The cellulose pulp refining process is crucial for achieving high-quality paper characteristics. This research aims to enhance energy efficiency while maintaining good fiber quality using hydrodynamic and acoustic cavitation (HAC). Experiments were conducted with an in-house developed flow-through sonicator combined with a novel Venturi nozzle for hydrodynamic cavitation. The Venturi design was determined by analytical modeling and verified by CFD simulation with multi-phase turbulence models to balance cavitation intensity and turbulence against the acoustic cavitation effect. Experimental evaluation of two batches of CTMP fibers, pre-processed in different ways, showed significant improvements in paper strength and fiber properties. The best results for Batch 1 (HC and LC) were obtained with 386 kWh/bdt for AC and 350 kWh/bdt for HC (60 °C, 2 % concentration). The tensile strength index increased by 26 %, and the TEA-index, related to freeness, increased by 55 %. HAC treatment (750 kWh/bdt, 70 °C, 1.5 % concentration) of the less refined Batch2 (HC) yielded results better than the Batch 1 reference. These findings confirm the energy-efficient potential of the sonicator concept compared to traditional industrial processes. The conclusion is that HAC-refining of softwood pulp requires a proper balance between hydrodynamic and acoustic cavitation intensities. Both fiber concentration by weight and temperature are critical for an energy-efficient process.

Laser-induced ultrasound is based on the thermo-elastic conversion of absorbed short light pulses to pressure pulses. In the work presented here, laser-induced ultrasound in a planar structure of interconnected layers with variations in optical, thermal, and mechanical properties is studied. Layered structures can be used for generating wideband ultrasonic pulses specific to a chosen application. An analytical time-domain solution is derived for the resulting pressure transmitted from the layered structure. The solution is derived for an arbitrary number of layers with an arbitrary optical absorption profile. Free space Green's functions with image sources are used to derive the solution. A solution employing the Beer–Lambert law is also proposed. The simplification with reflections only at the boundaries is in agreement with previous published results. The spectral properties of the generated pulse are derived, where the effects of optical absorption coefficients and layer thicknesses are shown. The analytical solution is compared to one-dimensional (1D) simulations and a three-dimensional (3D) simulation, realised as a two-dimensional (2D) axially symmetric case, using the matlab toolbox k-Wave. The 3D simulation on-axis pressure agrees well with the 1D analytical solution when the diameter of the laser beam is larger by approximately 1 order of magnitude than the thickness of the planar layered structure.

Fibrillation is identified as the most energy intensive process step in pulp and paper manufacturing and improved energy efficiency is the motivation for development of alternative technologies. The aim of this study is to explore the potential of a new refining concept based on cavitation, focusing on the optimization of acoustic cavitation efficiency of the proposed flow-through sonicator concept. The simulations utilize the linearized wave equation in the frequency domain with an addition of nonlinear attenuation introduced by cavitation bubbles. Verification is made by pressure measurements, calorimetry, and foil tests. The fibrillation capability was validated on chemi-thermo mechanical pulp fibers at low consistencies. Fiber properties was characterized by ultrasonic spectroscopy, fiber analysis and SEM. The objective is to optimize the energy transfer efficiency from electrical input power to acoustic cavitation intensity for efficient fibrillation of cellulose fibers. Results showed changes in fiber dimensions and fiber morphology, however, improvements in tensile strength index, measured and predicted by ultrasonic spectroscopy, was limited to 20 % at an energy level of 804 kWh/bdt. To enhance energy efficiency and paper strength properties, it is suggested to add a hydrodynamic cavitation device prior to the sonicator to initiate cavitation bubbles and to increase turbulence intensity.

The pulp and paper industry is in continuous need for energy-efficient production processes. In the refining process of mechanical pulp, fibrillation is one of the essential unit operations that count for up to 80% of the total energy use. This initial study explores the potential and development of new type of scalable ultrasound reactor for energy efficient mechanical pulping. The developed reactor is of continuous flow type and based on both hydrodynamic and acoustic cavitation in order to modify the mechanical properties of cellulose fibers. A comparison of the prototype tube reactor is made with a batch reactor type where the ultrasonic horn is inserted in the fluid. The pulp samples were sonicated by high-intensity ultrasound, using tuned sonotrodes enhancing the sound pressure and cavitation intensity by a controlled resonance in the contained fluid. The resonant frequency of the batch reactor is 20.8 kHz and for the tube reactor it is 22.8 kHz. The power conversion efficiency for the beaker setup is 25% and 36% in case of the tube reactor in stationary mode. The objective is to verify the benefit of resonance enhanced cavitation intensity when avoiding the effect of Bjerkenes forces. The setup used enables to keep the fibers in the pressure antinodes of the contained fluid. In case of the continuous flow reactor the effect of hydrodynamic cavitation is also induced. The intensity of the ultrasound in both reactors was found to be high enough to produce cavitation in the fluid suspension to enhance the fiber wall treatment. Results show that the mechanical properties of the fibers were changed by the sonification in all tests. The continuous flow type was approximately 50% more efficient than the beaker. The effect of keeping fibers in the antinode of the resonant mode shape of the irradiation frequency was also significant. The effect on fiber properties for the tested mass fraction was determined by a low-intensity ultrasound pulse-echo based measurement method, and by a standard pulp analyzer.

