 305 to the rotating drum screen 306 from the same end as the drum screen reject outlet 310.

[0070] The rotating drum screen 306 may be a cylindrical screen comprising a plurality of openings passing radially through the rotating drum screen 306. The number, shape, size, and/or spacing of the openings in the rotating drum screen 306 may be tailored to the specific use of the drum screen unit 300. For instance, the first drum screen unit 160 may have a rotating drum screen 306 with round or circular openings, whereas the second drum screen unit used as part of the trash processing unit 240 may have a rotating drum screen 306 with slotted openings. The rotating drum screen 306 may be oriented horizontally (i.e., in the +/X direction of the coordinate axis in FIG. 4) such that an axis of rotation A of the rotating drum screen 306 may be parallel to the +/X direction and generally perpendicular to the direction of the force of gravity. In embodiments, the axis of rotation A may be not parallel to the +/X direction and may be at an angle with respect to horizontal, where the angle is less than or equal to 10 degrees. The rotating drum screen 306 rotates within the housing 302. The rotating drum screen 306 may be operatively coupled to a motor 314, which operates to rotate the rotating drum screen 306 within the housing 302.

[0071] The filtrate outlet 308 may be disposed in a lower part of the housing 302 below the rotating drum screen 306 (i.e., in the Z direction of the coordinate axis in FIG. 4 relative to the rotating drum screen 306) in order to convey the filtrate out of the housing 302 by gravity. The drum screen reject outlet 310 may be disposed at an end of the rotating drum screen 306 opposite from the motor 314. The inlet 304 of the drum screen unit 300 may enter the housing 302 from the same end of the rotating drum screen 306 as the drum screen reject outlet 310 or in the end proximate the motor 314 (i.e., opposite the drum screen reject outlet 310).

[0072] Referring to FIG. 4, during operation of the drum screen unit 300, the drum screen feed 305 (e.g., detrasher reject stream 154 or the coarse screening rejects stream 234) may be continuously introduced to the interior of the rotating drum screen 306 through the inlet 304 in the housing 302. As the rotating drum screen 306 rotates, the drum screen filtrate 316 (e.g., the first drum screen filtrate 162 or the trash processing filtrate 242) passes through the openings in the rotating drum screen 306 and into the housing 302 below the rotating drum screen 306. The drum screen filtrate 316 comprises the solvent (e.g., water) and lighter solids, such as but not limited to acceptable fibers, non-acceptable fibers, fiber bundles, or other solids capable of passing through the openings in the rotating drum screen 306. The drum screen filtrate 316 then flows within the housing 302 to the filtrate outlet 308. The drum screen filtrate 316 is passed out of the filtrate outlet 308 and may be passed back to the pulp production unit 110. At least a portion of the solid contaminants from the drum screen feed 305 do not pass through the rotating drum screen 306 and are retained on an inner surface of the rotating drum screen 306. The solid contaminants pass in a generally axial direction (i.e., in the +X direction of the coordinate axis in FIG. 4 along the inner surface of the rotating drum screen 306 to the drum screen reject outlet 310.

[0073] As the solid contaminants pass axially along the inner surface of the rotating drum screen 306, the solid contaminants may be sprayed with wash water from the wash water line 312. The wash water may be used to wash the solid contaminants to remove further fibers from the solid contaminants in the rotating drum screen 306. The wash water and any fibers removed from the solid contaminants traveling axially along the rotating drum screen 306 may pass through the openings in the rotating drum screen 306 and be combined with the drum screen filtrate 316 being passed out of the filtrate outlet 308. A drum screen reject stream 318 (e.g., first drum screen reject stream 164 or trash processing reject stream 244), which comprises the solid contaminants, is then passed out of the drum screen unit 300 through drum screen reject outlet 310.

[0074] Referring again to FIG. 4, the drum screen unit 300 (e.g., first drum screen unit 160, second drum screen unit of the trash processing unit 240, or both) may further include a chute 320 disposed at the drum screen reject outlet 310 and a first solids conveyor 330 disposed downstream of the chute 320. The chute 320 has an inlet 322 and an outlet 324. The inlet 322 of the chute 320 may be disposed proximate the drum screen reject outlet 310 and may be configured or shaped to receive the drum screen reject stream 318 from the drum screen reject outlet 310. The outlet 324 may be disposed below the inlet 322 (i.e., in the Z direction of the coordinate axis in FIG. 4 relative to the inlet 322). The drum screen reject stream 318 may pass from the drum screen reject outlet 310 into the chute 320 through the inlet 322. The drum screen reject stream 318 may pass through the chute 320 and exit the chute 320 through the outlet 324 and onto the first solids conveyor 330. The first solids conveyor 330 may convey the solids of the drum screen reject stream 318 away from the drum screen unit 300 for further processing. In embodiments, the first solids conveyor 330 may be a belt conveyor. Although shown as having a chute and a first solids conveyor 330, in some embodiments, the drum screen unit 300 may not have the chute 320 and the first solids conveyor 330. In these cases, the drum screen reject stream 318 may exit the drum screen reject outlet 310 directly into a container for storing, transporting, or otherwise processing the drum screen reject stream 318.

[0075] During operation of the drum screen unit 300 (e.g., first drum screen unit 160, second drum screen unit 240, or both), the drum screen reject stream 318 (e.g., first drum screen reject stream 164, second drum screen reject stream 244, or both) may contain fibers, such as acceptable fibers and/or non-acceptable fibers. These fibers in the drum screen reject stream 318 may represent a loss of potentially usable fibers, which reduces the yield from the pulp processing system 100 and increases the waste produced by the pulp processing system 100.

[0076] The systems and methods of the present disclosure can be used to monitor the drum screen reject stream 318 (e.g., first drum screen reject stream 164 and/or the second drum screen reject stream 274) to determine a relative content of fibers in the drum screen reject stream 318, a relative rate of generation of the drum screen reject stream 318, the types of one or more materials in the drum screen reject stream 318, or combinations thereof. As previously discussed, the systems and methods disclosed herein may include an optical system comprising one or a plurality of imaging devices and an image processing system. The imaging devices can be positioned and configured to capture one or more optical images of the drum screen reject stream discharged from the rotating drum screen, and the image processing system is configured to process the optical images to determine a relative amount of fibers in the drum screen reject stream, the rate of generation of the drum screen reject stream, types of materials in the drum screen reject stream, or combinations thereof from the optical images. The systems and methods can be configured to control one or more aspects of the pulp processing system based on the relative amount of fibers in the drum screen reject stream, the relative rate of generation of the drum screen reject stream, types or materials in the drum screen reject stream, or combinations thereof, or based on the relative amount of fibers, relative generation rate, types of one or more materials in, or combinations thereof, of the trash processing reject stream 244 of the trash processing unit 240. The relative amount of the fibers, relative generation rate, types of one or more materials, or combination thereof of the first drum screen reject stream 164 can be used in feedback control of one or more controllable variables in the detrashing system 120. Likewise, the relative fiber content, the relative generation rate, the types of materials in, or combinations thereof of the trash processing reject stream 244 can be used in feedback control of one or more controllable variables in the coarse screening system 200.

[0077] Referring now to FIG. 5, one embodiment of a drum screen system 340 of the present disclosure is schematically depicted. The drum screen system 340 includes the drum screen unit 300 and the optical system 350 for determining the relative amounts of fibers in the drum screen reject stream 318 (e.g., the first drum screen reject stream 164), the rate of generation of the drum screen reject stream 318, and/or the types of one or more materials in the drum screen reject stream 318. The optical system 350 comprises one or a plurality of imaging devices 352, and the image processing system 360 is communicatively coupled to the imaging devices 352.

[0078] The drum screen unit 300 of the drum screen system 340 may have any of the features, properties, or characteristics previously described herein for the drum screen unit 300. The drum screen system 340 may further include the chute 320 disposed at the drum screen reject outlet 310 and the first solids conveyor 330 disposed at the outlet 324 of the chute 320. The chute 320 and the first solids conveyor 330 may have any of the features, properties, or characteristics previously discussed herein for the chute 320 and the first solids conveyor 330, respectively. In embodiments, the drum screen unit 300 may not have the chute 320 and the first solids conveyor 330.

[0079] Referring again to FIG. 5, as previously discussed, the optical system 350 comprises the imaging device(s) 352 and the image processing system 360 communicatively coupled to the imaging device(s) 352. The imaging device(s) 352 may include one or more cameras or other type of imaging device capable of capturing images of the drum screen reject stream 318 (i.e., the first drum screen reject stream 164). The imaging device 352 may be any of the types of imaging devices 352 previously discussed herein.

[0080] The imaging devices 352 may be positioned to capture images of the drum screen reject stream 318 exiting the drum screen unit 300 from the drum screen reject outlet 310. Referring again to FIG. 5, the imaging devices 352 may be positioned proximate the drum screen reject outlet 310 to capture images of the drum screen reject stream 318 as it exits the rotating drum screen 306 and falls into the inlet of the chute 320. When the drum screen unit 300 does not include the chute 320 and first solids conveyor 330, the imaging devices 352 may be positioned to capture images of the drum screen reject stream 318 as it exits the drum screen reject outlet 310. The imaging device 352 may be oriented in a horizontal manner (i.e., in the X direction of the coordinate axis of FIG. 5) so that the imaging device 352 captures a side view of the drum screen reject stream 318 exiting the drum screen reject outlet 310. In embodiments, the imaging device 352 may be positioned above the chute 320 and oriented in a downward direction (i.e., the Z direction of the coordinate axis in FIG. 5) to capture a top view of the drum screen reject stream exiting from the drum screen reject outlet 310 and falling into the chute 320. In embodiments, the imaging device 352 may be oriented at any angle between 0 degrees (i.e., horizontal and parallel to the X-axis in FIGS. 5) and 90 degrees (i.e., vertical and parallel to the +/Z axis in FIG. 5).

