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Surface sizing basics
Surface sizes help provide a
range of characteristics to
the paper sheet. Peter de
Clerck looks at some of the
fundamentals of surface
sizing and the ways that
careful application can
improve paper qualities.
Peter de Clerck above is Technical Ser
vice Manager with A vebe Far East Pte
Ltd in Singapore
THE INCLINED SIZE PRESS
Asia Pacific Pulp & Paper August 1991
TECHNICAL REPORT
he function of surface sizing is
T quite different from that of in
ternal sizing. Whereas the lat
ter provides water repellancy, surface
sizing is used primarily to keep col
loidal solutions such as writing inks
from penetrating the paper surface.
Water repellancy is undesirable for
writing papers or commercial rulings
where migration of the water into the
sheet is the main method of ink
drying, leaving the colloidal pigment
particles on the sized surface. Hence
good internal sizing is no guarantee of
good writing qualities.
Surface sizing is also necessary for
paper to be used with oil-vehicle
printing inks. The desired effect is to
filter Out the ink pigments while al
lowing the oil vehicle to migrate into
the body of the paper. Slow ink
drying, resulting in "set-off" and
smearing, may occur if the migration
is too slow.
Why surface size?
Physical properties: The applied
starch penetrates into the sheet and
increases inter-fibre bonding, result
ing in increased burst and tensile
strengths together with a very large
improvement in fold strength. The in
creased strength may allow
the mill to use a cheaper fur-
- nish, or to reduce its refining
and so achieve easier
drainage on the wire and bet
ter hydrostability in the sheet,
giving fewer cockles and less
curl.
Another effect is the im
provement of surface
strength or scuff resistance.
This reduces "fluffing" on
the printing press, a particular
problem with offset litho
printing. Fibre picking on the
after-dryers is reduced. Stiff
ness is improved and air per
meability reduced. A
low-viscous starch solution
may also be applied to
saturate the paper and give lower
opacity, as for example in glassine
papers.
Erasability: This requires surface
resistance to abrasion and ink
penetration with the ability to retain
both a good surface and sizing after
erasure. Good internal and surface
sizing are both needed to provide
good erasability. Surface sizing im
proves erasability by reducing ink
penetration and increasing abrasion
resistance by promoting inter-fibre
bonding. The ideal condition is a
strong, well-bonded body stock.
Oil resistance: Surface sizing in
creases the contact angle against oil,
providing a relatively continuous,
non-porous film impervious to oil
penetration.
The oil resistance properties are
important for gloss ink printing, as the
surface absorbency must be carefully
regulated. If too little surface size is
used the paper absorbs too much ink
during printing. This gives a high "ink
demand" and a flat, unattractive print.
Conversely, too much surface size
results in excessive ink holdout and
slow ink drying which causes "set-
off’ and smudging. A maximum of
1.5-2 g/m2 starch per side is recom
mended.
Writing qualities. The surface film
"filters out" the pigments in ordinary
writing inks, so preventing "feather
ing". The size reduces the porosity of
the sheet surface, improves the
smoothness and surface strength, and
cements down any protruding fibres.
The surface properties are also im
portant for printing, as modern rapid-
drying inks dry either through
penetration of the vehicle into the
paper or by solvent evaporation. Most
of these inks contain a water-miscible
non-volatile surfactant to promote ink
penetration. Many flexographic inks
are of this type.
Pre-coating: Surface sizing may
be applied to give the controlled sur
face characteristics required for a
15
*1
subsequent operation. This is espe
cially useful where the very demand
ing blade coaLer is used.
The more uniform surface absorp
tion of surface sized papers helps to
reduce print mottling due to uneven
binder migration in all types of coated
paper. Since binder migration is
reduced to a controlled level, higher
coating solids contents are then pos
sible. Sometimes pigments are added
to the surface size to give a pre-coat
or a lightly pigmented surface.
Starch selection
The properties of the finished
paper product must be considered
when selecting starch for the size
press.
Linerboard requires a high ring-
crush value and hence good stiffness.
This is best achieved by main
taining the starch on the surface
of the sheet. Hence a relatively
high viscous starch is applied to
ensure only limited penetration.
For printing paper good sur
face strength and general
strength are required. A medium
viscous starch ensures greater
starch penetration while main
taining surface strength.
The main requirement of en
velope paper is good dry
strength. Maximum starch
penetration is required for rein
forcement of inter-fibre bonding,
so a low viscosity starch is recom
mended.
Size press design
Size press design has passed
through various stages. Today the in
clined size press is most common. It
gives a more direct sheet run than the
horizontal size press and is easier to
feed, but maintains most of the
benefits. For example, it eliminates
the problem of dirt and other material
falling from the lead roll into the size
press and reduces the tendency for
wrinkling to occur at the turning roll.
