Voith Introduces InfiltraDiscfilter with New HiCon 2.0 Technology

In the Voith, Germany, BlueLine stock preparation product portfolio, the InfiltraDiscfilter with new HiCon 2.0 technology satisfies two of the key customer requirements for modern paper manufacturing, enabling efficient and resource-conserving production, an increase in fiber yield, and water consumption may be reduced. The improved efficiency in stock preparation offers a potential capacity increase of up to 20% at the disc filter and savings in pump energy of a maximum 50%. 

Conventional disc filters not only necessitate a high level of monitoring and maintenance; especially in the event of process fluctuations, they can cause malfunctions that result in costly machine downtimes. These kinds of problems are triggered above all by uncontrolled highs in stock consistency in the disc filter. If such highs go undetected, this often results in a thickening in the vat, especially in high freeness ranges. 

In these circumstances, the disc filter clothing is exposed to high mechanical stresses and can readily become damaged. In the worst-case scenario, the entire filter is damaged. To prevent such difficulties, the stock flow is diluted upstream of the disc filter, which is associated with a considerable increase in pump energy and loss of drainage capacity.

 

The InfiltraDiscfilter with new HiCon 2.0 technology from Voith is used in the BlueLine stock preparation unit at Schoellershammer PM 6.

For its HiCon 2.0 technology, Voith is also relying on the proven bagless system but has added two new decisive innovations. First, the HiCon disc filters are fitted with a solid system ,which safely guides the discs. As a result, the new disc filters are much more robust and even have longer service lives. In addition, the flow pattern in the vat is reversed, by feeding each individual disc with the flow of stock separately from the others. 

The patented innovative technology from Voith's BlueLine range prevents the occurrence of critical areas in which the pulp thickens. This allows production to be run with a stock consistency that is up to 2%. Disc filters with HiCon technology can optionally be integrated into existing machines during an upgrade. 

 

With the launch of its BaglessPlus technology in 2012, Voith had already eliminated a large number of vulnerabilities in conventional filters and had thus set a new benchmark for disc filters—on the one hand, because the bagless filters reduced maintenance and operating costs, and on the other because they can better withstand critical situations and therefore reduce the number of costly shutdowns.