[0081] Referring again to FIG. 5, in embodiments, the imaging device 352 may be positioned to capture images of the drum screen reject stream 318 on the first solids conveyor 330 downstream of the chute 320. In embodiments, the imaging device 352 may be positioned above the first solids conveyor 330 and oriented in a downward direction (i.e., in the Z direction of FIG. 5) towards the drum screen reject stream carried along on the first solids conveyor 330. During operation of the drum screen system 340, the drum screen reject stream 318 passes out of the rotating drum screen 306 and through the chute 320 and falls onto the first solids conveyor 330. The first solids conveyor 330 then may carry the drum screen reject stream 318 underneath the imaging device 352, which captures images of the drum screen reject stream 318 as it passes underneath.

[0082] Referring now to FIG. 6, in embodiments, the drum screen system 340 may further include a shredder 332 positioned at the end of the first solids conveyor 330 and may include a second solids conveyor 334 downstream of the shredder 332. The shredder 332 may be configured to shred the drum screen reject stream 318 to produce a shredded trash stream 336, which may be deposited on the second solids conveyor 334. In embodiments, the optical system 350 may include an imaging device 352 positioned to capture images of the shredded trash stream 336 on the second solids conveyor 334.

[0083] The images captured by the image capture device 352 may include data in any wavelength range of light or electromagnetic radiation. In embodiments, the images may be images of light received in the visible spectrum (i.e., from 380 nm to 700 nm in wavelength). In embodiments, the images captured by the image capture device 352 may be color images from which differences in color can be used to determine the relative fiber content, the relative generation rate, the type of one or more materials in, or combinations of these for the drum screen reject stream 318. In embodiments, the images may be gray scale and the differences in contrast may be used to determine the relative amount of fibers in the drum screen reject stream 318, the relative generation rate of the drum screen reject stream 318, and/or the type of one or more materials in the drum screen reject stream 318. In embodiments, the images may be light scattering images containing information on the wavelength and intensity of light waves reflected by the drum screen reject stream 318 when irradiated by a specific wavelength of light or by a range of wavelengths of light.

[0084] In embodiments, the optical system 350 may include a plurality of imaging devices 352 positioned in different locations to capture multiple images of the drum screen reject stream 318 from different perspectives and/or angles. The plurality of imaging devices 352 may be positioned at various positions between the drum screen reject outlet 310 and the end of the second solids conveyor 334. The plurality of imaging devices 352 may also be oriented at different angles relative to each other. Having multiple imaging devices 352 may provide verification of the measurements developed from the captured images and/or may improve the accuracy of the measurement of the relative fiber content and/or relative generation rate of the drum screen reject stream 318. In embodiments, one or more of the imaging devices 352 may be used to calibrate measurements taken from another of the imaging devices 352.

[0085] Referring again to FIG. 6, in embodiments, the first solids conveyor 330 may include a spreader 338, which may be configured to spread the drum screen reject stream 318 out to distribute the solids of the drum screen reject stream 318 across a greater portion of the width of the first solids conveyor 330. The spreader 338 may distribute the drum screen reject stream 318 over a larger area to make more of the drum screen reject stream 318 visible to the imaging device 352. This may allow for a greater portion of the drum screen reject stream 318 to be imaged, which may increase the accuracy of the determination of the relative fiber content, relative generation rate, and/or types of materials in the drum screen reject stream 318 by the image processing system 360. The spreader 338 may also have reference lines to improve the accuracy of the measurement of the production rate.

[0086] Referring again to FIG. 5, the drum screen system 340 further includes the image processing system 360 communicatively coupled to the imaging device 352. The image processing system 360 may be integrated with the imaging device 352 or may be separate from the imaging device 352 and communicatively coupled to the imaging device 352, such as through wired or wireless communication methods. The image processing system 360 may comprise one or more processors 362, one or more memory modules 364 communicatively coupled to the processors 362, and machine readable and executable instructions 366 stored on the one or more memory modules 364. The machine readable and executable instructions 366, when executed by the processors 362 may cause the image processing system 360 to automatically receive one or more captured images from the imaging device 352 or plurality of imaging devices 352, process the images received from the imaging device(s) 352, and determine a relative amount of fibers in the drum screen reject stream 318, a relative rate of generation of the drum screen reject stream 318, types of one or more materials in the drum screen reject stream 318, or combinations thereof based on the processing of the images from the imaging device(s) 352. A relative amount of fibers in the drum screen reject stream 318, a relative rate of generation of the drum screen reject stream 318, types of materials in the drum screen reject stream 318, or combinations thereof may be determined from the wavelengths and intensity of each wavelength captured in the images. In embodiments, the relative amount of fibers in the drum screen rejects stream 318 may be determined from color, color contrast, or both between different portions of the drum screen reject stream 318, with certain color spectrums corresponding to fibers intermixed with the other solids and debris in the drum screen reject stream 318. The relative rate of generation of the drum screen reject stream 318 may be determined through relative measurements of the drum screen reject stream 318 determined from the images and/or comparison of the drum screen reject stream 318 to reference images. In embodiments, the image processing system 360 may be configured, such as through machine readable and executable instructions, to analyze the images from the imaging devices 352 to determine the type of trash or other materials in the drum screen reject stream 318, and optionally the relative amount or proportion of each type of trash or material in the drum screen reject stream 318 using hyperspectral or multispectral cameras for example. The types of trash may include plastics, metals, wood chips, rope, sand, dirt, or other types of solid debris.

[0087] In embodiments, the machine readable and executable instructions 366, when executed by the processors 362, may cause the image processing system 360 to automatically produce one or more electronic signals, which may be indicative of the relative amount of fibers in the drum screen reject stream 318, the relative rate of generation of the drum screen reject stream 318, the types of materials in the drum screen reject stream 318, or combinations thereof. In embodiments, the image processing system 360 may be configured to send instructions to the imaging device 352, wherein the instructions cause the imaging device 352 to capture an image of the drum screen reject stream 318.

[0088] Referring again to FIG. 5, methods for determining the relative fiber content in the drum screen reject stream 318, the relative rate of generation of the drum screen reject stream 318, types of materials in the drum screen reject stream 318, or combinations thereof may include capturing one or more images of the drum screen reject stream 318 downstream of the drum screen reject outlet 310, such as between the drum screen reject outlet 310 and the chute 320, on the first solids conveyor 330 downstream of the chute 120, on the second solids conveyor 334 downstream of the shredder 332, or combinations thereof. The methods may further include processing the images in the image processing system 360, and determining the relative fiber content of the drum screen rejects stream 318, the relative rate of generation of the drum screen rejects stream 318, the types of one or more materials in the drum screen rejects stream 318, or combinations thereof from the processed images. In embodiments, the methods may include transmitting the images from the imaging device 352 to the image processing system 360. Processing the images may include comparing the colors, contrast, or other properties in different regions of the images to reference values to determine the percentage of materials in the drum screen reject stream 318 that represent usable fibers. Processing the images may include measuring a width, depth, area, height or other dimension of the drum screen reject stream 318 to determine a relative rate of generation of the drum screen reject stream 318, as previously discussed in relation to the solid discharge stream 22 of the fiber processing unit 10. Color contrast and or dimensions of different features in the images may be used to determine the types of one or materials present in the drum screen rejects stream 318. Other methods of processing the images to determine the relative fiber content, relative generation rate, types of one or more materials, or combinations therein of the drum screen reject stream 318 are contemplated. One or more steps of the methods disclosed herein may be embodied in machine readable and executable instructions stored on one or more memory modules of the system and performed by executing the machine readable and executable instruction using one or more processors.

[0089] Referring now to FIG. 7, the trash processing unit 240 of the coarse screening system 200 may also have the optical system 350 comprising one or a plurality of imaging devices 352 and the image processing system 360 communicatively coupled the imaging devices 352. The trash processing unit 240 may include an inlet 241, a trash processing filtrate outlet 243, and a trash processing reject outlet 245. The trash processing unit 240 may be configured to receive a reject stream from one or more upstream processes, such as but not limited to the coarse screen reject stream 234 from the coarse screening unit 230. The trash processing units 240 may include one or more pieces of equipment configured to separate the reject stream (e.g., the coarse screen reject stream 234) to produce the trash processing filtrate 242 and generate the trash processing reject stream 244. The trash processing filtrate 242 may include solvent (e.g., water) and usable fibers recovered from the coarse screen reject stream 234 or other upstream reject stream, and the trash process reject stream 244 may include the solid contaminants from the coarse screen reject stream 234. The trash processing reject stream 244 may also include some amount of usable fibers or rejected fibers that could be further processed to produce additional usable fibers, as well as small amounts of the solvent (e.g., water). The trash processing unit 240 may include the optical system 350 to identify and/or quantify the relative fiber content, relative regeneration rate, types of one or more materials in, or combinations of these for the trash processing reject stream 244.

[0090] The imaging device(s) 352 may be positioned to capture images of the trash processing reject stream 244 exiting the trash processing unit 240. The imaging device 352 may be positioned proximate the outlet of the trash processing unit 240 to capture images of the trash processing reject stream 244 as it exits the trash processing unit 240 and falls onto a first solids conveyor 330. The imaging device 352 may be oriented in a horizontal manner (i.e., in the X direction of the coordinate axis of FIG. 7) so that the imaging device 352 captures a side view of the trash processing reject stream 244 exiting the trash processing unit 240. In embodiments, the imaging device 352 may be positioned above the first solids conveyor 330 and oriented in a downward direction (i.e., the Z direction of the coordinate axis in FIG. 7) to capture a top view of the trash processing reject stream 244 as it exits the trash processing unit 240 and falls onto the first solids conveyor 330. In embodiments, the imaging device 352 may be oriented at any angle between 0 degrees (i.e., horizontal and parallel to the X-axis in FIG. 7) and 90 degrees (i.e., vertical and parallel to the +/Z axis in FIG. 7).

