This master thesis provides an overview of the paper machine with focus on the forming section. The forming section is the first part in the paper machine where the paper pulp is injected through a head box. The paper pulp contains about 99.5% of water and 0.5% fiber. The water as content is reduced by vacuum and gravity. The problem to be studied in this project is related to external rewetting. This is water going back to the paper web from the forming fabric after the dewatering zone. The dewatering is based on vacuum slots under the forming fabric. The vacuum slots absorb water from the soaked paper pulp through the forming fabric. External rewetting causes problem, hence the paper will have a higher dry content when leaving the forming section. The paper should have as low dry content as possible in the end of the forming section. Three different forming fabrics from Albany International were chosen for the project. The structures of the forming fabrics were two different double layers and one plain weave. The performance of the fabrics was studied by 4 different methods. The methods used were 2 different wicking tests, a vacuum dewatering trial and one foulard test. Also micro tomography was done to understand the structure of each design. The main test was a foulard test where the aim was to see in what way the rewetting got affected by different pores sizes. The results showed higher water content for the paper that was on top of the forming fabric with the larger pores.

Paper making involves three fabrics: forming, pressing, and drying. The forming fabric is responsible for sheet forming, the initial dewatering of a low concentration pulp suspension into a wet sheet of paper. In the process of forming, topographical and hydrodynamic marks can be transferred from the drainage media (the forming fabric) to the sheet produced. An experimental investigation of a model forming fabric was performed to identify the geometric parameters having the largest influence on hydrodynamic wire mark. The data were also compared with the numerical simulations of Huang. To simplify the problem, justifiable engineering simplifications were made. The second phase (the fibres) was removed and the machine-direction filaments were neglected. This reduced the problem to investigation of flow through a bank of dissimilar cylinders. It was desired to find the most important geometrical parameter to reduce flow non-uniformity in the paper side flow field. Particle image velocimetry, pressure drop and flow visualization tests were conducted to investigate the flow through the array of cylinders. It was found that with a cylinder surface separation of 0.75$\times$ the paper side cylinder diameter the pressure drop tended toward the sum of the rows, and the paper side flow field was nearly identical to the paper side row only flow field, regardless of the backing side cylinder dimensions and configuration. It was seen that when the pressure drop through the bank of cylinders was equal to the sum of the rows' pressure drops the paper side flow field was the same as the paper side row only flow field. As such, pressure drop can act as an indication of when the machine side row will not affect the paper side flow field.

Paper making involves three fabrics: forming, pressing, and drying. The forming fabric is responsible for sheet forming, the initial dewatering of a low concentration pulp suspension into a wet sheet of paper. In the process of forming, topographical and hydrodynamic marks can be transferred from the drainage media (the forming fabric) to the sheet produced. An experimental investigation of a model forming fabric was performed to identify the geometric parameters having the largest influence on hydrodynamic wire mark. The data were also compared with the numerical simulations of Huang. To simplify the problem, justifiable engineering simplifications were made. The second phase (the fibres) was removed and the machine-direction filaments were neglected. This reduced the problem to investigation of flow through a bank of dissimilar cylinders. It was desired to find the most important geometrical parameter to reduce flow non-uniformity in the paper side flow field. Particle image velocimetry, pressure drop and flow visualization tests were conducted to investigate the flow through the array of cylinders. It was found that with a cylinder surface separation of 0.75$\times$ the paper side cylinder diameter the pressure drop tended toward the sum of the rows, and the paper side flow field was nearly identical to the paper side row only flow field, regardless of the backing side cylinder dimensions and configuration. It was seen that when the pressure drop through the bank of cylinders was equal to the sum of the rows' pressure drops the paper side flow field was the same as the paper side row only flow field. As such, pressure drop can act as an indication of when the machine side row will not affect the paper side flow field.

The underlying motives of the research undertaken here are twofold: to obtain a deeper understanding of the dewatering mechanisms at the forming section of a papermaking machine and to develop numerical models that describe the flow through forming fabrics. More comprehensive knowledge of dewatering in the forming section allows suggestions to be made for improvements that reduce the amount of energy used in the process without affecting the quality of the end product.   The objective of this thesis is to answer the following questions: How and why does rewetting occur at the high vacuum suction boxes? How does the structure of the forming fabric affect dewatering at the forming section? Is it possible to create accurate numerical models for forming fabrics, and can these be used to predict the dewatering behaviour of new types of fabrics?   Laboratory and pilot studies simulating high vacuum suction boxes were performed together with numerical modelling of the flow of air and water through both the forming fabric and the paper sheet.   The conclusion drawn from the pilot study is that rewetting significantly lowers the dryness of the paper sheet exiting the suction boxes. The phenomenon is extremely rapid and is most likely driven by capillary forces. The high speed at which this rewetting occurs makes it difficult to impede by placing the suction boxes closer to the couch pick-up: the solution is more likely to be the use of new and improved designs of the forming fabric. The structure of the forming fabric has been shown to affect the dewatering rate at certain conditions of vacuum dewatering, and can possibly be connected partly to the fact that fibres penetrate the surface of the fabric to varying degrees and partly to the flow resistance of the different fabric structures. Numerical models of high accuracy can be constructed and used to predetermine how new fabric designs would affect dewatering at the forming section.   This thesis quantifies aspects of dewatering such as rewetting and the influence of the forming fabric. Understanding these dewatering aspects further provides for the potential enhancement of energy efficiency in the forming section, and thereby the entire papermaking process. The forming fabric can play an important role in improving energy efficiency: rewetting after the high vacuum suction boxes occurs more rapidly than was previously known, so its design might be the only possible way of impeding it. The forming fabric can also improve the rate of dewatering: it is therefore likely that its design will be important in the next stage of developing energy efficiency and thereby play a part in achieving a more sustainable future. / This thesis quantifies aspects of dewatering such as rewetting and the influence of the forming fabric. Understanding these dewatering aspects further provides for the potential enhancement of energy efficiency in the forming section, and thereby the entire papermaking process. The forming fabric can play an important role in improving energy efficiency: rewetting after the high vacuum suction boxes occurs more rapidly than was previously known, so its design might be the only possible way of impeding it. The forming fabric can also improve the rate of dewatering: it is therefore likely that its design will be important in the next stage of developing energy efficiency and thereby play a part in achieving a more sustainable future.