Siroscour

Siroscour was developed by CSIRO from its research into the mechanisms of wool scouring. Siroscour is a technology package. It was designed specifically to accommodate the different patterns of contaminant removal. The preferred mode of operation is three-stage scouring in which the functions of the bowls are divided into three stages.

Concept of working points

The potential for entanglement begins when the wool enters the first bowl and continues until it is held in a relatively immobile state in the dryer. The method of feeding the wool to each bowl, dunkers, transport mechanisms, the ways in which the wool leaves a bowl, the methods used to assist this, squeezing rollers and wet opening (if used) all have the potential to induce entanglement. Each of these actions can be considered as a working point. The severity of entanglement that is caused in a scour is a function of the severity of each working point coupled with the number of working points.

Hybrid scours

These scours combine the advantages of suction-drums and rakes to maximise contaminant removal and minimise fibre entanglement. They are especially important for the scouring of superfine Australian Merino wool.

Computer Control

In the last twenty years virtually every new scouring line being installed has been controlled through a computer interface. Advantages include:

• control of individual drives
• ability to change operation for different wool types
• constant monitoring of operating conditions, consumption of chemicals and water, production rate and discharges.