[0091] Referring again to FIG. 7, in embodiments, the imaging device 352 may be positioned to capture images of the trash processing reject stream 244 on the first solids conveyor 330 downstream of the outlet from the trash processing unit 240. In embodiments, the imaging device 352 may be positioned above the first solids conveyor 330 and oriented in a downward direction (i.e., in the Z direction of FIG. 7) towards the trash processing reject stream 244 carried along on the first solids conveyor 330. During operation of the trash processing unit 240, the trash processing reject stream 244 passes out of the trash processing unit 240 and falls on the first solids conveyor 330. The first solids conveyor 330 then may carry the trash processing reject stream 244 underneath the imaging device 352, which captures images of the trash processing reject stream 244 as it passes underneath the imaging device 352.

[0092] Referring again to FIG. 7, in embodiments, the trash processing unit 240 may further include a shredder 332 positioned at the end of the first solids conveyor 330 and a second solids conveyor 334 downstream of the shredder 332. The shredder 332 may be configured to shred the trash processing reject stream 244 to produce a shredded trash stream 248, which may be deposited on the second solids conveyor 334. In embodiments, the optical system 350 may include an imaging device 352 positioned to capture images of the shredded trash stream 248 on the second solids conveyor 334.

[0093] In embodiments, the first solids conveyor 330 may include a spreader 338, which may be configured to spread the trash processing reject stream 244 out to distribute the solids of the trash processing reject stream 244 across a greater portion of the width of the first solids conveyor 330. The spreader 338 may distribute the trash processing reject stream 244 over a larger area to make more of the trash processing reject stream 244 visible to the imaging device 352. This may allow for a greater portion of the trash processing reject stream 244 to be imaged, which may increase the accuracy of the determination of the relative fiber content and/or relative generation rate of the trash processing reject stream 244 by the image processing system 360. The spreader 338 may also have reference lines to help the accuracy of the measurement.

[0094] In embodiments, the images captured by the image capture device 352 may be color images from which differences in color can be used to determine the relative amount of fibers in, the relative rate of generation of, and/or types of one or more materials in the trash processing reject stream 244. In embodiments, the optical system 350 may include a plurality of imaging devices 352 positioned in different locations to capture multiple images of the trash processing reject stream 244 from different perspectives and/or angles. The plurality of imaging devices 352 may be positioned at various positions between the outlet of the trash processing unit 240 and the end of the second solids conveyor 334. The plurality of imaging devices 352 may also be oriented at different angles relative to each other. Having multiple imaging devices 352 may provide verification of the measurements developed from the captured images and/or may improve the accuracy of the measurement of the relative fiber content and/or relative generation rate of the trash processing reject stream 244. In embodiments, one or more of the imaging devices 352 may be used to calibrate measurements taken from another one or more of the imaging devices 352.

[0095] In embodiments, the trash processing unit 240 may include a drum screen unit, such as drum screen unit 300. When the trash processing unit 240 comprises the drum screen unit 300, then the operation of the optical system 350 may be in accordance with that previously described in FIGS. 5 and 6. In embodiments, the trash processing unit 240 may be a sorter instead of a drum screen unit. In embodiments, the trash processing unit 240 may include a reject compactor disposed downstream of a drums screen unit or a sorter. Other types of fiber processing units for processing the coarse screen reject stream to remove trash/solid contaminants and recover any remaining usable fibers are contemplated for the trash processing unit 240.

[0096] Referring now to FIGS. 2, 3, 6, and 8 the pulp processing system 100, the drum screen system 340, or both may comprise the control system 400, which may be configured to receive the information on the relative fiber content of the drum screen reject stream 318 (e.g., the first drum screen reject stream 164), the relative rate of generation of the first drum screen reject stream 164, types or one or more materials in the first drum screen reject stream 164, the relative fiber content of the trash processing reject stream 244, the relative rate of generation of the trash processing reject stream 244, types of one or more materials in the trash processing reject stream 244, or combinations thereof and control one or more controllable variables of the pulp processing system 100 based thereon. The control system 400 may include one or more processors 402, one or more memory modules 404 communicatively coupled to the processors 402, and machine readable and executable instructions 406 stored on the memory modules 404. The control system 400 may be communicatively coupled to the optical systems 350, such as to the image processing system 360 for the first drum screen unit 160 and/or for the trash processing unit 240. The control system 400 may be configured to receive one or more signals indicative of the relative fiber content, relative generation rate, types of one or more materials, or combinations thereof of the drum screen reject stream 318, such as the first drum screen reject stream 164 in FIG. 2; the relative fiber content, relative rate of generation, types of one or more materials, or combinations thereof of the trash processing reject stream 244; or combinations of these from the image processing system 360. In embodiments, the imaging processing systems 360 for the first drum screen unit 160 and/or the trash processing unit 240 may be integrated with the control system 400 so that a single set of processors and memory modules are used to process the images from the imaging devices 352 and execute control actions based on the relative fiber contents, relative generation rates, and/or types of one or more materials of the drum screen reject streams and/or the trash processing reject stream 244.

[0097] The control system 400 may be communicatively coupled to one or more control devices for controlling one or more units in the pulp processing system 100 based on the relative fiber content, relative generation rate, types of materials, or combinations thereof in the solid discharge stream 22 from the fiber processing unit 10, such as of the first drum screen reject stream 164, the trash processing reject stream 244, other solid discharge stream 22, or combinations thereof. In embodiments, the control system 400 may be communicatively coupled to one or more of the pulp production unit 110, the trash well 130, the trash pump 140, the detrasher 150, the first drum screen unit 160, the hydrocyclone cleaner system 210, the surge tank 220, the coarse screening unit 230, the trash processing unit 240, other equipment in the detrashing system 120 or coarse screening system 200, or combinations of these. In embodiments, the control system 400 may be configured to control operation of one or more of the pulp production unit 110, the trash well 130, the trash pump 140, the detrasher 150, the first drum screen unit 160, the hydrocyclone cleaner system 210, the surge tank 220, the coarse screening unit 230, the trash processing unit 240, or combinations of these. In embodiments, the control system 400 may be communicatively coupled to various dilution water control valves, wash water control valves, pumps, motors, control valves, or other components to control variables in one or more of the unit operations in the pulp processing system 100.

[0098] Referring now to FIG. 8, in embodiments, the fiber processing unit 10 may be a drum screen unit 300, and the control system 400 may be used to control operation of the drum screen unit 300 itself, which can be the first drum screen unit 160 or a drum screen unit incorporated into the trash processing unit 240. In embodiments, the control system 400 may be configured to control a flow rate of wash water or dilution water to the drum screen unit 300, a rotational speed of the rotating drum screen 306, flow rate of the drum screen filtrate 316, flow rate of the drum screen reject stream 318, pressure of the drum screen feed 305, the flow rate of the drum screen feed 305, consistency of the drum screen filtrate 316, or combinations thereof based on the relative fiber content in the drum screen reject stream 318, the relative rate of generation of the drum screen reject stream 318, the types of materials in the drum screen reject stream 318, or combinations thereof. In embodiments, the drum screen system 340 may include a wash water control valve 410 disposed in the wash water line 312 supplying water to the drum screen unit 300. The control system 400 may be communicatively coupled to the wash water control valve 410. In embodiments, the computer readable and executable instructions 406, when executed by the processors 402, may cause the control system 400 to automatically control the flow rate of the wash water with the wash water control valve 410 based on the relative fiber content in the drum screen reject stream 318, the relative rate of generation of the drum screen reject stream 318, types of materials in the drum screen reject stream 318, or combinations thereof. For instance, as the relative fiber content of the drum screen reject stream 318 increases, the control system 400 may be configured to increase a flow rate of the wash water to increase the amount of fibers washed from the solid contaminants on the inner surface of the rotating drum screen 306 and into the drum screen filtrate 316. Thus, increasing the wash water can increase recovery of potentially usable fibers, which are returned to the pulp production unit 110 through the drum screen filtrate 316. Similarly, the control system 400 can reduce the flow rate of the wash water if the relative fiber content in the drum screen reject stream 318 is very low or non-existent, which may conserve water. Similarly, the control system 400 may increase or decrease the amount of wash water based on the relative rate of generation of the drum screen reject stream 318. In embodiments, the computer readable and executable instructions 406, when executed by the processors 402, may cause the control system 400 to automatically receive one or more signals from the image processing system 360 indicative of the relative fiber content of the drum screen reject stream 318, the relative rate of generation of the drum screen reject stream 318, the types of materials in the drum screen reject stream 318, or combinations thereof, and send a wash water control signal to the wash water control valve 410, where the wash water control signal causes the wash water control valve 410 to change positions to change the flow of wash water through the wash water line 312.

