James Olson

Research Interests
The Application of Physics and Fluid Mechanics to Problems Associated with the Pulp and Paper Industry.

Current Research Work

• Mechanical Energy Reduction in Mechanical Pulping
  • Mechanical pulping uses more than 11% of the electrical energy produced in British Columbia. To ensure the long term competitiveness of the Canadian mechanical pulping industry, we have developed a 5 year, $2.0M multi-disciplinary research program with the goal of reducing electrical energy consumption in mechanical pulping by 20% through scientific discovery and development of new technology. The program supports a shared vision that future mechanical pulp mills will transition to an increased reliance on energy efficient, low-consistency refining and focuses on the development of new technologies that will support the current mills and their transition towards this vision.
• Modelling turbulent fibre suspensions
  • This research is aimed at developing a mathematical model of fibre orientation and concentration in turbulent fluids that can be implemented with conventional CFD techniques. The current approach is to develop an Eulerian formulation of fibre orientation and concentration that is computationally efficient and accounts for fibre-fibre and fibre-fluid interactions.
• High performance screen rotor design
  • To develop a high efficiency, low energy pulp screen rotors in collaboration with Advanced Fibre Technologies (AFT). The application of multi-element high lift foil technology is currently being investigated. Recent industrial trials of the new technology have demonstrated a 50% energy reduction over current state-of-the-art.

Selected Publications

• Krochak P., Olson, J.A., Marintez M. “Near-Wall Estimates of the Concentration and Orientation Distribution of a Semi-Dilute Rigid Fiber Suspension in Poisieulle Flow, J. Fluid Mechanics, (2010), vol. 653, pp. 431–462.
• Olson, J.A., Pflueger, C., Delfel, S., Ollivier-Gooch, C.F., Martin. P., Vaulot, F. and Gooding, R. “High Performance Foil Rotor Improves De-Ink Pulp Screening” Progress in Paper Recycling, Accepted August 2008
• Fowler, L., Dylke, E., Pflueger, C. and Olson J.A. “Advanced pulp screen rotor technology provides savings at Canfor-Northwood”, Pulp and Paper Canada, 109(2):39-43, 2008.
• Goosen D.R., Olson J.A. and Kerekes R.J. “Role of heterogeneity in compression refining” J. Pulp Paper Sci., 33(2):110-114, 2007.
• Heath, S.J., Olson, J.A., Buckley, K.R., Lapi S., Ruth, T.J. and Martinez, D.M., “Visualization of the Flow of a Fibre Suspension Through a Sudden Expansion Using PET”, AIChE Journal, 53(2), 2007
• Feng M., Gonzalez J., Olson J.A., Ollivier-Gooch C., Gooding R.W., “Numerical simulation of the pressure pulses produced by a pressure screen foil rotor”, ASME Journal of Fluid Engineering, 127(2) pp347-357, 2005.
• Olson, J.A., Frigaard I., Chan, C. and Hamalainen, P, “Modeling a turbulent fibre suspension flowing in a planar contraction: The one-dimensional headbox”, Int. J. Multiphase Flow, 30 (1), pp 51-66, 2004.