Brainstorming: How to Create Successful Ideas

A method of controlling the amount of a liquid shower flow introduced onto a slurry mat such as a pulp mat which is undergoing incomplete liquid separation on a vacuum filter drum. The flow rate of the liquid being discharged with the slurry mat is determined by a capacitance measurement which is taken after the slurry mat has passed to a point on the filter means where liquid separation no longer occurs. The shower flow is controlled by a correlation of the flow rate of the liquid in the slurry mat with the rate of slurry mat transfer from the vacuum filter drum and the necessary liquid shower flow as expressed by a dilution factor. The present control system may be combined with secondary apparatus to measure the flow rate and thickness of the total slurry mat in order to determine by correlation the slurry mat consistency, the rate of solid material production from the slurry mat and the amount of air contained in the slurry mat.