Pressure Screen Troubleshooting

Pressure screens are used in pulping, recycling, and papermaking operations to remove oversized contaminants from pulp stock and whitewater flows. They can remove everything from knots and shives, to glass and plastic bits, to clumps of adhesive, often called “stickies.” Pressure screens can also help “defloc” or break up clumps of fibers, straighten and comb them out, and keep them dispersed as separate, individual fibers.

The flow rate and consistency of the incoming stock, characteristics and concentration of the contaminants targeted for removal, and end product requirements all affect the design of a screening system. In some cases, a single screen can perform the job. In others, multiple screens set up in two or more stages are required.

Pressure screen operations affect downstream equipment reliability, machine runnability, and product quality, which is why it is so important to take action to get screens back into their desired state when an issue develops. This course covers the key operating variables for pressure screens, common issues, possible causes and corrections for those issues, and best practices for troubleshooting pressure screens.