PPL May June 2023 PT - Flipbook - Page 25
Pulp Paper & Logistics
PRODUCTS & SERVICES 23
Optimised mill operations steer pulp and
paper mills toward shared goals
aunched by Valmet
during customer open
days in Copenhagen
at the end of March,
Mill-Wide Optimization (MWO)
is said to enhance overall pulp
and paper mill profitability. Using
MWO, production teams are able
to boost a mill’s performance by
making better-informed decisions
across various process areas
towards shared goals.
MWO observes the entire mill
balance in real-time and considers
both the current and future
states of the mill. As a result,
individual processes that do not
align with mill objectives can be
avoided. MWO also provides the
ability to balance environmental
sustainability with production,
quality, and cost, says Valmet.
Greg Fralic, product manager
for Mill-Wide Optimization in the
L
Valmet Mill-Wide Optimisation helps mills maximize on-spec
production at minimum cost by steering mill operations towards
shared goals.
automation systems business at
Valmet, commented: “The pulp
and paper industry is transitioning
towards self-governing
autonomous operations and
towards a younger workforce with
new roles and responsibilities.
“Valmet MWO helps to capitalise
on these changes and unlock the
mill’s full potential.”
Mill-wide production planning
helps mills to keep up with the
daily changes in production
bottlenecks. MWO reflects the
mill’s current state and maximises
production subject to existing
and projected bottlenecks,
while stabilising the process
and balancing pulp and liquor
inventories.
Quality planning throughout the
mill helps attain the desired final
product quality while keeping the
costs low. It adjusts the quality
targets at each step from chip to
finished product.
To move away from optimising
individual processes, pulp and
paper mills need to be evaluated
as a whole. Valmet’s MWO Audit
helps to reveal the true production
potential and the corresponding
return on investment.
Based on historical data, the
audit helps to evaluate production
increase potential, identify
limitations, and highlight use cases
of mill-wide optimization. It also
helps to uncover development
opportunities required for
moving towards fully optimised
operations.
World’s first autonomous woodyard crane revealed
Among a range of technologies
and services for the wood
industry featured by Andritz
at the Ligna 2023 show held in
May at Hanover in Germany, was
an autonomous logyard crane,
claimed to the world’s first of its
kind.
Under the heading ‘Building the
Future Together’, the technology
This autonomous logyard crane uses AI to enable detailed tracking
and classifying of the wood received in real time
giant was focusing on innovative
technologies that enable
customers to save energy, water,
and raw materials in addition to
reducing production costs and
increasing product quality.
The autonomous logyard crane
uses an artificial intelligence (AI)
feature called Metris ANDI which
is said to offer environmentallyfriendly, cost-effective log
handling. The use of AI allows
detailed tracking and classifying
of the wood received in real
time. Running on electricity, the
crane emits no CO2 emissions and
reduces noise pollution.
Also shown was a pellet mill. The
high-performance PM30-6 mill
is designed for biomass pellets.
Based on an optimised die speed
and a patented feed system, it is
aid to produce high-quality pellets
at reduced maintenance cost and
increased capacity.
An adjustable screw feeder
shown uses state-of-the-art
performance control enabling
the use of dry and wet wood
based on an adjustable design.
With this design, compression
can be adjusted to the moisture
content of the fibres to optimise
water removal in the plug screw
feeder area and temperature
requirements in the dryer thus
reducing energy costs and CO2
emissions.
May/June 2023