[0099] In embodiments, the drum screen system 340 may include a drum screen motor controller 412 operatively coupled to the motor 314 connected to the rotating drum screen 306. The drum screen motor controller 412 may be operable to change a rotational speed of the rotating drum screen 306. The control system 400 may be communicatively coupled to the drum screen motor controller 412. In embodiments, the computer readable and executable instructions 406, when executed by the processors 402, may cause the control system 400 to automatically control the speed of the motor 314, thereby changing the rotational speed of the rotating drum screen 306, based on the relative fiber content in the drum screen reject stream 318, the relative rate of generation of the drum screen reject stream 318, types of materials in the drum screen reject stream 318, or combinations thereof. Slower rotational speeds of the rotating drum screen 306 may provide for more efficient and effective washing of potentially usable fibers from the solid contaminants collected on the inner surface of the rotating drum screen 306. For instance, as the relative fiber content of the drum screen reject stream 318 increases, the control system 400 may be configured to decrease the rotational speed of the rotating drum screen 306, such as by slowing down the motor 314, to increase the retention time and the amount of fibers washed from the solid contaminants collected on the inner surface of the rotating drum screen 306 and into the drum screen filtrate 316. Thus, decreasing the rotational speed of the rotating drum screen 306 can increase recovery of potentially usable fibers, which are returned to the pulp production unit 110 through the drum screen filtrate 316. Similarly, the control system 400 can increase the rotational speed of the rotating drum screen 306 when the relative fiber content in the drum screen reject stream 318 is very low or non-existent, which may increase the production rate of the drum screen unit 300. In embodiments, the computer readable and executable instructions 406, when executed by the processors 402, may cause the control system 400 to automatically receive one or more signals from the image processing system 360 indicative of the relative fiber content of the drum screen reject stream 318, the relative rate of generation of the drum screen reject stream 318, types of one or more materials in the drum screen reject stream 318, or combinations thereof, and send a motor speed signal to the drum screen motor controller 412, where the motor speed signal may cause the drum screen motor controller 412 to change the rotational speed of the rotating drum screen 306. As previously discussed, the first drum screen unit 160, the second drum screen unit (drum screen unit as part of the trash processing unit 240), or both may comprise the drum screen system 340 having the drum screen unit 300, chute 120, first solids conveyor 330, shredder 332, and/or the second solids conveyor 334, and the control system 400 may be configured to control the wash water flow rate, rotational speed of the rotating drum screen 306, or both based on the relative fiber content in the drum screen reject stream 318, the relative rate of generation of the drum screen reject stream 318 (e.g., the first drum screen reject stream 164), types of materials in the drum screen reject stream 318, or combinations thereof.

[0100] Similarly, the control system 400 may be configured to control a flow rate of dilution water combined with the drum screen feed 305 upstream of the drum screen unit 300, a pressure of the drum screen feed 305, a flow rate of the drum screen feed 305, a flow rate of the drum screen filtrate 316, a flow rate of the drum screen reject stream 318, a consistency of the drum screen filtrate 316, or combinations thereof in response to the relative fiber content, relative generation rate, types of one or more materials, or combinations thereof of the drum screen rejects stream 318. These parameters may be controlled using various combinations of control valves, pumps, compressors, pressure regulators, flow meters, consistency meters, or other control equipment suitable for use in pulp processing systems.

[0101] Referring now to FIG. 9, in embodiments, the control system 400 may be used to control operation of the other units in the detrashing system 120 (e.g., the trash well 130, the optional trash pump 140, the detrasher 150, or combinations thereof) based on the relative fiber content in the first drum screen reject stream 164, the relative rate of generation of the first drum screen reject stream 164, types of one or more materials in the drum screen reject stream 164, or combinations thereof to facilitate separation and recovery of usable fibers from the various reject streams. In embodiments, the control system 400 may be operable to control one or more controlled variables of the pulp production unit 110, the trash well 130, the trash pump 140, the detrasher 150, the drum screen unit 160, or combinations thereof.

[0102] Referring to FIG. 9, in embodiments, the control system 400 may be configured to control a flow rate of wash water to the trash well 130, based on the relative fiber content in the first drum screen reject stream 164, the relative rate of generation of the first drum screen reject stream 164, type of one or more materials in the first drum screen reject stream 164, or combinations thereof. Controlling the wash water to the trash well 130 may control the amount of usable fibers from the pulper reject stream 114 separated into the reject stream 132 instead of the heavy rejects 134. In embodiments, the detrashing system 120 may include a trash well wash water valve 416 in the trash well water line 136 that supplies the wash water to the trash well 130. The control system 400 may be communicatively coupled to the trash well wash water valve 416. In embodiments, the computer readable and executable instructions 406, when executed by the processors 402, may cause the control system 400 to automatically control the flow rate of the wash water to the trash well 130 with the trash well wash water valve 416 based on the relative fiber content in the first drum screen reject stream 164, the relative rate of generation of the first drum screen reject stream 164, types of materials in the first drum screen reject stream 164, or combinations thereof. In embodiments, the computer readable and executable instructions 406, when executed by the processors 402, may cause the control system 400 to automatically receive one or more signals from the image processing system 360 indicative of the relative fiber content of the first drum screen reject stream 164, the relative rate of generation of the first drum screen reject stream 164, types of materials in the first drum screen reject stream 164, or combinations thereof, and send a trash well wash water control signal to the trash well wash water valve 416, where the trash well wash water control signal may cause the trash well wash water valve 416 to change positions to change the flow of wash water through the trash well water line 136 to the trash well 130. In embodiments, the control system 400 may be configured to control one or more operating variables of the detrasher 150 employed in the detrashing system 120 based on the relative fiber content of the first drum screen reject stream 164, the relative rate of generation of the first drum screen reject stream 164, types of materials in the first drum screen reject stream 164, or combinations thereof.

[0103] In embodiments, the control system 400 may be configured to control one or more operating variables of the first drum screen unit 160 based on the relative fiber content of the first drum screen reject stream 164, the relative rate of generation of the first drum screen reject stream 164, types of materials in the first drum screen reject stream 164, or combinations thereof, as previously discussed in relation to the drum screen unit 300 of FIGS. 6 and 8. The control system 400 may be configured to control any other pieces of equipment in the detrashing system 120 based on the fiber content and/or production rate of the first drum screen reject stream 164.

[0104] Referring again to FIG. 9, in embodiments, the control system 400 may be configured to control a flow rate of dilution water to the trash pump 140, based on the relative fiber content in the first drum screen reject stream 164, the relative rate of generation of the first drum screen reject stream 164, types of materials in the first drum screen reject stream 164, or combinations thereof. Controlling the dilution water to the trash pump 140 may facilitate separation of any usable fibers from the solid contaminants in the detrasher 150 disposed downstream of the trash pump 140. In embodiments, the detrashing system 120 may include a dilution water control valve 414 disposed in the trash pump dilution water line 144 that supplies the dilution water to the trash pump 140. Although shown as being upstream of the trash pump 140, in embodiments, the dilution water line 144 may be positioned downstream of the trash pump 140. The control system 400 may be communicatively coupled to the dilution water control valve 414. In embodiments, the computer readable and executable instructions 406, when executed by the processors 402, may cause the control system 400 to automatically control the flow rate of the dilution water with the dilution water control valve 414 based on the relative fiber content in the first drum screen reject stream 164, the relative rate of generation of the first drum screen reject stream 164, types of materials in the first drum screen reject stream 164, or combinations thereof. For instance, as the relative fiber content of the first drum screen reject stream 164 increases, the control system 400 may be configured to increase a flow rate of the dilution water to the trash pump 140 to facilitate separation of any usable fibers from the solid contaminants in the detrasher 150 downstream of the trash pump 140. Thus, increasing the dilution water flow rate to the trash pump 140 can increase recovery of potentially usable fibers, which are separated into the detrasher accepts stream 152 or recovered in the first drum screen filtrate 162 and returned to the pulp production unit 110. Similarly, the control system 400 can reduce the flow rate of the dilution water to the trash pump 140 if the relative fiber content in the first drum screen reject stream 164 is very low or non-existent, which may conserve water and increase production capacity of the detrasher 150, the first drum screen unit 160, or both. In embodiments, the computer readable and executable instructions 406, when executed by the processors 402, may cause the control system 400 to automatically receive one or more signals from the image processing system 360 indicative of the relative fiber content of the first drum screen reject stream 164, the relative rate of generation of the first drum screen reject stream 164, types of one or more materials in the first drum screen reject stream 164, or combinations thereof, and send a dilution water control signal to the dilution water control valve 414, where the dilution water control signal causes the dilution water control valve 414 to change positions to change the flow of dilution water through the trash pump dilution water line 144.

[0105] In embodiments, the control system 400 may be communicatively coupled to the pulp production unit 110. The control system 400 may be operable to control one or more of the parameters of the pulp production unit 110 based on the relative fiber content, relative rate of generation, type of materials in, or combinations thereof of the drum screen reject stream 318 or solid discharge stream 22 from any other fiber processing unit 10 in the pulp processing system 100. Parameters of the pulp production unit 110 may include but are not limited to total batch weight, consistency of the pulp slurry in the pulp production unit 110, operating temperature of the pulp production unit 110, chemistry of the pulp slurry in the pulp production unit 110, or any combinations thereof. In embodiments, the pulp production unit 110 may be a batch pulper. The pulp production unit may also be a continuous pulper.

[0106] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 9, in embodiments, the detrasher 150, which may be a Continuous Lights Detrasher, a HYDRAPURGE detrasher from Kadant Black Clawson, or other type of detrasher, may be used in conjunction with the trash well 130 for removing solid contaminants, such as but not limited to plastics, Styrofoam, wood, and other light solid debris, heavy debris, or other solid contaminants. The detrasher 150 may have a detrasher wash water line (not shown) for introducing wash water to the detrasher 150. In embodiments, the control system 400 may be configured to control a flow rate of the detrasher wash water to the detrasher 150 based on the relative fiber content in the first drum screen reject stream 164, the relative rate of generation of the first drum screen reject stream 164, types of materials in the first drum screen reject stream 164, or any combination thereof. In embodiments, the detrasher 150 may include a detrasher wash water control valve (not shown) disposed in a detrasher wash water line supplying water to the detrasher 150. The control system 400 may be communicatively coupled to the detrasher wash water control valve. In embodiments, the computer readable and executable instructions 406, when executed by the processors 402, may cause the control system 400 to automatically control the flow rate of the detrasher wash water with the detrasher wash water control valve based on the relative fiber content in the first drum screen reject stream 164, the relative rate of generation of the first drum screen reject stream 164, types of materials in the first drum screen reject stream 164, or any combination thereof. Increasing the detrasher wash water flow rate may increase the removal rate of fibers from the solid contaminants in the detrasher 150. Thus, increasing the detrasher wash water can increase recovery of potentially usable fibers. Similarly, the control system 400 can reduce the flow rate of the detrasher wash water if the fiber content in the first drum screen reject stream 164 is very low or non-existent, which may conserve water. In embodiments, the computer readable and executable instructions 406, when executed by the processors 402, may cause the control system 400 to automatically receive one or more signals from the image processing system 360 indicative of the relative fiber content of the first drum screen reject stream 164, the relative rate of generation of the first drum screen reject stream 164, types of one or more materials in the first drum screen reject stream 164, or any combination thereof and send a detrasher wash water control signal to the detrasher wash water control valve, where the detrasher wash water control signal causes the detrasher wash water control valve to change positions to change the flow of the detrasher wash water to the detrasher 150.

