Displaying items by tag: abb

abb scaABB, the leading power and automation group, has won an order for upgrading the paper quality control system of the production line LWC4 at the SCA Ortviken paper mill in Sweden. The project scope includes a number of new functions and measurement scanners for the paper quality control process as well as integration of the new functions in the existing operator environment. The upgrading project represents the final step of integrating the entire control in one single operator environment in the paper line.

The new quality control system, System 800xA QCS with six operator stations, will be integrated in a virtualized server as well as in the existing operator environment for DCS and drive systems. SCA Ortviken is one of the first paper mills to use ABB’s technology for virtual operator stations, which is a solution that offers many benefits including lower system maintenance and energy use since fewer hardware units are needed to do the work that previously required one computer for each operator.

The order also includes replacement of the older measurement scanners with the Network Platform
including the latest technology such as the moisture measurements meter HPIR and the optical thickness meter Optical Caliper. Multivariable CD Control (MCD) is used for profile control, which enables control decisions based on the most important paper quality aspects in every situation. The new system will be commissioned in late May 2013.

SCA Ortviken is one of the largest paper mills in Sweden with four paper machines and an annual output of 510,000 ton LWC and 380,000 tonnes of un-coated paper.

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KPM, a member of the ABB Group, recently announced new KB2 Fibre-Optic Sheet Break Detector – a new generation sheet break detector with the latest RGB / IR LED technology.

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Many customers have already noticed the KB2‘s extremely reliable break detection in demanding applications, including open draws, against the felt or dryer can, in misty or foggy conditions and even in the press section of the paper machine. The reliability is achieved with fibre optic technology which eliminates electronics and light source from the extremely hot environment inside the paper machine hood. The sensor has built-in redundancy and self-diagnostics to eliminate false breaks effectively.

kb 2_opt This new KB2 model is versatile, with both RGB and IR light sources it is suitable for all applications in paper and board machines. Start-up is very fast and easy due to the simple setup and calibration procedures. The built-in air purge system keeps the sensor head clean from dust and other impurities in the paper machine, and guarantees 100% accurate break detection.

KB2 and its predecessor KB have already hundreds of installations worldwide, with excellent references from satisfied customers declaring that KB2 is the best break detector in the market.

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Transparency is key to improving performance.

A project to upgrade the PM10 machine at the stoneywood fine paper mill of Arjowiggins in Scotland has transformed its operation. Vince Maynard Editor of Pulp Paper & Logistics Magazine was there to see the project signed off.

Real-time information about the operational performance of any paper-making line is key to improving quality and productivity.

When hardware upgrades were installed at one of the four lines at the Stoneywood fine paper mill operated by Argowiggins near Aberdeen in Scotland, a parallel project to install state-of-the-art quality-control systems provided new-found transparency into the line’s improved performance.

In a collaborative QCS/DCS project with ABB worth £1 million, the improvements to the PM10 machine – capable of sophisticated processes such as watermarking and colour variations – demonstrated how new life can be injected into an already well-established process.

At the end of May, the six- month project was signed off to the satisfaction of development engineer Ian Kilgour, along with documentation that showed the positive effects of the hardware improvements.

quote1In April, PPL magazine was exclusively invited to witness the outcome of the project. While in the PM10 control room mill operations manager Alex McAllan entered with charts showing the production improvements, key performance indicators that spoke for themselves. Time taken for a total change was down by 12 percent; weight and moisture change down by 13.2 per cent and an impressive reduction in breaks.

Following the sign off, MacAllan was fulsome in his praise, complimenting ABB for the quality of the project. “The mill is very pleased with the outcome of the project,” he said “It was a great job very well executed. What is particularly pleasing is how enthusiastic the operations team on PM10 is with the system.”

As an example of how the newly-completed QCS/DCS Project offers immediate operational benefits, the way in which it highlighted the outcome of replacing earlier designs of drives was an eye-opener.

Says ABB’s Mick Cowdroy, who worked on the project with colleague Nick Evans: “ The mill upgraded two old drive units at the wet-end of the machine with two new drive units and linked them electronically to the remainder of the machine drive system, thus allowing all sections of the machine to be fully synchronised and controlled more accurately. “ This allowed the advanced controls in the ABB system to be fully optimised and generate increased production benefits through more precise speed optimisation control, faster grade, shade and brightness change control, plus fewer web breaks and faster start-up.”

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The new system replaced a QCS (Accuray 1180) dating from the early 1980s and with a Taylor MOD300 (also and ABB product) was mainly used as a data gatherer for process signal for collating all the machine process data and sending it to the mill’s management Information Syetem (MIS). It was also the interface between the QCS and the MIS as the 1180 was incapable of direct linking to the outside world.

