Moisture Control
Principles, Practice and Problems
Moisture content is one of the most important papermaking
variables. Close control in the process is essential. Accurate
knowledge of its absolute value, separated from that of solids, is
highly desirable, for process and profit optimisation.
A wide variety of measuring equipment and control methods is
in use and several installations are described.
Outstanding problems include the need to improve measurement
reproducibility and independence from the effects of other
variables, simplification of calibration and control, wet end
measurement and cross-direction profile control.
The ultimate aim should be an overall system for moisture and
substance, incorporating distribution of measurement and control
points throughout the process.
INTRODUCTION
Consideration of a presentation for this Symposium leads to
comparison with the subject of the Symposium here last year,
consistency. Similarities in fundamentals and in problems are
striking-again the value of the variable is of little interest for its
own sake; again it is not measurable directly in the process;
again it is relatively easy to maintain a constant value during a
making, but difficult to calibrate in absolute terms.
Similarity is hardly surprising, as, basically, the two subjects
are really the same, ie the quantitative relationship between
solids and water. Whether this is expressed as consistency, ratio
or moisture content is a matter of practical convenience.
The term 'moisture content' in this paper refers, unless other-
wise stated, to percent water-on-total of the so-called 'free'
moisture in or after the drying operation.
THE CASE FOR MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL OF
MOISTURE
The need to know the moisture content of paper has often
been questioned. Admittedly, it is of little or no interest intrin-
sically, although its significant effect on other properties, together
with economic considerations, is fully appreciated and is not in
question. It has been suggested that measurement be made in
terms of some other parameter, e.g. equilibrium relative humidity.
It is by no means unusual for paper to be made and used
without either maker or user having any knowledge of -the
nloisture content of the product. This even applies, oftener
than might be admitted, where claims are made by instrument
calibration or otherwise, regarding an accurately-controlled
product. As long as the process runs and the product satisfies
the customer, why worry about accurate moisture measurement?
This 'ignorance is bliss' situation is all very well up to a point,
but cannot be considered satisfactory under present conditions
where severe competition and low profits demand that every
effort be made to optimise production efficiency and product
quality. This can only be achieved by close, rapid and effective
control of key process variables to known optimum values at
*Wiggins Teape Limited, Stonywood Works. Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9AB
Paper delivered at the Symposium on 'Moisture Measurement and Control' organ-
ised at Maidstone, Kent by the North West Section of the Institute.
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*By R. J. McGill, BSc
each stage where they affect the process or product. Moisture
content must be included in the control scheme. Its value in
absolute terms has a physical reality and should be capable of
accurate measurement. As with any other controlled variable,
measurement nlust be accompanied by a knowledge of 'desired
value', and the optimum amount of moisture at each process
stage has to be determined.
The role of moisture in process and product has been the sub-
ject of a very great amount of investigation which has been well
documented. It is assumed that most of this is common know-
ledge and the following summary is included only for the sake
of completeness.
Within the manufacturing process, moisture content in-
fluences system economics and, often critically, the reaction of
the paper to the various operations, affecting both process runn-
ability and product properties.
Over-drying adds extra steam costs, reduces drying capacity
disproportionately because of the 'falling rate' characteristic,
may cause irreversible losses in strength, etc., may necessitate
off-machine humidifying (which is not only costly but deteriorates
finish), produces paper which is dimensionally unstable and,
where the product is sold by weight, directly reduces profits,
by supplying more of the expensive solids than are wanted or
needed.
Nevertheless, over-drying is commonly resorted to, in order
to level out variations, avoiding damp patches or streaks which
blacken on the calenders. The cross-direction moisture profile
is notorious for serious variation. Control is possible, but methods
are expensive.
The converse benefits of running at the highest tolerable
moisture content apply, but running near the limit requires
the achievement and maintenance of uniformity and close
control. The potential economic and quality benefits are, in
many cases,-substantial enough to justify considerable expendi-
ture on control systems.
Further advantages can be gained by nleasurenlent and
control of the water/solids ratio at the wet end. Optimisation of
wire and press conditions can result not only in quality improve-
ment but also in substantial savings in drying costs by the re-
moval of the maximunl amount of water before the dryers,
since this is very much cheaper than removal by drying.
