Filter Ventilation and Design
CIGARETTES A LA CARTE or How to play with filter efficiency, filter dilution and expanded tobacco in designing low- and very-low-tar cigarettes
Abstract
Examines three "cigarette-design tools" used by Philip Morris in developing low delivery cigarettes: filter efficiency, filter dilution, and inclusion of expanded tobacco. Explains process of reducing tar and CO without changing the puff count. Emphasizes current use of filter dilution and expanded tobacco in development of low tar cigarettes, noting that "only RJR and Philip Morris have their own technical process for expanding tobacco."
Fields
- Type
- Report
- Chart/Graph/Table
- Company
- Philip Morris
- Site
- E18
- Author
- Hausermann, M.
- Named Person
- Hausermann, M.
- Named Organization
- Philip Morris
- R.J.Reynolds
- Thesaurus Term
- Cigarette Design
- Filter Efficiency
- Expanded Tobacco
- Low Yield Cigarettes
- Filter Ventilation
- Filter Efficiency
- Indexer Comment
- Document set 1
Document Images
t66hZZ l OSZ
50 % FILTER DILUTION
FIG, 7
17.5 CC GENERATED
MS SMOKE, I,E. ONLY
HALF OF TO8ACCO IS BURNT
.
SMOULDERING:
SAME AMOUNT OF TOBACCC
IS BURNT AS IN NON-
DILUTED CIGARETTE
.0
%o

21
In the S0 percent diluted cigarette, nothing
is changed in the free-burning phase between
two consecutive puffs. As shown in Fig. 7,
50 mg of tobacco is consumed by smouldering.
During the puff, however, the actual puff volume
is not 35 cc as in the non-diluted cigarette,
but only 17.5 cc.
As a consequence, only 25 mg of tobacco are
burnt in a puff.
During a puff period - comprising one puff
followed by the interval between two puffs -
only 75 mg of tobacco will burn away in the
50 percent diluted cigarette, as compared
with 100 mg in the non-diluted cigarette.
Coming back now to our cigarette development-
people, we are sorry to report that they
unexpectedly failed in their attempt to
achieve a 50 percent tar and CO reduction by
a 50 percent filter dilution.
Why? The answer is simple. They forgot to care
about the puff count. The explanation is shown
in Fig. 8.
Since the cigarette contains 1000 mg of tobacco
to be burnt, but only 75 mg arc burnt per puff
period, the puff count increased from 10 in
the non-diluted cigarette to 13.3 in the diluted
ci~arette.

23
a
They actually achieved a 50 percent tar and
CO reduction PER SINGLE PUFF, bringing the
per-puff deliveries down from 2 mg tar and
CO to 1 mg tar and CO. But for the total
cigarette the delivery is 13.3 mg tar and
13.3 mg CO.
The reduction was not 50 percent as expected,
but only 33 percent for both criteria.
The TASTE STRENGTH, however, suffered a reduction
of-50 percent, as taste is being perceived
on a per-puff basis.
8tock 5
Abou.t taste .6thength and numbehs
- Taste atn.ength ia peneeived pen pu55.
- DeCiveky numbeics ane nepon.ted pen eiganette.
rhete5one, bon, a gEven .tan numben pen
eiga:ce.t.te:
- Taste a.tnength ts .fneneased ti5 the pu6b
count ~s &educed; on
- I S we ineneaa ethe pu5 6 count, we too6e
.tas.te stnength.
That's the end of the story. Both attempts to
reduce tar and CO by half had failed. They
had to fail, because the cigarette-development
people lacked the very capability without which
filter dilution does not lead to really
satisfactory low-delivery products.

