Pulp and Paper

The focus is on increasing process stability, raising yield from recycled fibre plants and lowering the costs of energy and raw materials used in paperboard production.

Commercial pressures on pulp, paper and board making require the highest quality at the lowest cost of operation. Manufacturers are seeking new ways to get the most out of existing assets, without major capital investment. Advanced Process Control is one of the solutions being used.

APC projects delivered by Perceptive Engineering offer payback periods of 3-6 months, delivering increased production rates, reduced energy consumption and improved stability.

Benefits

• Improved Quality: APC systems reduce process variation and improve quality. They allows fibre plants deliver stock with more uniform optical properties such as brightness and luminance. Paper machines produce product with significantly reduced variability in sheet ash, moisture and weight MD.
• Capital Deferment: Equipment rebuilds can be delayed or avoided by APC and optimisation. The APC system is able to push production, drying efficiency and stability while considering process bottlenecks and constraints.
• Flexibility: PerceptiveAPC real-time software integrates with legacy and modern QCS and DCS systems. This extends the life of legacy systems and enhances the capability of modern systems.
• Improved Efficiency: Efficiency is improved through process stabilisation. For a paper machine this results in reduced wet-end breaks and product re-processing due to quality issues.
• Optimisation: The reduced variation may present opportunities for optimisation, by moving the target closer to the specification limits.
• Consistent Operation: The need for continuous manual adjustment is eliminated, freeing the operator for other duties.