All of the machine’s process controllers were ‘stand alone’ units from a number of manufactures: Fisher ac2 (circa 1970s), Turnbull Control Systems (TCS, and eventually part of Eurotherm) were also late-1980s technology. There were two distinct models of single-loop controllers. On top of this there were a few field-mounted controllers plus Refiner KW controllers. All dating from themed-1990s

It was decided to replace all of these systems and in addition install slice lip profile actuators (to replace the manually-set ones) plus remove all Start/Stop buttons for the wet end pumps and the like.

abb article_page2_image2Working with ABB on the project was the continuation of a long history of collaboration between the Stoneywood Mill and Accuray/Combustion Eng/ABB since the mid 1970s. Most recent was the successful installation of an 800xA system on the mill’s PM08 line in 2009.

Work on the latest project started in the spring of 2010 with Tom and Neil Gordon, of Process Instrumentation Ltd, carrying out preparatory work and then producing a User Requirment Specification (URS) with input from the mill production team, utilising their extensive knowledge of the older system’s functionality.

“The content and quality of this URS enabled the ABB project engineers to programme and configure the control system functions to a high degree of accuracy and ensure an efficient Factory Acceptance Test (FAT). The order was raised in December 2010,” said Cowdroy.

With ABB starting work at its Dundalk base in Ireland. pre-installation at Stoneywood included remote I/O panel building, installation of truncking and cabling, re-housing crew’s ‘bothy’ to enable the old one to be re-built as a wet end control room and ABB rack room, all of which was carried out between January and June 2011.

At Dundalk, the QCS Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) was completed in May 2011 by ABB Project Manager Nick Evans and QCS expert Jim Matthews, all under the supervision of Niall Gairdner from the mill’s Process Control Department. Next stage was the DCS FAT which took place at Stoneywood at the end of June 2011 along with ABB representative Lucas Hedl.again led by Gairdner.

abb article_page2_image1During the annual summer shut-down at Stoneywood in July 2011 the PM10 was stopped to enable dry testing, followed by wet testing which was completed on a Sunday at the end of month. The next morning, 1 August. Stock tests took until lunch time as steam from the boiler house was raised and at 2pm a sheet went through the machine for commissioning of the drying control loops. By. 6pm saleable paper was being produced. The same machine ran all night on the same grade and from 8am the next morning the second tuning of other grades began with colour control following a few days later, but ahead of schedule.

Another reason for working with ABB was the size of the scanner. Originally, ABB had suggested a direct replacement of an earlier ‘C’ frame for a later version. With very little space before the Reel-up Section the options were limited so, after an extensive review of all potential options ABB’s Network Platform 700 was chosen due to its industry-leading compact installation footprint. The result made space more available.

This greatly assisted Stoneywood in the mechanical installation of the scanner s major civil and mechanical work would have been necessary to install a Network Platform 1200. Had the NP1200, or similar, been only option this would have raised the overall project costs (ny about £250,000 or 25 per cent) but also extend the shutdown period by up to ten days with a huge knock-on effect due to lost revenue.

As an added bonus, Arjowiggins and ABB agreed to include the boiler controls within the project scope. This allowed the mill to remove the MOD30 controllers which controlled the drum level and the fuel loops. This has also been a great success. The overall result has been measurable improvements in net production, saleable paper and mill profitability. They are the result of Arjowiggins personnel having access to, and having confidence in, much more reliable and accurate information from the QCS 800xA system. The system is also automatically providing faster and more accurate measurements to the control algorithms which in turn are now calculating the required process changes much more quickly and with greater accuracy to get the process variables to target more quickly than the previous technology would have been able to accomplish.

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More information from ABB, Finnabair Industrial Park, Dundalk, Co Louth, Ireland. Tel: +353 42 938 5100. Fax: +353 42 938 5124. Web: www.abb.co.uk

The above article was provided by Vince Maynard the Publisher and Editorial Director of Pulp Paper & Logistics magazine.  Tel: +44 (0) 1732 505724 Web: http://www.pulppaperlogistics.com/

 

 

 

 

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Thursday, 08 November 2012 15:55

ABB sells its 1000th Filtercel™

ABB-has-sold-its-1000th-Filtercel-F550-LHPABB recently received the order for its 1000th Filtercel™, soon to be installed in a paper mill of Nine Dragons Paper Limited in China.

November 8, 2012 – Over the last 20 years, ABB has installed one thousand in-line pressure filters of the Filtercel™ range in paper mills worldwide for the filtration of coating colors,  pigment and starch preparations, and on stations feeding all types of paper and board machines

ABB recently successfully started up ten Filtercel™ LHP (high pressure cleaning system) on the feeding station (also designed and installed by ABB, as well as the starch preparation unit) of the new PM11 for Saica Group’s mill in Manchester, United Kingdom.

During the last two decades, the Filtercel™ has benefited from continued technological evolutions such as an integrated high-pressure cleaning system, known as the LHP version; new sealing systems with automatic wear-compensation; and increased output capacity.

