PROCESSO E DISPOSITIVO PARA A LAVAGEM DE MATERIAL EM FIBRA

A process for washing fibre stock. The fibre stock is described is passed along a passage 14 from a stock inlet 15 to a stock outlet 16. The passage is defined by a portion of the inner surface of a substantially horizontal cylindrical screen 4, preferably a wire gauze. Washing liquid such as water is introduced into the passage, preferably by means of apertures 9 in a longitudinally extending hollow member 8. Effluent liquid passes through the screen, for extraction e.g. through outlets 24 and 25. To enable the washing of stock of high consistency e.g. up to 8%, while avoiding plugging of the screen 4, the arrangement is such that the stock only partially fills the cylindrical screen and is subjected to a tumbling action by the rotary movement of the cylindrical screen as the stock moves along the passage 14 to the stock outlet 16. The hollow member 8 is displaced downwardly from the axis of the cylindrical screen, so as to be positioned within the tumbling stock. In an alternative arrangement, the screen is defined by an endless belt carried over a series of rollers and having a portion of upwardly concave cross-section.