The flow resistance of fiber sheet during initial dewatering

In this work, a novel experimental filtration device with pressure profiling was used for analyzing water removal from the fiber network in the forming section of a paper machine. The experimental data were used to develop a stratified model for the flow resistance of the developing fiber sheet during the filtration process. The new model was verified with both laboratory- and pilot-scale measurements and excellent agreement was observed between them. It was also observed that there is a strong linear correlation between the maximal attainable solid content of a filtered sheet after the forming section and the instantaneous response to pressure of the flow resistivity of the furnish.