[0107] In embodiments, the detrasher 150 may include a detrasher accept stream control valve (not shown), which may be disposed in the detrasher accepts stream. The detrasher accepts stream control valve may be configured to modify a flow rate of the detrasher accepts stream 152 out of the detrasher 150, which may be useful for controlling the consistency of the detrasher accepts stream 152. The control system 400 may be communicatively coupled to the detrasher wash water control valve. In embodiments, the computer readable and executable instructions 406, when executed by the processors 402, may cause the control system 400 to automatically control the flow rate of the detrasher accepts stream 152 with the detrasher accepts control valve based on the relative fiber content in the first drum screen reject stream 164, the relative generation rate of the first drum screen reject stream 164, type of materials in the first drum screen reject stream 164, or any combination thereof. In embodiments, the detrasher 150 may include a consistency meter (not shown) on the detrasher accepts stream 152, and the control system 400 may be communicatively coupled to the consistency meter. In embodiments, the computer readable and executable instructions 406, when executed by the processors 402, may cause the control system 400 to automatically control the flow rate of the detrasher accepts stream 152 with the detrasher accepts control valve based on a consistency of the detrasher accepts stream 152, as determined by the consistency meter in the detrasher accepts stream 152, and/or based on the relative fiber content in the first drum screen reject stream 164, the relative generation rate of the first drum screen reject stream 164, type of materials in the first drum screen reject stream 164, or any combination thereof.

[0108] In embodiments, the detrasher 150 may be a cyclic detrasher that operates in operating cycles to treat a reject stream or accepts stream in batches. Each cycle of the detrasher 150 may have a plurality of steps conducted in a time sequence. In embodiments, the control system 400 may be configured to control a time duration of one or more steps of the detrasher 150 based on the relative fiber content in the first drum screen reject stream 164, the relative generation rate of the first drum screen reject stream 164, types of one or more materials in the first drum screen reject stream 164, or any combinations thereof. In embodiments, the detrasher 150 may include a detrasher controller (not shown) configured to control the operating sequence of the detrasher 150, such as by controlling a time duration of one or more steps in the operating cycle of the detrasher 150. The control system 400 may be communicatively coupled to the detrasher controller. In embodiments, the computer readable and executable instructions 406, when executed by the processors 402, may cause the control system 400 to automatically control the timing of the detrasher 150 based on the relative fiber content in the first drum screen reject stream 164, the relative generation rate of the first drum screen reject stream 164, types or one or more materials in the first drum screen reject stream 164, consistency of the detrasher accepts stream 152, or any combination thereof, such as by sending instructions to the detrasher controller to modify the time duration for one or more steps in the operating sequence of the detrasher 150. Modifying the timing sequence of the detrasher 150 may change the amount of potentially usable fibers removed from the solid contaminant and/or reject streams. For instance, increasing a residence time of the detrasher 150 may increase removal of fibers from the solid contaminants and decrease the relative fiber content of the first drum screen reject stream 164. In embodiments, the computer readable and executable instructions 406, when executed by the processors 402, may cause the control system 400 to automatically receive one or more signals from the image processing system 360 indicative of the relative fiber content of the first drum screen reject stream 164, the relative generation rate of the first drum screen reject stream 164, types of materials in the first drum screen reject stream 164, consistency of the detrasher accepts stream 152, or any combination thereof and send one or more control signals to the detrasher controller, where the one or more signals cause the detrasher controller to change one or more time durations of the operating sequence for the detrasher 150 based on the relative fiber content in the drum screen reject stream 164, the relative generation rate of the first drum screen reject stream 164, types of materials in the first drum screen reject stream 164, consistency of the detrasher accepts stream 152, or any combination thereof.

[0109] Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 10, the coarse screening system 200 may include an optical system 350 installed on the trash processing unit 240 and configured to determine the relative fiber content in the trash processing reject stream 244, the relative generation rate of the trash processing reject stream 244, types of materials in the trash processing reject stream 244, or combinations thereof. The relative fiber content in the trash processing reject stream 244, the relative generation rate of the trash processing reject stream 244, types or one or more materials in the trash processing reject stream 244, or combinations thereof may be used to control operation or one or more unit operations in the coarse screening system 200, such as but not limited to the hydrocyclone cleaner system 210, the surge tank 220, the coarse screening unit 230, the trash processing unit 240, the pump 250, or combinations of these.

[0110] Referring to FIG. 10, in embodiments, the coarse screening system 200 may include one or more of a trash processing dilution water valve 430, a trash processing wash water valve 432, a trash processing unit controller 434, a trash processing filtrate valve 436, or combinations thereof. In embodiments, the coarse screening system 200 may include a controller (not shown) for the pump 250. The control system 400 may be communicatively coupled to one or more of the trash processing dilution water valve 430, the trash processing wash water valve 432, the trash processing unit controller 434, the trash processing filtrate valve 436, the pump controller (not shown), or combinations thereof. In embodiments, the computer readable and executable instructions 406, when executed by the processors 402, may cause the control system 400 to automatically receive one or more signals from the image processing system 360 indicative of the relative fiber content of the trash processing reject stream 234, the relative generation rate of the trash processing reject stream 234, types of materials in the trash processing reject stream 234, or any combination thereof and send one or more control signals to one or a combination of the trash processing dilution water valve 430, the trash processing wash water valve 432, the trash processing unit controller 434, the trash processing filtrate valve 436, the pump controller (not shown), other control device, or combinations thereof based on the relative fiber content in the trash processing reject stream 234, the relative generation rate of the trash processing reject stream 234, types of one or more materials in the trash processing reject stream 234, or any combination thereof.

[0111] Referring now to FIG. 11, in embodiments, the trash processing unit 240 may include a stock cleaner system 260 downstream of the pump 250 and a second drum screen unit 270 downstream of the stock cleaner system 260. In embodiments, the stock cleaner system 260 may be a FLOAT PURGER stock cleaner system available from Kadant Black Clawson LLC or other type of stock cleaner system. The stock cleaner system 260 may be configured to remove heavy grit and low-density contaminants and complete defibering of any fibers in the coarse screen reject stream 234 to produce a stock cleaner accepts stream 262 and a stock cleaner rejects stream 264. The trash processing dilution water 252 may be used to adjust a consistency of the pulp slurry in the stock cleaner system 260. In embodiments, trash processing dilution water 252 line may have the trash processing dilution water valve 430, which may be a control valve configured to control the flow rate of the trash processing dilution water 252 into the stock cleaner system 260. The stock cleaner system 260 may also include a stock cleaner accepts control valve 450 disposed in the stock cleaner accepts stream 262. The stock cleaner accepts control valve 450 may be configured to control the flow rate of the stock cleaner accepts stream 262 out of the stock cleaner system 260. The stock cleaner system 260 may also include a dump line 266.

[0112] The stock cleaner accepts stream 262 may be combined with the acceptable fibers from the coarse screening unit 230 or passed back to the pulp production unit 110. The stock cleaner reject stream 264 may be passed on to the second drum screen unit 270. The second drum screen unit 270 may have any of the parts, features, configurations, or operating conditions previously discussed herein for the drum screen unit 300. The second drum screen unit 270 may be configured to produce the second drum screen filtrate 272 and the second drum screen reject stream 274. The drum screen filtrate 272 may be passed back to the pulp production unit 110. The second drum screen reject stream 274 may be passed out of the second drum screen unit 270, through a chute 320, and onto the first solids conveyor 330. Although not shown in FIG. 11, in embodiments, the second drum screen unit 270 may also have a shredder and a second solids conveyor disposed downstream of the first solids conveyor 330, as previously discussed in relation to drum screen unit 300.

[0113] The second drum screen unit 270 may include a second drum screen wash water line 276 configured to introduce wash water to the inner surface of the rotating drum screen of the second drum screen unit 270. The second drum screen wash water line 276 may include a second drum screen wash water valve 442, which may be a control valve configured to control a flow rate of the second drum screen wash water through the second drum screen wash water line 276 to the second drum screen unit 270. The second drum screen unit 270 may further include second drum screen dilution water stream 280 configured to introduce dilution water to the stock cleaner reject stream 264 at a point upstream of the second drum screen unit 270. The second drum screen dilution water stream 280 may include a second drum screen dilution water valve 440, which may be a control valve configured to control the flow rate of the second drum screen dilution water stream 280 to the stock cleaner reject stream 264. The second drum screen unit 270 may include a second drum screen motor controller 444 operatively coupled to the rotating drum screen of the second drum screen unit 270. The second drum screen motor controller 444 may be configured to change the rotational speed of the rotating drum screen of the second drum screen unit 270. The second drum screen unit 270 may also include the trash processing consistency meter 422 disposed on the second drum screen filtrate 272. The trash processing consistency meter 422 may be configured to determine the consistency of the second drum screen filtrate 272 produced by the second drum screen unit 270.