Properties affected by moisture content include thickness
fold, stretch, tear, tensile strength, burst, dimensional stability,
smoothness, stiffness, isotropy, static build up, dust and general
printability. One of the first things one learns about paper is
that is is hygroscopic. The R.H. equilibrium moisture content
relationship is non-linear, exhibits -hysteresis and differs greatly
from one type of paper to another. The moisture of content of
paper, exposed to the atmosphere, quickly changes to the
equilibrium value, the change being accompanied by dimensional
variations.
The input end of our process should not be overlooked.
Checks on the moisture content of raw materials ensure that
no more water is paid for than has been specified.
THE MOISTURE/SUBSTANCE RELATIONSHIP
Moisture and solids are the two components which together
form 'substance'. Moisture and substance, therefore, cannot be
MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL, Vol 2, October, 1969

regarded as separate entities, but as interacting variables. This is
notable in the drying process, where a change in solids will
usually cause a change in moisture content, producing in turn
a total change in substance which is not of the same magnitude
as the original change in solids. Hence, to change substance,
both solids flow and heat flow must be altered.
Since moisture and solids are controlled from different sources,
it is essential to separate them in measurement. For 'solids', it is
satisfactory to substitute 'substance', which is easily measurable,
but only if accompanied by moisture measurement, expressed
as, say percentage W.O.T., which must either be independent of
substance or easily corrected for it. Manual correction is not
completely satisfactory; to be so, it would have to be performed
continuously.
To obtain full value from the two measurements, the combined
moisture/substance gauge has been developed, providing auto-
matic continuous compensation and, if required, computation of
bone-dry solids. An accurately calibrated conlbined gauge, with
traversing mechanism, provides the necessary information for
separate measurement and control. A sinlilar system, measuring
solids and water/solids ratio at the wet end would be invaluable
for fast wet end control of solids flow and drainage, plus a
feed-forward signal to dryers.
MOISTURE MEASUREMENT
Moisture content can only be measured directly by the off-
machine method of weighing, removing the free moisture and
re-weighing. The commonest way of removing the water is by
oven-drying.
For the purposes of standardisation and calibration the weigh-
and-dry method is essential, as the only ultinlate reference. For
control purposes, it is far too slow, although it may be possible
to shorten the drying time by, eg nlicrowave heating. On-
machine methods, in general, suffer from two basic disadvantages,
both serious;
(a) the difficulty of obtaining a representative sample, since
on-machine moisture content is usually found to have
large, short term variations (random and otherwise),
(b) the moisture content of the sanlple begins to change
towards equilibrium value immediately it is removed from
source. This change can be very rapid, and therefore, can
cause very serious errors.
Apart from these problems the physical performance of ex-
tracting a sample from the process often presents difficulties,
sometimes insurmountable. Automatic sampling devices are a
welcome recent innovation.
For calibration of an on-machine instrument, large samples
obtained by cutting into a finished reel overcome some of these
problems.
As a step towards obtaining faster information, off-machine
moisture meters may be used. These have the merit of being
suitable for off-machine calibration against oven-dry measure-
ment. Properly applied, they can perform a worthwhile function,
especially where used in conjunction with an uncalibrated on-
machine control systenl.
A number of different off-machine instruments is available,
usually measuring some electrical property which varies. with
moisture. The sampling difficulties discussed above still apply
to most. One type can be hand-held against the reel, averaging
moisture over a relatively large amount of paper and eliminat-
ing the need to remove samples (it cannot, however, be used
on a single web).
The case for on-machine measurement is obvious. The im-
portance of this and the inherent difficulties are illustrated by
the number and variety of methods and types of equipment which
have been produced. The main problems stem from the unavoid-
able indirect or inferential nature of the basic measurement. This
leads to difficulties in obtaining reproducible results, unaffected
by other variables and by operating conditions, also in producing
calibration data suitable for the range of papers to be measured.
On-machine measuring systems include the undermentioned
basic types:-
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McGill
(a) Measurement of drying load, eg measurement of the
temperature reached by a pilot drying cylinder fed by
steam at a fixed flow or pressure, alternatively measure-
ment of the steam flow required to hold the pilot cylinder
at a fixed temperature.