25
This tool is expanded tobacco. Expanded tobacco
is presently available to Philip Morris and
one other major cigarette company only.
Expanded tobacco (ET) is a commodity that burns
like normal cigarette filler, with one notable
exception: A given weight of ET fills twice the
volume of the same amount of normal tobacco
filler. This is illustrated in Fig. 9
Suppose now that we can build a cigarette which
is made up in slices of equal length, i.e. of
equal volume, filled alternately with ET and
normal filler. Our model cigarette will have a
total of 20 slices of 0.18 cc volume each. The
odd-numbered slices 1 to 19 shall contain 25' mgtT
each and be destined to burn during puffing,-i.e.
to produce mainstream smoke. The even-numbered
slices 2 to 20 shall contain S0 mg normal cut
filler each and be destined to smoulder between
the puffs.
If our cigarette were fitted with a 50-percent
diluted filter, we could actually observe to
happen what we expected: Each time the smoking
machine draws a puff, filter dilution will reduce
the actual puff volume from 35 to 17.5 cc, but
since the puff will act on a segment of ET filler,
a full slice volume of 0.18 cc will be burnt.
Between two puffs, twice the weight of tobacco
filler will be consumed, but since this filler is
not expanded, the slice volume is also 0.18 cc. The
total ciaarette will burn down to the butt in 10
puffs and deliver not more than 10 mg tar and 10 mg CO.

27
The problem is that such a cigarette cannot
be made.
But let us postulate that we do not need to
separate ET and normal tobacco filler in order
to achieve the desired result. The goal of
reducing by half both tar and CO would then
be reached by combining 50 % filter dilution
with a cigarette filler blended from equal
volumes of ET and normal cut tobacco.
Such a cigarette is shown in Fig. 10, from which
it is easy to understand that the 1: 1 volume ratio
corresponds to a 1/3 : 2/3 weight ratio between
ET and normal cut filler. '
The total tobacco filler to be burnt adds up to
750 mg. Since one puff period consumes 25 mg
(during the puff) plus 50 mg (between the puffs)
= 75 mg of tobacco filler, the cigarette will
burn down in 7 = 10 puffs.
This is exactly what was intended. The proof
is made, therefore, that the combination of
filter dilution and a blend of ET and normal cut
tobacco leads to the desired goal.
It is even possible to derive a general rule,
which is explained in Block 6.
Stocfz 6
Ru.Ce o 5 -thumb
In onden to heduce TAR and CO by X o
wi.thou.t changing the PUFF COUNT
- difu.te the 5it.ten by X % and
- neptaee X$ 06 the 5-i.Qten votume by ET
N
~
O
~

29
In order to make things clear, Fig. 11 shows
how the goal has been achieved:
A is the 20 mg tar cigarette from which we
started. This cigarette delivers 10 puffs
containing each 2 mg tar and 2 mg C0.
Cigarette B is different from A only in that
its filter is S0 percent diluted. Consequently,
tar and CO are reduced from 2 to 1 mg per puff.
Conclusion: Filter dilution controls the smoke
delivery per puff. Second conclusion: With
filter dilution we loose control of the puff count.
In cigarette C we use ET as a filler component.
This allows us to reduce the puff count from
13.3 (cigarette B) to the original 10 '
(cigarette A), all by maintaining the per-puff
advantage gained by filter dilution. Conclusion:
ET in the filler blend controls the puff count.
Fitten ditut.fon and expanded tobaeco
These two .Lndispensab.2e toot6 6on
B.Coch
7
design.i.ng tow-de.fiveny e-i.ga&et#es ane
bes.t ehanacten.Lzed as 5oQ.2ows:
FILTER DILUTION contnots smoke numbens
PER PUFF.
EXPANDED TOBACCO in the 5ti.E-Cen btend
con.tnots the PUFF COUNT.

31
Epilogue
l Filter dilution and expanded tobacco are only
two among many capabilities used for cigarette
designing. Their contribution to cigarette
development is invaluable, however. It can
be said without exaggeration that without
these two tools it would not have been possible
to design the low- and ultra-low-tar cigarettes
upon which the cigarette industry has to rely
in order to safeguard the future of its business.
To-day, only RJR and Philip Morris have their
own technical process for expanding tobacco.'
The other companies are compelled to develop
the same or equivalent capabilities. The lead
time for RJR and Philip Morris is not more
than about two or three years.
The Philip Morris brands of the future will
have to be established on the markets within
this very short period. If the people who
develop, produce and market the Philip Morris
brands are successful in their enterprise,
the outlook will be quite bright for the Company.
MAII/CI-fS/July 17, 1980
J