Today, this evolution enables operator interventions to be significantly reduced and result in a very high uptime rate. The LHP Filtercel™ is particularly suitable for the filtering of high-requirement and varied preparations such as pigmented coating colors and starch solutions. The optimal filtering quality helps to significantly reduce the number of paper breaks on the machine and the maintenance costs. To further support equipment lifecycle management, recent improvements to the Filtercel™ can fit on filters already in service to enable their modernization. 

ABB’s Process Automation division delivers industry specific solutions and services for industrial automation and plant electrification. These solutions help customers meet their critical business needs in the areas of energy efficiency, operational profitability, capital productivity, risk management, and global responsibility. Available industry specific solutions include process control, instrumentation, analytics, safety, plant optimization, telecommunications, energy management and power distribution.

 

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Exceptional moisture and weight measurement, without the need for an ionizing radiological source, enables tissue makers to improve measurement and control

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, recently launched its new High-Performance Infrared and Fiber Weight (HPIR-FW) sensor that provides precise, high resolution moisture and fiber weight measurement. The HPIR-FW sensor directly measures the most critical parameters of MD and CD control using a single sensor module, allowing tissue makers to precisely control two of their most expensive costs – fiber and energy.

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The ABB HPIR-FW sensor measures fiber weight, web moisture and web temperature simultaneously, with just one infrared instrument. It’s simple and proven design delivers safe and reliable performance. Importantly, the HPIR-FW sensor measures without radiological isotopes and the many regulations associated with them.

“The HPIR-FW sensor helps tissue makers meet today’s profitability and sustainability challenges because it gives them the ability to respond more quickly and flexibly to global customer demand,” says Steven St. Jarre, Global Sales & Marketing Manager for ABB Quality Control Systems.

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abb1 chinaRecently published ARC Advisory Group study states Collaborative Production Management (CPM) for process industries is a growing market, driven by the need to improve energy efficiency, reduce costs and manage production

Zurich, Switzerland, October 8, 2012—In a recently published study titled “CPM/MES Systems for Process Industries Worldwide Outlook,” industry analyst firm  ARC Advisory Group ranked ABB in the leading worldwide position for this expanding market. CPM and MES (Manufacturing Execution System) software provides visibility, execution, tracking, reporting and optimization of manufacturing processes to improve product quality, safety, and overall productivity.

According to the study, the CPM market grew in all regions of the world in over the past two years, as all manufacturing organizations need to collaborate and improve their efficiency to operate profitably. The increased use of CPM is driven by the need to control energy use and costs, new regulations, globalization, standards enforcement, big data analytics demographic changes, and the overall need to reduce manufacturing costs.

Even with economic instability and exchange rate fluctuations, ARC forecasts that industry dynamics will continue to drive the overall CPM for process market growth positively in 2012 and beyond. The increased use of new technologies such as tablets, smartphones and cloud computing as workplace tools have set new expectations for the information access and capabilities provided by CPM solutions.

“ABB’s CPM solutions provide users with collaboration tools to improve productivity and asset availability, while reducing energy and maintenance costs in a rapidly changing business environment.” said Janice Abel, principal consultant at ARC and author of the study. “The acquisitions of both Ventyx and Mincom vastly expanded ABB’s CPM business. With its comprehensive product line, ABB stands poised to grow its presence even further in this market.”

ABB acquired power networking software company Ventyx in 2010. Ventyx then acquired Mincom, a software company focused on the mining business, in 2011. The combination of Ventyx, Mincom and continued strong organic growth of ABB’s existing CPM portfolio allowed ABB to move to the market leadership role. In 2011, ABB also recorded good organic growth across the key business areas of oil, gas and chemicals, as well as very strong organic growth in the mining business.

"Collaborative Production Management allows our process customers to extend the benefits that they get from the underlying automation they already have in their plant. The software ABB provides has been proven to reduce order to cash time for our customers’ manufacturing operations, improve throughput, reduce inventory and optimize maintenance,” said said Veli-Matti Reinikkala, head of ABB’s Process Automation division. “We've heard customers talk about the need for complete shop floor to top floor integration for years; ABB is delivering CPM solutions that do exactly that and more."

Additional information on the CPM/MES Systems for Process Industries Worldwide Outlook, as well as other studies on the global automation market, is available at www.arcweb.com

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At Lorentzen & Wettre we have acquired more than 100 years of competence within the area of measuring pulp and paper properties. A large amount of this know-how is documented in different publications that have been published throughout the years. This time we release a new edition of the book: Paper Optics, by Nils Pauler (first published in 1986). It will be available in August (2012).