(b) Measurement of evaporation rate by temperature dif-
ference between the surface of a drying cylinder and a
point on the paper surface about 24 in. after it leaves the
cylinder.
(c) Measurement of Relative Humidity of the air near the
surface of the sheet.
(d) Measurement of an electrical property of the paper; dc
resistance, ac resistance or capacity.
(e) Absorption of radiation: Infra-red (resonance), Micro-
wave, UV, ultrasonics. It is understood that the last two
have gone no further than speculation.
The writer has limited more detailed descriptions to systems
of which he has personal experience.
MILL APPLICATIONS
Over the past fourteen years, some twenty installations have
been made at Stonywood, including replacements for those
which proved unsatisfactory. The following examples are illus-
trative of most of our experience:-
(a) Measurement of Relative Humidity
Two installations were tried, many years ago, measuring before
the machine calenders and controlling steam to the afterbank of
drying cylinders. Serious calibration drift and lack of sensitivity
eventually led to abandonment of this system. It is only fair to
say that these were early days, when neither we nor the makers
had much experience, so that we should not be too hasty to
condemn this principle altogether.
(b) Measurement of dc Resistance
This is one of the earliest principles used and still the com-
nl0nest in use at Stonywood. The instrument itself was developed
for use on textiles, a Wiggins Teape design of sensing head
enabling it to be used for continuous measurement on the paper
web.
The head consists of five metal fingers, riding in fairly light
contact with the sheet. The centre and outer two fingers are
earthed, the other two 'live'. An electronic circuit measures
resistance, which is compared with a preset (switched) value,
the result being in the form of a deviation signal, for indication
and control.
The relationship between moisture content and resistance is
approximately logarithmic (moisture proportional to Log R),
the balancing switch being calibrated in log steps to aim at a
linear calibration.
Maximum resistance is high, and it is not normally practical
to measure below about 5 per cent W.O.T., at which moisture
the resistance is in the 1,000 M n region.
Several attempts, by ourselves and others, have been made to
calibrate this instrument. The mechanism of electrical conduc-
tivity in the material is highly complex and it is not surprising
that wide variations occur. The moisture/resistance relationship
has been found to vary with furnish (very greatly), thickness,
compressibility, electrode pressure, temperature, ion content,
supply voltage changes, and paper speed. At the low nloisture
end of the range, static in the sheet causes highly erratic readings
and has been observed to reverse them altogether, ie further
drying is indicated as increasing moisture.
These difficulties lead to the abandoning of attempts to cali-
brate. Nevertheless, within its limitations, the instrument
performs a highly useful service in maintaining a constant
moisture content during a making. As with consistency, the
ability to hold the variable at a fixed value largely offsets the
disadvantage of lack of accurate calibration. Our practice is to
set up the instrument to a reading determined by sampling and
off-machine measurement with a portable instrument, which, in
turn, is laboratory-calibrated against oven-dry.
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 McGill
(c) Measurement of ac Capacity
This must be by now the comn10nest method in use. It is
based on the fact that the dielectric constant of water (about
80) is very much greater than that of cellulose (about 2).
Measuring heads of different designs are available. Our
experience (apart from one very early unsuccessful device) has
been entirely with a head which lightly contacts one side of
the sheet.
The relationship between moisture content and capacity
depends upon many factors and the curves obtained are non-
linear and complicated. To compensate for this characteristic,
manufacturers, using years of experience, have developed to a
fine art linearising networks which enable the output signal to
be indicated directly in percentage W.O.T.
Calibration is still necessary for each different paper if absolute
moisture content is required. Some of the problems have already
been discussed. It is an operation which is tin1e consuming and
costly in terms of production time lost. The results are often
frustratingly disappointing, widely differing readings often
being produced for the same paper. Apart from errors arising
from sampling, it is possible that distribution of the moisture
through the sheet thickness, ie the ratio of surface to internal
layers, may have a serious influence on readings.
However, it is often possible to obtain reproducible results by
taking what precautions are necessary. This principle, there-
fore, must be considered as a possible answer to the requirement
for continuous absolute moisture determination.
A further advantage of this principle is the facility to measure
at very low moisture contents, theoretically down to bone-dry.
