Optimization of wood fibre refining process in fibreboard production with new refiner disc working surface geometry

Abstract

Refining of fibrous semi-finished products is an important stage in fibreboard production because the efficiency of this stage affects the resulting fibres’ dimensional and qualitative characteristics. These, in turn, determine the physical and mechanical properties of the finished products, as well as the energy intensity of the process. The efficiency of this process depends on the raw materials used and the geometry of the refiner disc working surface and its operational modes. This article presents the results of the optimisation of wood fibre refining at a low concentration (2 to 4%), using fundamentally new refiner discs in high-density fibreboard production. Based on numerous theoretical and experimental studies, and on the results of processing, the problem of optimising the refining process was solved, taking into account the use of new refiner disc geometry. As a result, the optimal values of refiner process parameters and operation modes making it possible to prepare wood-fibre semi-finished products efficiently while reducing power consumption in refining were established. After optimising the refining process, the new geometry of refiner disc working surfaces provides optimal dimensional and qualitative characteristics of wood fibres, which results in finished products with high physical and mechanical properties in accordance with GOST 4598 (2018) without using bonding resins.

Wood fibre recapture from process water during wet-forming of fiberboard: Process modelling with environmental and economic assessment

“…The design of their working surface greatly influences the efficiency of the refining process, the quality parameters, and the composition of the resulting wood fibre semifinished product. The composition and dimensional and quality parameters largely determine the quality of finished boards (Vititnev 2019;Vititnev et al 2021b).…”

“…Studies by these authors (Vititnev et al 2021b) note that changing the refiner disc design may help ensure an adequate fibrillating effect during wood fibre refining, and therefore obtain a high-quality semi-finished product predominated by relatively long and thin fibrillated fibres with a high length-to-diameter ratio while reducing the amount of fine fraction (up to 28 to29%). However, it is impossible to fully prevent the formation of fine fraction and its ingress into wastewater.…”

Experimental Analysis of the Thermal Performance of Wood Fiber Insulating Panels

“…There are a few references in the literature regarding the effects of adding different fibers to the panels structure. The fibers' morphological characteristic is fundamental when specific fiberboards, such as Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF), are employed and analyzed [70][71][72][73].…”

The influence of regulating the forces of the refiner disk when exposed to a fibrous semi-finished product in the production of composite materials

“…The design of the headset used in the industry for refining wood fibres has a double-sided design, which, according to the authors' studies [1,4,5,7], provides undesirable shortening of fibres and as a result does not allow to obtain semi-finished products with the required dimensional and qualitative characteristics, reducing the efficiency of refining machines, strength properties and environmental friendliness of manufactured products.…”