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056 PULP & PAPER
Paper Machines
Developments in tissue machines include
the PrimeDry Steel, made of welded steel,
which gives higher performance and is operationally
safer than a cast iron Yankee.
In the air engineering department, the focus
is on energy savings. A new step in heat recovery
from the exhaust of Yankee hoods
(ReEvaporation) saves up to 25% primary
steam by re-evaporating condensate in a
heat exchanger using exhaust air.
Fiber Preparation Systems
R&D work focused on optimizing the new
low-consistency pulping systems in wastepaper
processing. This is a major step in improving
system efficiency and reducing energy
consumption.
Mechanical Pulping Systems
One focus of the division’s R&D work is the
testing of new wood species such as eucalyptus,
acacia, birch, maple, and also annual
plants such as bagasse , reed, or kenaf
for mechanical pulping. This supports sustainable
development in countries with different
wood species or where wood is a rare
resource.
Further research is being conducted to reduce
the effluent flows from all mechanical
pulping systems and in the panelboard industry.
The goal is to develop low-effluent
mills and chemical recovery systems which
reduce effluent pollution to the minimum.
Minimizing energy consumption remains
the main focus in the panelboard industry.
In addition, there are ongoing investigations
to produce high-quality fibers from annual
plants as an alternative to wood chips and
other wood by-products.
Paper Finishing
The main focus of development work has
been on shoe rolls for pulp, paper, and
tissue applications. For the tissue-making
industry, a newly developed shoe roll – the
smallest and fastest in the market – has been
successfully installed and started up.
In calendering technology, a value analysis
study was completed. Cost reduction and
acceleration of deliveries have been reached
through modular calender design which
achieves the same functionality as conventional
units.
A new design PrimeFeeder technology has
been introduced that stabilizes the threading
process and shortens the time it takes for a
paper machine to reach full production after
a sheet break.
Pulp Engineered Services
The leading development program continues
to be OPE ® (Overall Production Efficiency),
where the target is to enhance production
efficiency and maintenance practices in order
to secure the highest life cycle profits for
customers. Supporting OPE ® is the Life Cycle
Profits (LCP) program, which helps to secure
and maximize profitable operations for
customers. The program consists of several
elements, where predictive tools for online
diagnostics of pulping processes are being
developed. Software tools for improving
predictive maintenance are being introduced.
Examples: software to determine the most
cost-effective timing for changing chipper
knives; software to predict the maintenance
needs for hydraulic drives; software to ensure
the smooth functioning of washers even
under difficult, volatile circumstances.
Paper Engineered Services
The R&D focus is on reducing operating costs
of equipment already installed in a customer’s
plant. This involves optimizing the machine
design to reduce energy consumption
and the usage of consumables, to increase
reliability, and to reduce maintenance costs.
Newly developed technologies have been introduced
in the areas of sealing, wear, and
machine control, thus enabling customers to
profitably operate their existing equipment,
regardless of the original manufacturer. For
the pulping of stock, broke, and recycled fiber,
a development program is in progress to
enable up to 20% energy savings for the majority
of pulpers installed in mills.
Automation Solutions
In the automation area, SpectraVision optical
sensors were introduced to measure fiber
properties continuously without sampling.
The sensor requires significantly less maintenance
and eliminates the need for intense
recalibration often required for competitive
units. Advanced process control systems
to achieve fully automated production lines
were introduced for all process areas of pulp
and paper mills. These systems are built using
the BrainWave ® model-predictive controller
and the expertise of ANDRITZ technologists
encapsulated into the ACE
(Advanced Control Expert) products. The
IDEAS training simulator was augmented using
the new Instructor software to monitor
the operator’s progress as he/she learns the
new processes and to provide a certification
process for operators.