(d) Control Systems
(i) Paper Machine
In most cases the instrument output is used to control
directly the steam supply valve to the after bank of dryers.
(One early direct control system even dispenses with a
controller, the loop gain being set via the valve positioner 0.
This operates reasonably satisfactorily, in spite of fairly
long time-lags. The advantage of cascading moisture on
to steam temperature, ie fast, independent response to
steam supply fluctuations, is fully appreciated and has
been adopted in more recent installations.
Several combinations of control loops are in use. The
simplest, moisture control of the after-dryers steam valve
is supplemented in most cases by temperature or pressure
control of the main bank cylinders, or by a second moisture
control system on the main bank.
A more complicated arrangement incorporates division
of the main bank and of the after-dryers into high and low
pressure sub-sections. In each bank, the main steam supply
feeds the high pressure section via a control valve. The
flash steam from the high pressure condenser is used to
feed the low pressure section. It is necessary to supply
additional 'top-up' steam to the low pressure section, a
second control valve feeding the required amount of high
pressure steam for this purpose.
This system requires careful control. It is essential to
maintain an adequate pressure differential between the
high pressure and low pressure sub-sections. A comprehen-
sive control system is provided for each main section, in-
volving a steam pressure controller for each sub-section.
The set points of these are connected by a differential
relay to a master pressure station, which, by choice, may
be manually adjusted or cascaded from a moisture con-
troller, Means are provided for individual setting of
each of the four pressure controllers, if required. Change-
over from one mode of control to another is made by
push buttons, actuating solenoid valves.
At paper break, the moisture heads are automatically
retracted, the moisture control is disconnected and a
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preset set point fed to the pressure controllers to maintain
the required cylinder temperatures. Elimination of integral
wind up is provided for.
(ii) Coafers
The use of forced draught hot air drying on a recently
installed tunnel coater enabled advantage to be taken of
the ability to control air flow by adjustment of damper
positions.
The tunnel has several sections, each fed with air, heated
by stean1 supplied heat exchanger. In each section, the
air temperature is measured and controls the steam valve
to that section through a two-term controller. In addition,
the damper to each section is individually controlled from
a manual/auto station. Each of these stations, when on
'auto', accepts the output of a capacity type moisture
controller, moisture being measured a short distance
before reel-up. It is, therefore, possible to control moisture
by automatic operation of any combination of dampers.
The temperature controllers are separately set to provide
the required gradient through the tunnel. At the design
stage, gap-action cascade control of these from the mois-
ture signal was discussed but decided against. This decision
proved to be correct as the temperature settings, once
determined, do not, in practice, require alteration except
for widely differing papers. Air draught indicators are
also provided and facilitate manual setting of the dampers
and checking of the moisture controlled sections.
On break, the air flow is recirculated around the heat
exchanger, the steam valve automatically closing to pro-
vide only that stean1 necessary to maintain air temperature.
This system is impressive in the rapidity and closeness
of control attained, as compared with papern1aking
machine drying cylinders.
Encouraged by the success of the tunnel coater system,
a similar system was applied to an older blade coater,
equipped with hot air hoods, formerly controlled by
varying the steam supply to the heat exchangers. The
modification consisted of the addition of automatic control
to the air dampers from a moisture signal and has proved
successful.
CONCLUSION
The combination of experience accumulated from a wide-
spread use of moisture control, with competent development by
manufacturers has produced, over the last few years, improved
equipment which holds some promise of overcoming the earlier
serious problems of poor reproducibility and the need for so
much costly calibration.
The practical, reliable instrument, measuring in absolute
terms, may not now be far away. Combination with substance
measurement and computation of solids, would provide the
basic tool for control of the two most important papermaking
variables. This would herald the end of the beginning of total
control capability of substance and water removal. Further
development should be aimed at wet end determination of water
and solids separately, and water content measurement at each
major stage in the process where it may be altered. Development
along these lines would have to be accompanied by tackling the
problem of cross direction moisture correction. These, of course,
are technical matters: economics are of equal significance. It is
to be hoped that the necessary equipment can be produced at a
cost low enough to make the djstributed system financially
attractive.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Author thanks the Directors of Wiggins Teape Ltd., for
permission to publish this paper.
MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL, Vol 2, October, 1969