More recently the diameter of the
size press rolls has been increased to
improve the equality of pond depth on
the inclined size press and to improve
pond stabililty. This was becoming a
problem for small diameter size press
rolls turning at high speed.
A recent innovation is the use of a
gate-roll or fountain coater to meter
the size solutions onto the size press
rolls. This eliminates the size pond
and allows very accurate size applica
tion. However, problems have oc
curred with insufficient penetration
of the starch solutions so applied.
I Circle reader enquiry number 111
Asia Pacific Pulp & Paper August 1991
TECHNICAL REPORT
Sheet factors
The factors affecting pick-up are
the moisture content, internal sizing,
smoothness, permeability and corn
pressability of the sheet. Formation is
also important as any surface applica
tion emphasises rather than conceals
any unevenness or other problem.
Entering moisture content: Maxi
mum pick-up occurs at about 10%
sheet moisture. At very low moisture
contents the surface energy of cel
lulose is reduced and the paper is dif
ficult to wet. Many mills do run size
presses with sheet moistures down to
2%, but this is invariably a sign of
problems further up the paper
machine that result in a poor moisture
profile. Overdrying is very expensive
in energy as the extra heat has to be
forced into the sheet through a dry
Wet pick up Absorption %
1:
5 10 15
Mosture of shoe I onto flog size press Rosin kg
Variations in wet pick-up and rosin absorption wetting of the paper and on the
cellulose surface, which is an ex
tremely good insulator.
It is usually inadvisable to run the
ingoing sheet at the moisture level
corresponding to maximum size
pick-up because this increases the
load on the after dryers and results in
a loss of production. Size presses
usually run at 5-8% sheet moisture,
with the size solution being adjusted
to give the desired pick-up. However,
increased concentration increases the
viscosity, so a lower viscosity
product may be necessary. Since
lower-viscosity products have lower
binding power, a compromise is re
quired.
Internal sizing is particularly im
portant for producers of waste-based
paper. Initially, internal sizing causes
a rapid drop in starch pick-up at the
size press, but a minimum pick-up is
quickly reached and maintained as
the level ofinternal sizing is increased
see graph.
This shows the rapid decrease in
pick-up achieved on adding the first 1
kg/ton of rosin. Since wastepaper is
an extremely variable commodity, it
is often valuable to add a small
amount of rosin to such furnishes to
eliminate or greatly reduce variations
in size press pick-up. Particular care
is required when neutral sizing is
employed as the development of the
size is slower on machine. Often the
pre-dryer temperature profile must be
adjusted for these grades. For Cobb6o
values before the size press we
generally recommend as follows:
* well-sized: <25 low viscosity
-
oxidised starch
* medium-sized: 25 medium vis
-
cosity oxidised starch
* poorly-sized: >25 high vis
-
cosity oxidised starch
Permeability/compressability: An
elastic, porous sheet may act like a
sponge in the size press nip. The more
permeable the sheet, the greater will
be the starch penetration and hence
the pick-up. A free-beaten stock
results in the greatest pick-up, as
does a low size solution vis
cosity.
Smoothness: The smoothness
of the sheet affects the pick-up at
the size press by trapping and
immobilising a layer of size solu
tion on the paper surface. The
smoother the paper surface the
thinner this boundary layer. The
roughness of the surface also has
a profound effect on the rate of
depth of penetration. Wetting
and penetration are increased by
using low solution viscosities,
while the boundary layer is increased
with high solution viscosities.
Solution factors
The viscosity, temperature and
concentration of a solution are all in
terdependent; it is not possible to alter
only one factor and not affect the
others.
For a given starch solution the vis
cosity may be reduced by lowering
the concentration or raising the
temperature. This will invariably
alter the surface tension of the solu
tion and hence its ability to wet and
penetrate the sheet.
By changing the starch it is pos
sible to attain the same viscosity at the
desired temperature but at a different
concentration. The pick-up of starch
solution wet-pickup at the size press
may then be the same, but the dry
pick-up will be different due to the
different solution concentrations. For
size press application, such a narrow
band of viscosities is used that the
relationship of viscosity to degree of
modification may be considered
linear for a given temperature and
17

concentration.
Three points are significant when
considering a change of concentra
tion to increase pick-up:
* Increased concentration will in
crease the solution viscosity and alter
the level of penetration. A lower-vis
cous starch may be required to
achieve the penetration necessary to
impart the desired properties to the
sheet.
* The increased viscosity may
produce runnability problems so
again a lower-viscous starch may be
needed.
* A lower-viscous starch will have
lower binding power.
Equipment factors
Nip loadings vary from 5-22
kg/cm in the horizontal size press to
4-13 kg/cm in the vertical size press.
The rolls must be accurately
crowned for the operating - thickness of the starch film
pressure used, especially in a
vertical size press, because
with too little crown the sheet
will be "baggy" in the centre.