[0114] Referring again to FIG. 11, the second drum screen unit 270 may include the optical system 350 for determining the relative fiber content of the second drum screen reject stream 274, the relative rate of generation of the second drum screen reject stream 274, types of one or more materials in the second drum screen reject stream 274, or combinations thereof. The optical system 350 may have any of the features, components, or configuration previously discussed herein for the optical system 350. The imaging devices 352 of the optical system 350 may be positioned in any of the configurations described herein, such as but not limited to being positioned to capture images of the second drum screen reject stream 274 exiting the second drum screen unit 270 upstream of the chute 320, the second drum screen reject stream 274 on the first solids conveyor 330, the shredded second drum screen reject stream 274 on the second solids conveyor downstream of the shredder, or combinations of these. The image processing system 360 of the optical system 350 may be configured to process the images from the imaging devices to determine the relative fiber content of the second drum screen reject stream 274, the relative rate of generation of the second drum screen reject stream 274, types of one or more materials in the second drum screen reject stream 274, or combinations thereof.

[0115] The optical system 350 for the second drum screen unit 270 may be communicatively coupled to the control system to transmit one or more signals indicative of the relative fiber content of the second drum screen reject stream 274, the relative rate of generation of the second drum screen reject stream 274, types of one or more materials in the second drum screen reject stream 274, or combinations thereof. The control system 400 may also be communicatively coupled to the trash processing consistency meter 422, the trash processing dilution water valve 430, the second drum screen dilution water valve 440, the second drum screen wash water valve 442, the second drum screen motor controller 444, the stock cleaner accepts control valve 450, or any combinations thereof.

[0116] The control system 400 may be configured to receive signals from the optical system 350 indicative of the relative fiber content of the second drum screen reject stream 274, the relative rate of generation of the second drum screen reject stream 274, types of one or more materials in the second drum screen reject stream 274, or combinations thereof. The control system 400 may be configured to receive a signal from the trash processing consistency meter 422, where the signal is indicative of a consistency of the second drum screen filtrate 272 produced by the second drum screen unit 270. The control system 400 may be configured to, such as through machine readable and executable instructions, automatically control one or more of the trash processing dilution water valve 430, the second drum screen dilution water valve 440, the second drum screen wash water valve 442, the second drum screen motor controller 444, the stock cleaner accepts control valve 450, or any combinations thereof based on the relative fiber content of the second drum screen reject stream 274, the relative generation rate of the second drum screen reject stream 274, types of one or more materials in the second drum screen reject stream 274, the consistency of the second drum screen filtrate 272, or any combination thereof. The control by the control system 400 may reduce the content of usable fibers in the second drum screen reject stream 274 and increase recovery and reuse of fibers therefrom, among other features.

[0117] In embodiments, the trash processing unit 240 may further include a rejects compactor disposed downstream of the second drum screen unit 270. The rejects compactor may receive the second drum screen reject stream 274 and may remove and recover additional solvent from the second drum screen reject stream 274 to produce a recovered solvent stream and generate a compactor solid discharge stream. In embodiments, the optical system 350 may be configured to capture images of the compactor solid discharge stream downstream of the rejects compactor and determine one or more properties of the compactor solid discharge stream, such as but not limited to a relative fiber content of the compactor solid discharge stream, the relative rate of generation of the compactor solid discharge stream, the types of one or more materials in the compactor solid discharge stream, or combinations thereof. The properties of the compactor solid discharge stream determined using the optical system 350 may then be used by the control system 400 to control operation of the rejects compactor, the second drum screen unit 270, the stock cleaner system 260, any other unit operation in the coarse screening system 200, the pulp production unit 110, or any combinations thereof.

[0118] In embodiments, the control system 400 may be configured to store the data on the relative fiber content of the first drum screen reject stream 164, the relative rate of generation of the first drum screen reject stream 164, the consistency of the first drum screen filtrate 162, the type and/or amount of each type of trash in the first drum screen reject stream 164, the relative fiber content of the trash processing reject stream 244, the relative rate of generation of the trash processing reject stream 244, the consistency of the trash processing filtrate 242, the type and/or amount of each type of trash in the trash processing reject stream 244, or any combination thereof. The control system 400 may be configured to store data from any other fiber processing systems 40 incorporated into the pulp processing system 100. In embodiments, the control system 400 may be configured to correlate each measured value of the relative fiber contents, relative rates of generation of the solid discharge streams, and/or types of materials in the solid discharge streams with the type, supplier, or both of the furnish (i.e., fiber source) supplied to the pulp processing system 100. The control system 400 may be configured to track the quality of furnish received from one or more furnish suppliers based on the relative fiber contents, relative rates of generation, and/or types of materials in the various solid discharge streams, such as but not limited to the first drum screen reject stream 164, the trash processing reject stream 244, second drum screen reject stream 274, compactor solid discharge stream, the solid discharge stream 22 from any other fiber processing unit 10, or combinations thereof. The control system 400 may also be operable to correlate one or more operating conditions of the pulp processing system 100 with the relative fiber content, relative generation rate, types of materials in, or combinations thereof for the first drum screen reject stream 164, the trash processing reject stream 244, second drum screen reject stream 274, compactor solid discharge stream, solid discharge stream 22 from any other fiber processing unit 10, or combinations thereof.

[0119] Referring again to FIGS. 6, 8, and 9, in embodiments, the control system 400 may include a drum screen filtrate consistency meter 420, which may be disposed in the first drum screen filtrate 162 line and may be configured to measure a consistency, a flow rate, or both of the drum screen filtrate 162 downstream of the first drum screen unit 160. The control system 400 may be communicatively coupled to the drum screen filtrate consistency meter 420. The control system 400 may be configured to receive one or more signals from the drum screen filtrate consistency meter 420 indicative of the consistency, flow rate, or both of the first drum screen filtrate 162 and to control one or more controlled variables based on the consistency, flow rate, or both of the first drum screen filtrate 162 alone or in combinations with the relative fiber content, relative generation rate, type of materials, or combinations thereof of the first drum screen reject stream 164. In embodiments, the control system 400 may be configured, such as through execution of machine readable and executable instructions, to control operation of one or more pieces of equipment in the detrashing system 120, such as the trash well 130, the detrasher (e.g., the detrasher 150), the first drum screen unit 160, the trash pump 140, or any combinations thereof based on the consistency of the first drum screen filtrate 162, the relative fiber content of the first drum screen reject stream 164, the relative generation rate of the first drum screen reject stream 164, types of materials in the first drum screen reject stream 164, or any combinations thereof. The control system 400 may control any of the control valves, machine controllers, or other control device described herein in relation to the detrashing system 120.

[0120] Referring again to FIGS. 7, 10, and 11, in embodiments, the control system 400 may include a trash processing filtrate consistency meter 422, which may be disposed in the trash processing filtrate 242 line and may be configured to measure a consistency, a flow rate, or both of the trash processing filtrate 242 downstream of the trash processing unit 240. The control system 400 may be communicatively coupled to the trash processing filtrate consistency meter 422. The control system 400 may be configured to receive one or more signals from the trash processing filtrate consistency meter 422 indicative of the consistency, flow rate, or both of the trash processing filtrate 242 and to control one or more controlled variables based on the consistency, flow rate, or both of the trash processing filtrate 242 alone or in combination with the relative fiber content, relative generation rate of the trash processing reject stream 244, types of materials in the trash processing reject stream 244, or combinations thereof. In embodiments, the control system 400 may be configured, such as through execution of machine readable and executable instructions, to control operation of one or more pieces of equipment in the coarse screening system 200, such as the hydrocyclone cleaner system 210, the surge tank 220, the coarse screening unit 230, the trash processing unit, the pump 250, the stock cleaner system 260, the second drum screen unit 270, rejects compactor, or any combinations thereof based on the consistency of the trash processing filtrate 242, the relative fiber content of the trash processing reject stream 244, the relative generation rate of the trash processing reject stream 244, types or materials in the trash processing reject stream 244, or any combinations thereof. The control system 400 may control any of the control valves, pumps, machine controllers, or other control device described herein in relation to the coarse screening system 200.

[0121] Methods of the present disclosure may include determining the relative fiber content, the relative generation rate, the types of one or more materials, or combinations of these of the first drum screen reject stream 164, the trash processing reject stream 244, the second drum screen reject stream 274, compactor reject stream, solids discharge stream 22 of any other fiber processing unit 10, or combinations thereof, and controlling one or more units of the pulp processing system 100 based on the relative fiber content, relative generation rate, types of one or more materials, or combinations thereof of these reject streams. In embodiments, the methods may include adjusting a wash water flow rate, a rotation speed of the rotating drum screen 306, or both of the drum screen unit 300 based on the relative fiber content, relative generation rate, types of materials, or combinations thereof, of the drum screen reject stream. In embodiments, the methods may include adjusting a wash water flow rate, a rotation speed of the rotating drum screen 306, or both of the first drum screen unit 160 based on the relative fiber content, relative generation rate, types of materials, or combinations thereof of the first drum screen reject stream 164. In embodiments, the methods may include adjusting a wash water flow rate, a rotation speed of the rotating drum screen 306, or both of the second drum screen unit 240 based on the relative fiber content, relative generation rate, types of materials, or combinations thereof of the second drum screen reject stream 244.

