Paper Technology International 2024 - Journal - Page 93
PAPERTECHNOLOGYINTERNATIONAL
Exhaust Heat Recovery for Cost Reduction
The EP Turbo Blower generates a substantial amount of
exhaust heat, ranging from 100°C to 180°C. Recovering this heat
enables you to reduce steam consumption in your paper machine.
Given that steam production is a costly process in papermaking,
by utilizing recovered heat to warm shower waters or dryer hoods,
you can achieve substantial cost savings. This approach is not only
economically advantageous but also aligns with sustainability goals,
as it reduces the need for primary energy sources.
Results with RunEco Vacuum System
A con昀椀dential tissue mill with a machine width of 5.6 m,
replaced 昀椀ve existing liquid ring pumps by two EP600 Turbo
blowers, EcoDrop water separators and Eco昀氀ows. The vacuum
system energy consumption dropped by 68%. Customer installed
the RunEco system in two different steps avoiding long TM’s shutdowns. After RunEco installation the cooling tower for LRPs was
dismounted. An important optimization during the 昀椀rst months of
RunEco operation allowed the customer to exceed the expected
energy saving, thanks to dewatering analysis with Eco昀氀ows.
“Our previous vacuum system was oversized, inef昀椀cient and had
reached the end of its life. The new Runtech system has reduced
our power consumption by over 700kW and we are pleased with
the performance of the machine. The dewatering measurements
(EcoFlow) are a great new feature, which will enable us to further
optimize the operation. Despite the challenging travel restrictions
Runtech were cooperative during the commissioning phase and
ensured the project was delivered successfully,” says Matthew Bain,
Project Manager, Essity AustralAsia.
The delivery included a speed controlled EP600 Turbo
Blower with ABB frequency converter, low vacuum blower for wire
section vacuums, EcoDrop water separator and EcoFlow dewatering
measurement for press suction roll save-all and felt uhle box. PM3
electricity consumption per tonne of paper has dropped by 20%.
New system also provides more control - Feedback on dewatering
昀氀ow rates from SPR Saveall Tray and Uhle Box enables vacuum
levels to be optimized and prolong felt life.
DS Smith has implemented RunEco technology in six of its
mills so far, with two more coming on line during 2024.
Kemsley mill replaced an existing vacuum system on its
PM6 with four Runtech Turbos and reached 50% energy savings.
With three Runtech Turbos on PM3, the savings were even higher
– over 65%. Additionally, Production Manager Stuart Ruck reported
that the new vacuum systems allow them to start up the felts in an
optimal way, which shortened the PU felt startup period to eight
hours and resulted in extra production.
“Kemsley is a very progressive mill and, as a project team,
we are delighted to partner with Runtech on this project that has
helped transform the mill’s power usage and carbon emissions and
make operational equipment more ef昀椀cient and reliable,” says Chris
Harding, Project Engineering Manager, DS Smith.
Three sites with fully-optimized systems installed 2016-2021
have reduced electricity consumption in paper machine
vacuum systems by an average of 57%; sites brought online
2023 already seeing ~40% reduction, will increase as systems
are optimized.
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