Increased nip loading should
theoretically reduce pick-up
as more starch solution is ex
pressed from the paper in
mid-nip. Iodine staining of
paper cross sections have Source: Howarth & Hoyland, UMIST, UK.
confirmed that at high nip
loadings greater penetration
of the starch occurs even
though the overall pick-up is
reduced. This is somewhat
academic as it is not usual to vary the
nip loading during normal operation.
Roil hardness and diameter are not
readily changed and should be con
sidered in the initial installation of the
size press.
Pond depth is important as it
governs the contact time and hence
the time available for absorption to
occur. Pick-up increases with pond
depth and the effect is more notice
able on slower machines. Pond depth
may only be attended by altering the
end dams and is limited by the size
press configuration and roll diameter.
Roll surfaces should be smooth
and in good condition, being
reground as necessary. Roll smooth
ness will affect the position of film
splitting on the emerging paper web.
Sheet tension is important, as un
even tension on the sheet leaving the
size press will result in uneven migra
tion of the starch into the paper.
Starch feed is extremely impor
tant. Failure to ensure sufficient feed
pipes across the width of the size
press will result in uneven pick-up.
18
_____________ ______
TECHNICAL REPORT
Another area of concern is the
rope-feed system. This must be
properly designed not only to ensure
easy feeding of the size press, but also
to avoid the problems of size making
up on the ropes.
Speed: Speed directly affects the
time available for absorption in the
nip and also affects the behaviour of
the size press. Increased speed
"pumps" more starch solution into the
nip of the size press, increasing the
local pressure and so forcing more
through the nip. This effect is known
as hydrodynamic metering. Hence
speed increases may result in more or
less pick-up, depending on which ef
fect is dominant.
As machine speed is increased
from a very low level, the wet pick-up
decreases with the absorption time.
At a certain point the hydrodynamic
STARCH PICK-UP: PILOT PLANT TRIAL RESULTS
Absorption
Speed term term
cp rn/mm g/m2 g/m2 g/m2
14 210 17.5 3.5
18 183 17.5 2.2 2.0
210 17.5 0.3
76 190 17.5 0.0 9.0
metering effect becomes the
dominant factor and then pick-up in
creases with speed. Hence the wet
pick-up curve passes through a mini
mum. The machine speed at which
this minimum occurs depends on
many factors, including the starch
viscosity and type of paper.
At low speed, where absorption is
the main method of wet pick-up, a
lower viscosity solution gives a
higher wet pick-up. At higher speeds
a higher solution viscosity results in a
thicker film being metered through
the nip, giving a greater wet pick-up.
Mechanism of size pick-up: On
entering the size pond there is a slight
delay before the sheet surface is
wetted. Absorption then commences.
The amount absorbed depends on the
time available ie pond depth and
machine speed, the solution vis
cosity, the paper type, porosity and
degree of internal sizing. The wetting
time of the paper surface acts to
decrease the time available for ab
sorption and is a function of surface
smoothness and dryness of the sheet.
Within the size pond, as the web
approaches the press nip the
hydrodynamic pressure increases and
some liquid is forced into the pores of
the paper. The sheet is compressed
and air is forced from the sheet. On
exiting the nip the sheet will expand,
taking in liquid like a moist sponge.
Obviously the porosity, permeability
and bulk of the paper and its compres
sibility are factors governing the
amount of liquid absorbed, as is the
size solution viscosity.
As the web leaves the size press
rolls the liquid film carried through
the nip between the roll and the paper
surface splits, probably by a process
of filamentation and cavitation. Ex
actly where the split occurs depends
on the relative surface roughness of
both the paper and the size press rolls,
as a rougher surface traps more solu
tion. The surface roughness is also
important in determining the
passing through the size
Hydro-Total press nip.
Sheet
dynamic wet The whole process of ap
termpick-up
Viscosity plication and metering a size
g/m2 solution takes place in only
0.9 21.9 a fraction of a second.
21.7 Solution viscosity is im
33 21.4
3.6 portant in the
26.5 hydrodynamics of the size
press nip. The greater the
viscosity the greater is the
pressure generated in the
size pond by the rotating
rolls. At high speeds the
pressure generated may be
enough to eject the entire contents of
the nip. This is usually preceded by
"jumping" of the size pond. Larger
rolls are used on high speed size pres
ses mainly because their larger
diameters do not "close" the nip so
rapidly, resulting in a more gradual
pressure build-up and hence a more
stable size pond.
In conclusion
It should be noted that in all cases
where the absorbency factor is not
physically limited by low sheet
weight, the sheet substance has no
effect on size press wet pick-up for a
given set of sheet characteristics and
a given size press operating regime.
There are many factors influenc
ing the performance of the size press,
a significant number of which are
fixed by equipment factors or opera
tional necessity. For the mill, the big
gest benefits may be obtained by
paying attention to the characteristics
of the ingoing web and to the quality
and properties of a properly selected
size press solution.
Asia Pacific Pulp & Paper August 1991