[0122] In embodiments, the methods may include adjusting a dilution water flow rate to the trash pump 130 based on the relative fiber content, relative generation rate, types of materials, or combinations thereof of the first drum screen reject stream 164, trash processing reject stream 244, the second drum screen reject stream 274, compactor solid discharge stream, other solid discharge stream 22 from another fiber processing unit 10, or combinations thereof. In embodiments, the methods may include modifying or controlling a flow rate of the detrasher wash water to the detrasher (i.e., HYDRAPURGER detrasher from Kadant Black Clawson LLC), a time duration of one or more steps in an operating sequence of the detrasher, or both based on the relative fiber content, relative generation rate, types of materials, or combinations thereof of the first drum screen reject stream 164, the trash processing reject stream 244, the second drum screen reject stream 274, the compactor solid discharge stream, other solid discharge stream 22 from another fiber processing unit 10, or combinations thereof. In embodiments, the methods may include adjusting a consistency of the pulp slurry in a stock cleaner system 260 based on the relative fiber content, relative generation rate, types of materials, or combinations thereof of the first drum screen reject stream 164, the trash processing reject stream 244, the second drum screen reject stream 274, the compactor solid discharge stream, other solid discharge stream 22 from another fiber processing unit 10, or combinations thereof. In embodiments, the methods may include saving the relative fiber content, relative generation rate, types of materials, or combinations thereof for the solid discharge streams for one or more of the fiber processing units 10 (e.g., the first drum screen reject stream 164, the trash processing reject stream 244, the second drum screen reject stream 274, the compactor solid discharge stream, other solid discharge stream 22 from another fiber processing unit 10, or combinations thereof) in one or more memory modules. In embodiments, the methods may include correlating the relative fiber content, relative generation rate, types of materials, or combinations thereof for the solid discharge streams for one or more of the fiber processing units 10 with a type and/or supplier and/or lot number of a furnish supplied to the pulp processing system.

[0123] Referring again to FIG. 1, in embodiments, a method of processing a fiber-containing stream 16 may comprise processing the fiber-containing stream 16 in the fiber processing unit 10 to remove solid contaminants and to produce the fiber processing accepts stream 20 and the solid discharge stream 22 comprising the solid contaminants removed from the fiber-containing stream 16. The methods may further include capturing at least one image of the solid discharge stream 22 at or downstream of a solid discharge outlet 24 of the fiber processing unit 10 with the optical system 350 comprising at least one of the imaging devices 352 and the image processing system 360, determining a relative fiber content of the solid discharge stream 22, a relative rate of generation of the solid discharge stream 22, types of one or more materials in the solid discharge stream 22, or combinations thereof from the at least one image using the image processing system 360, and controlling operation of the fiber processing unit 10 based on the relative fiber content of the solid discharge stream 22, the relative rate of generation of the solid discharge stream 22, the types of the one or more materials in the solid discharge stream 22, or combinations thereof.

[0124] The methods may further include producing the fiber-containing stream 16 in one or more upstream units disposed upstream of the fiber processing unit 10 and controlling operation of the one or more upstream units based on the relative fiber content of the solid discharge stream 22, the relative rate of generation of the solid discharge stream 22, the types of the one or more materials in the solid discharge stream 22, or combinations thereof.

[0125] Referring to FIG. 2, producing the fiber-containing stream 16 may comprise processing furnish 102 in a pulp production unit 110 to produce the accepts stream 112 and the pulper reject stream 114, passing the pulper reject stream 114 to the detrashing system 120 comprising the trash well 130, the trash pump 140 downstream of the trash well 130, and the detrasher 150 downstream of the trash pump 140, wherein the fiber processing unit 10 is disposed downstream of the detrasher 150 and the fiber-containing stream 16 comprises the detrasher reject stream 154 produced by the detrasher 150. The methods may further include controlling operation of the pulp production unit 110, the trash well 130, the trash pump 140, the detrasher 150, or combinations thereof based on the relative fiber content of the solid discharge stream 22, the relative rate of generation of the solid discharge stream 22, the types of the one or more materials in the solid discharge stream 22, or combinations thereof.

[0126] Referring now to FIG. 3, in embodiments, the fiber containing stream 16 may comprise: processing the furnish 102 in the pulp production unit 110 to produce the accepts stream 112 and the pulper reject stream 114; passing the accepts stream 112 to a coarse screening system 200 comprising the hydrocyclone cleaner system 210, the coarse screening unit 230 downstream of the hydrocyclone cleaner system 210, and the trash processing unit 240 downstream of the coarse screening unit 230, wherein the fiber processing unit 10 may be the trash processing unit 240 and the fiber-containing stream 16 may comprise the coarse screen reject stream 234 produced by the coarse screening unit 230; and controlling operation of the pulp production unit 110, the hydrocyclone cleaner system 210, the coarse screening unit 230, or any combinations thereof based on the relative fiber content of the solid discharge stream 22, the relative rate of generation of the solid discharge stream 22, the types of the one or more materials in the solid discharge stream 22, or combinations thereof. The methods disclosed herein can include any of the other method steps described in the present disclosure.

[0127] In embodiments, the pulp production system 100 can include a low-consistency continuous pulper, and the fiber processing system 40 can be a batch style detrasher comprising a drum screen unit (e.g., drum screen unit 300). The optical system 350 can be positioned to capture images of the drum screen reject stream downstream of the drum screen unit and determine the relative fiber content, relative generation rate, types of one or materials in, or combinations thereof, of the drum screen reject stream. The relative fiber content of, relative generation rate of, and/or types of materials in the drum screen reject stream can be used by the control system to control one or more of a flow rate of the drum screen filtrate from the drum screen unit, the dilution water flow rate to the detrasher, the wash water flow rate to the drum screen unit, the consistency of the drum screen filtrate, a rotational speed of the drum screen unit, a trash well dilution water flow rate, or combinations thereof.

[0128] In embodiments, the pulp production system 100 can include a low-consistency continuous pulper, and the fiber processing system 40 can include a continuous detrasher comprising a drum screen unit (e.g., drum screen unit 300) as the fiber processing unit. The optical system 350 can be positioned to capture images of the drum screen reject stream downstream of the drum screen unit and determine the relative fiber content, relative generation rate, types of one or materials in, or combinations of these, of the drum screen reject stream. The relative fiber content of, relative rate of generation of, and/or types of materials in the drum screen reject stream can be used by the control system to control one or more of a flow rate of the drum screen filtrate from the drum screen unit, the dilution water flow rate to the detrasher, the wash water flow rate to the drum screen unit, a rotational speed of the drum screen unit, a feed pressure of the drum screen feed introduced to the drum screen unit, a flow rate of the drum screen feed introduced to the drum screen unit, a trash well dilution water flow rate, or combinations thereof.

[0129] In embodiments, the pulp production system 100 can include a high-consistency batch pulper, and the fiber processing system 40 can be a batch style detrasher comprising a trash processing unit and a drum screen unit (e.g., drum screen unit 300) downstream of the trash processing unit, where the drum screen unit serves as the fiber processing unit 10. In embodiments, the optical system 350 can be positioned to capture images of the drum screen reject stream downstream of the drum screen unit and determine the relative fiber content, relative generation rate, types of one or materials in, or combinations of these, of the drum screen reject stream. The relative fiber content of, relative generation rate of, and/or types of materials in the drum screen reject stream can then be used by the control system to control one or more of a flow rate of the drum screen filtrate from the drum screen unit, the dilution water flow rate to the detrasher, the wash water flow rate to the drum screen unit, a rotational speed of the drum screen unit, one or more pulper batch parameters of the pulp production unit, or combinations thereof. The pulper batch parameters of the pulp production unit may include but are not limited to batch weight, slurry consistency, slurry temperature, chemistry of the slurry, or combinations thereof. In embodiments, the optical system may be configured to capture one or more images of a trash processing reject stream from the trash processing unit and determine a relative fiber content of, relative generation rate of, and/or types of one or more materials in the trash processing reject stream. The relative fiber content of, relative generation rate of, and/or types of materials in the trash processing reject stream can then be used by the control system to control one or more of a flow rate of the drum screen filtrate from the drum screen unit, the dilution water flow rate to the detrasher, the wash water flow rate to the drum screen unit, a rotational speed of the drum screen unit, one or more pulper batch parameters of the pulp production unit, or combinations thereof.

[0130] In embodiments, the pulp production system can include a high-consistency batch pulper, such as but not limited to a HELI-DRUM pulper system from Kadant Black Clawson LLC, which produces an accepts stream and a pulper reject stream and passes the pulper reject stream the pulp production unit to a buffer, and then from the buffer directly to a drum screen unit instead of to a trash well 130, trash pump 140, and detrasher 150 shown in FIG. 2. In these embodiments, the fiber processing system 40 can comprise the optical system 350 and the drum screen unit (e.g., drum screen unit 300), which can be the fiber processing unit 10 and can be coupled to the pulper reject stream 112 from the pulp processing system 100 (e.g., the HELI-DRUM pulper system) through the buffer zone. The optical system 350 can be positioned to capture images of the drum screen reject stream downstream of the drum screen unit and determine the relative fiber content, relative generation rate, types of one or materials in, or combinations of these, of the drum screen reject stream. The relative fiber content of, relative generation rate of, and/or types of materials in the drum screen reject stream can be used by the control system to control one or more of a flow rate of the drum screen filtrate from the drum screen unit, the dilution water flow rate to the drum screen unit, the wash water flow rate to the drum screen unit, a rotational speed of the drum screen unit, a flow rate of dilution water to the pulp production unit, a buffer weir gate position for the buffer weir gate disposed between the pulp production unit and the drum screen unit, a buffer jet flow rate for the buffer zone between the pulp production unit and the drum screen unit, one or more pulper batch parameters for the pulp production unit, or any combinations thereof. The pulper batch parameters of the pulp production unit may include but are not limited to batch weight, slurry consistency, slurry temperature, chemistry of the slurry, or combinations thereof.