Energy-efficient process intensification is a key aspect for a sustainable industrial production. To improve energy conversion efficiency high intensity cavitation is a promising method, especially in cases where the material to be treated is valuable and on the micro meter scale. Transient collapsing cavitation bubbles gives powerful effects on objects immersed in fluids, like cellulose fibers, mineral particles, enzymes, etc. The cavitation process needs optimization and control, since optimal conditions is multivariate challenge. This study focuses on different design principles to achieve high intensity cavitation in a specific volume in a continuous flow. This study explores some potential design principles to obtain energy efficient process intensification. The objective is to tune several different resonance phenomena to create a powerful excitation of a flowing suspension (two-phase flow and cavitation bubbles). The reactor is excited by sonotrodes, connected to two coupled resonant tube structures, at the critical frequency. Finally cavitation bubbles are initiated by a flow through a venturi nozzle. The acoustically optimised reactor geometry is modelled in Comsol Multiphysics®, and excited by dedicated ultrasound signals at three different frequencies. The effect of the high intensity cavitation is experimentally evaluated by calorimetric method, foil tests and degree of fibrillation on cellulose fibers.

This study investigate the impact of high-intensity ultrasound treatment on the mechanical properties of pulp fibers. The pulp fiber samples are sonicated in an acoustically optimized beaker where high-intensity ultrasound is generated using a tuned sonotrode device. The idea is to create a controlled resonance to efficiently enhance the sound pressure in the beaker. Input power was 90 W. The objective is to define the difference between freely suspended fibers in a beaker compared to keeping fibers in a fixed position. The hypothesis is that fiber treatment at a specific input power will be more efficient in the case when fibers are kept in a high pressure zone. Since the fiber wall is a layered structure, it is likely to delaminate internally which will affect the mechanical properties of the fiber. The effect on fiber properties is verified by measuring the ultrasound attenuation spectra for the treated fibers. The attenuation measurements are based on measurements of a low-intensity ultrasound pulse-echo technique. On a macroscopic scale, changes in the attenuation spectra relates to a change in mechanical properties of the fiber wall, since the suspended fibers more or less retain their diameter and length distributions.

The pulp and paper industry is in continuous need for energy-efficient production processes. Therefore, there is a focus in reducing electrical energy use in the production of paper.  The most energy demanding processes are related to fibrillation, which in some cases use up to 80% of required electrical power, with a net efficiency of 1%. The presented work focus on ultrasound controlled cavitation in concentrating the processing energy to provide an energy efficient development of cellulose fibers. The objectives are to develop a scalable cavitation reactor to obtain energy-efficient fibrillation of cellulose fibers aiming at reducing the energy use by 50%. Our goal is to develop a methodology based on multiphysic simulation for the design of an alternative refiner based on ultrasound cavitation. The reactor concept is of a flow through type where cavitation bubbles are initiated in the fiber suspension by the pressure release when the pulp flow through a venturi nozzle. The induced cavitation bubbles are collapsed by high intensity ultrasound at resonant frequencies. The collapsing bubbles and their associated shock waves modify the fiber wall properties which enables fibrillation.  Energy efficient fibrillation of cellulose fibers is therefore possible to achieve through an optimized combination of hydrodynamic and ultrasonic controlled cavitation. Initial results shows a positive effect on fiber quality. However, further optimization of process parameters like temperature and static pressure is required.

Sonochemical reactors are used for process intensification based on efficientenergy transfer due to ultrasound in order to cause transient cavitation in the medium.Ultrasonic reactors are extensively used for numerous applications due to their differentfeatures. The process of ultrasound cavitation can be defined as generation, growth andviolent collapse of microbubbles under ultrasonic irradiation which can release a highamount of energy in a small volume. The released energy causes a sudden increase intemperature and pressure which thereby can lead to extensive process intensification. Thepresent work deals with the evaluation of two different configurations of ultrasound reactorsusing both numerical modeling and experimental verification. The evaluation is based onprediction of the pressure distribution, verified by foil tests and with calorimetric method.The two reactors were developed to be used for the treatment of cellulose fibers to improveenergy efficiency in the fibrillation process. The goal is to optimize cavitation intensityand minimize the coupling loss factors. The development and evaluation of these two reactorconcepts aim to improve the design methodology for a scalable flow through reactor conceptwith high yield and energy efficiency

Design and optmiziation of ultrasonic reactors are important objectives in sonochemical processing. The recent expansion of the use of ultrasonic reactors in various research projects all faces the problem of scaling up laboratory results for industrial use. A traditional ultrasonic reactor usually has several issues, such as low effectiveness and complex and unstable system performance, which all are unfavorable for efficient sonochemical processing. This study adresses these issues and investigates a new flow type ultrasonic reactor designed to generate transient cavitation as the main source for ultrasound for sonochemical processing. This study proposes the principle of the flow type ultrasonic reactor design to generate transient cavitation. The objective of this work is to design an ultrasonic reactor with a new geometry. The idea is to improve process efficiency based on resonance enhanced ultrasound controlled cavitation

This paper proposes a passive Barkhausen noise sensor design suitable for low power applications. The sensor uses a permanent magnet and the relative motion between itself and a measured specimen instead of the conventional method that uses a fixed sensor and an alternating magnetic field. Since this novel design is passive, the sensor is well suited for low power applications and could potentially be used in e.g. A condition monitoring system integrated into a rolling element bearing. Proof of concept testing has been performed showing that the proposed sensor produces similar results as conventional Barkhausen noise sensors when applied to specimens being cyclically loaded until failure in a rotating bending rig. The results imply that material fatigue detection using the Barkhausen noise can be performed with the proposed sensor at a fraction of the energy cost compared to a conventional sensor. This warrants future research into the development of the proposed sensor, its advantages, disadvantages, and functionality