Reducing the Noise of Pressure Pulp Screen: Theory and Application

Abstract

A pressure pulp screen is a machine used in the pulp and paper industry to remove and class cellulose fibres in paper pulp. It involves an inner perforated cylindrical basket which receives the pulp under pressure, an inner rotor with profiled blades used to clear the holes or slits of the basket, and an outer cylindrical shell. The noise radiated by the outer shell is characterized by discrete frequencies in mid- and high frequency (1–4 kHz). A preliminary study has shown that the radiated noise is due to the vibration of the perforated basket under the moving load of the rotor. This vibration is transmitted to the outer shell through various paths which were analyzed and classified. An analytical model of the vibroacoustic behavior of a cylindrical shell under a circumferentially moving load was used to establish various rotating speed regimes with respect to the vibration and sound radiation of the shell. It was shown that a circumferential modulation of the load (corresponding to the effect of holes or slits on the inner basket) leads to theoretical noise spectra similar to measured data. On the practical front, the model was used to identify significant design parameters with respect to the noise of the machine. The paths of energy transmission from the basket to the outer shell were studied and various noise reduction approaches have been investigated.