The book is a revised edition and is updated regarding optical and colour science related to the pulp and paper industry. It is a unique book providing great information on how light interacts with the structure omslag paper_optics_2012of a sheet of paper, how paper's optical characteristics are measured, and how optical characteristics can be affected by paper and pulp manufacturing. Optical properties on printed material and new advanced optical theories are also covered.

Sharing knowledge, through literature like Paper Optics, shows Lorentzen & Wettre's engagement and commitment to the pulp and paper industry. Some previous publications from Lorentzen & Wettre have included Fibre Guide (fibre analysis and process applications), Testing Methods and Instruments for Corrugated Board (corrugated board strength tests) among others.

Topics in the book cover both basic and advanced levels. The book is often used as a reference for laboratory personnel and technicians within the pulp and paper industry.

The new revised edition of Paper Optics is published in English.

If you are interested in the book, please contact your local Lorentzen & Wettre representative (contact details are found on our website).

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Monday, 02 July 2012 12:00

New ABB Weight xP Actuators at Zellcheming

Leading-edge technology reduces variability, minimizes sheet breaks and improves product quality

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ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, recently launched new Weight xP extended profiling actuators with high-speed positioning that guarantee optimal reliability. The actuators provide faster grade changes and faster recovery from process upsets, keeping mill productivity levels high.

The state-of-the-art Weight xP technology eliminates dependence on a physical position sensor, so the actuators can shift into new positions in one swift, continuous movement. This reduces control action time and increases precision. The patented and patent-pending technology also helps mills meet even the most exacting product specifications.

“Papermakers can achieve the lowest possible Cross Direction variability, improve product quality and reduce their costs with the new Weight xP actuators,” says Steven St. Jarre, Head of Sales & Marketing for ABB Quality Control Systems.

A patented power management scheme allows the actuators to move simultaneously at all times, including flush cycles, global setpoint changes or the failure of one power supply, ensuring reliability even in extreme conditions.

The new Weight xP actuators are the latest generation of ABB’s popular xP profilers. The Weight xP family includes the Slice xP, Dilution xP and Coat Weight xP systems, which are designed drawing on ABB’s experience in applying actuators on the headboxes and coaters of more than 25 different manufacturers.

Slice xP, Coat Weight xP and Dilution xP each offer advanced diagnostics for easy troubleshooting and increased system availability, as well as built-in monitoring of over 60 different parameters, to predict an impending actuator failure long before it occurs.

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KPM, a member of the ABB Group, announces its KC/7 Microwave Consistency Transmitter – a transmitter that measures total consistency of mixed pulps, different quality pulps, and pulps with fillers. With the reliable and well tested microwave true-phase measurement technology, it offers excellent measurement accuracy. Additionally the transmitter's straightforward design, with no moving parts, guarantees high uptime without maintenance.

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The transmitter is unaffected by variations in pulp grade (fiber length, freeness, kappa, brightness, color and shives) unlike other transmitters based on optical and shear force technologies. It is applicable close to the paper machine, after the mixing chest and machine chest, and it is especially recommended at paper machines for mixed furnishes and fillers. In pulp production it is applicable before first bleaching stage, after bleaching before drying machine, at mixed pulps and fillers, broke and recycled pulps. Further, the  KC/7 Microwave Consistency Transmitter is resistant to changes in process conditions such as flow rate, pressure, temperature, and turbulence.

"We have the knowledge, products and experience to help customers achieve measurement objectives, and this new microwave consistency transmitter is a further support to our customer", says Urpo Heikkinen, Managing Director KPM.

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Lorentzen & Wettre, a member of the ABB Group, announces the L&W Tensile Tester – its fourth generation horizontal tensile tester. It measures according to all established paper testing standards. Basic tensile properties such as tensile strength, stretch at break, TEA and tensile stiffness are measured. In addition, eight other industry standard properties can be calculated and reported. It is sensitive, with precision to measure on tissue, and strong enough to measure on packaging board.

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The L&W Tensile Tester is designed with attention to ergonomics and efficiency. A large table area makes it easy to manage test-pieces, the start button is placed near the test-piece input, and the easy-to-use color touch-screen has intuitive and easy accessible menus and buttons. The instrument has a well-proven clamp design – recommended by the ISO and TAPPI standards – with a cylindrical clamp holding the test-piece in place, and guides on each clamp that ensure the alignment of the test-piece. The clamps are also totally backlash-free, for precision measurements.

This new tensile tester is the perfect choice for automatic dry and wet tensile testing of tissue paper. With the fracture toughness setup, the  L&W Tensile Tester can predict fracture strength and fracture strain for a two meter long and one meter wide paper web with a 10 millimeter edge cut, only by measuring on small standard test-pieces. This large paper geometry can be used for predicting and ranking of the fracture properties of paper materials.

“With L&W Tensile Tester we have made traditional quality testing very easy, but still with high precision and trust in result”, says Mr. Thomas Fürst, Product Manager, Lorentzen & Wettre.

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