[0131] In embodiments, the pulp production system 100 can include a drum pulper, such as but not limited to a K DRUM drum pulper from Kadant Black Clawson LLC. The drum pulper may be a horizontal rotating pulper having a pulping section and a drum screening section downstream of the pulping section. The drum screening section of the drum pulper operates as a drum screen unit to recover water and usable fibers from the rejected material. The drum screening section can be the fiber processing unit 10 and may generate a solid discharge stream 22 comprising the solid contaminants removed from the fiber slurry. The optical system 350 can be positioned to capture images of the solid discharge stream downstream of the drum screening section of the drum pulper and determine the relative fiber content, relative generation rate, types of one or materials in, or combinations of these, of the solid discharge stream. The relative fiber content of, relative rate of generation of, and/or types of materials in the solid discharge stream from the drum screening section of the drum pulper can be used by the control system to control one or more of a flow rate of the filtrate from the drum screening section, a dilution water flow rate to the drum pulper, the wash water flow rate to the drum screening section of the drum pulper, a rotational speed of the drum screening section of the drum pulper, other operating parameter of the drum pulper, or combinations thereof.

[0132] In embodiments, the coarse screening system 200 may include one or more stock cleaner systems, such as the hydrocyclone cleaner system 210 shown in FIG. 3. The hydrocyclone cleaner system 210 may be a HD cleaner system or an MD cleaner system. Referring again to FIG. 3, in embodiments, the HC reject stream 214 from the hydrocyclone cleaner system 210 may be passed downstream to a fiber processing system 40 (FIG. 1). In embodiments, the fiber processing system 40 may include a sand separator, such as but not limited to a SANSGRIT sand separator from Kadant Black Clawson LLC. The sand separator may be configured to remove sand and other solid contaminants from the HC reject stream 214 to produce a solid discharge stream and a filtrate stream comprising water and recovered usable fibers. The solid discharge stream from the sand separator may be removed from the settling chamber of the sand separator using a screw conveyor or other type of solids conveyor. The optical system 350 may be configured to capture one or more images of the solid discharge stream discharged from the sand separator and determine a relative fiber content of, a relative rate of generation of, and/or types of one or more materials in the solid discharge stream from the sand separator. The relative fiber content of, relative generation rate of, and/or types of one or more materials in the solid discharge stream from the sand separator may be used by the control system to control one or more of a cycle time for the cleaner system sump, a elutriation water flow rate to the sand separator settling chamber, a differential pressure of the sand separator, or combinations thereof.

[0133] Referring again to FIG. 11, in embodiments, the trash processing unit 240 of the coarse screening system 200 may include the stock cleaner system 260 downstream of the pump 250 and the second drum screen unit 270 downstream of the stock cleaner system 260. In embodiments, the stock cleaner system 260 may be a FLOAT PURGER stock cleaner system available from Kadant Black Clawson LLC. The second drum screen unit 270 may be the final fiber processing unit in the process. In embodiments, the optical system 350 may be configured, as shown in FIG. 11, to capture one or more images of the second drum screen reject stream 274 exiting or downstream of the second drum screen unit 270 and determine from the images one or more of a relative fiber content of, a relative rate of generation of, and/or types of one or more materials in the second drum screen reject stream 274. The relative fiber content of, relative generation rate of, and/or types of one or more materials in the second drum screen reject stream 274 may be used by the control system to control one or more of a flow rate of the second drum screen filtrate 272 from the second drum screen unit 270, the dilution water flow rate to the second drum screen unit 270, the wash water flow rate to the second drum screen unit 270, the consistency of the second drum screen filtrate 272, a rotational speed of the second drum screen unit 270, a flow rate of the stock cleaner accepts stream 262 (e.g., accepts stream from the FLOAT PURGER stock cleaning system), a flow rate of the stock cleaner rejects stream 264 (e.g., the rejects stream from a FLOAT PURGER stock cleaning system), a pressure drop across the stock cleaner system 260, a feed consistency of the feed stream to the stock cleaner system 260 (e.g., the coarse screen reject stream 234 in FIG. 11), or any combinations thereof.

[0134] Referring again to FIG. 11, in embodiments, the trash processing unit 240 of the coarse screening system 200 may include the stock cleaner system 260 downstream of the pump 250 and a reject sorter (not shown) disposed downstream of the stock cleaner system 260. In embodiments, the stock cleaner system 260 may be a FLOAT PURGER stock cleaner system available from Kadant Black Clawson LLC. The reject sorter may include but is not limited to an ULTRASORTER reject sorter system from Kadant Black Clawson LLC. In these embodiments, the final fiber processing unit in the process may be the reject sorter instead of the second drum screen unit 270 shown in FIG. 11. In embodiments, the optical system 350 may be configured to capture one or more images of a reject sorter reject stream exiting or downstream of the reject sorter and may determine from the images one or more of a relative fiber content of, a relative rate of generation of, and/or types of one or more materials in the reject sorter reject stream. The relative fiber content of, the relative generation rate of, and/or types of one or more materials in the reject sorter reject stream may be used by the control system to control one or more of a flow rate of the stock cleaner accepts stream 262 (e.g., accepts stream from the FLOAT PURGER stock cleaning system), a flow rate of the stock cleaner rejects stream 264 (e.g., the rejects stream from a FLOAT PURGER stock cleaning system), a pressure drop across the stock cleaner system 260, a feed consistency of the feed stream to the stock cleaner system 260 (e.g., the coarse screen reject stream 234 in FIG. 11), a shower flow rate of the ULTRASORTER reject sorter, a headbox dilution flow rate for the ULTRASORTER reject sorter, or any combinations thereof.

[0135] Referring again to FIG. 11, in embodiments, the trash processing unit 240 of the coarse screening system 200 may include the stock cleaner system 260 downstream of the pump 250 and a fiber refiner (not shown) disposed downstream of the stock cleaner system 260. In embodiments, the stock cleaner system 260 may be a FLOAT PURGER stock cleaner system available from Kadant Black Clawson LLC. The fiber refiner can include but is not limited to a DIABOLO fiber refiner from Kadant Black Clawson LLC. In these embodiments, the final fiber processing unit in the process may be the fiber refiner instead of the second drum screen unit 270 shown in FIG. 11. In embodiments, the optical system 350 may be configured to capture one or more images of a trash stream on a reject conveyor downstream of the fiber refiner and may determine from the images one or more of a relative fiber content of, a relative rate of generation of, and/or types of one or more materials in the trash stream from the fiber refiner. The relative fiber content of, relative generation rate of, and/or the types of one or more materials in the trash stream from the fiber refiner may be used by the control system to control one or more of a flow rate of the stock cleaner accepts stream 262 (e.g., accepts stream from the FLOAT PURGER stock cleaning system), a flow rate of the stock cleaner rejects stream 264 (e.g., the rejects stream from a FLOAT PURGER stock cleaning system), a cycle time for the fiber refiner, a feed consistency of the feed stream to the fiber refiner, a flow rate of rinse water to the fiber refiner, a flow rate of an accepts stream produced by the fiber refiner, or any combinations thereof.

[0136] Embodiments of the disclosure may be embodied in hardware and/or in software (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.). The image processing system 360 may include the at least one processor 362 and the at least one memory module 364, and the control system 400 of the pulp processing system 100 may include the at least one processor 402 and the computer-readable storage medium (i.e., memory module 404) as previously described in this specification. The image processing system 360 may be communicatively coupled to one or more system components (e.g., one or more imaging devices 352, the control system 400, or any other control device described herein) via any wired or wireless communication pathway, including execution of control and/or communication between the control system and the equipment through the cloud. Likewise, the control system 400 may be communicatively coupled to one or more system components (e.g., the image processing system 360, the wash water control valve 410, the drum screen motor controller 412, the dilution water control valve 414, the detrasher water control valve, the detrasher controller, the stock cleaner system, trash well 130, the wash tower 138, the trash pump 140, the first drum screen unit 160, the hydrocyclone cleaner system 210, the surge tank 220, the coarse screening unit 230, the second drum screen unit, or any other component discussed in the present disclosure) via any wired or wireless communication pathway. A computer-usable or the computer-readable storage medium, such as the one or memory modules 364 and/or the one or more memory modules 404, may be any medium that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0137] The computer-usable or computer-readable storage medium or memory module(s) 364, 404 may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable storage medium or memory module(s) 364, 404 would include but are not limited to the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, and a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM). Note that the computer-usable or computer-readable storage medium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed, as the program can be electronically captured, via, for instance, optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted, or otherwise processed in a suitable manner, if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.

[0138] The computer-readable storage medium or memory module(s) 364, 406 may include the machine readable and executable instructions 366, 406 for carrying out operations of the present disclosure. The machine readable and executable instructions 366, 406 may include computer program code that may be written in a high-level programming language, such as but not limited to C or C++, for development convenience. In addition, computer program code for carrying out operations of the present disclosure may also be written in other programming languages, such as, but not limited to, interpreted languages. It is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure to any particular programming language. Some modules or routines may be written in assembly language or even micro-code to enhance performance and/or memory usage. However, software embodiments of the present disclosure do not depend on implementation with a particular programming language. It will be further appreciated that the functionality of any or all of the program modules may also be implemented using discrete hardware components, one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or a programmed digital signal processor or microcontroller. The machine readable and executable instructions of the control system 400 and/or image processing system 360 may also include artificial intelligence systems, neural networks, or other deep machine learning systems.

[0139] In embodiments, the control systems disclosed herein (e.g., the image processing system 360, the control system 400, or both) may be located at the equipment in question, such as at the drum screen unit 300, the detrashing system 120, the coarse screening system 200, or any subsystem or component thereof, and may be communicatively coupled to the equipment through wired or wireless communication. In embodiments, the control systems disclosed herein (e.g., the image processing system 360, the control system 400, or both) may be located in a remote location or may be a part of the cloud and control of the equipment, such as at the drum screen unit 300, the detrashing system 120, the coarse screening system 200, or any subsystem or component thereof, may be conducted by communication through the cloud.

[0140] While various embodiments of the pulp processing system and/or drum screen system have been described herein, it should be understood that it is contemplated that each of these embodiments and techniques may be used separately or in conjunction with one or more embodiments and techniques. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter. Thus, it is intended that the specification cover the modifications and variations of the various embodiments described herein provided such modification and variations come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.