"Global Summit for pulp, paper, biofuels and web gauging industries"

“Future proof Solutions for an Ever Changing World” was the theme of the first Global Summit for the pulp, paper and related industries hosted by Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS).

The Summit is based on the successful Honeywell EMEA Pulp & Paper Summit that has been running in Finland since 2009, but with a wider reach to include second-generation biofuels and web gauging content, as well as being developed for an international audience.

Improving business performance

The event was opened by Orhan Genis, HPS Vice-President for Sales, EMEA outlining the economic challenges faced by the assembled industries and how Honeywell can aid their business performance. With a predicted ‘double-dip’ recession, Orhan warned the audience that now is the time to focus on improving business performance – through improving product quality, yield and productivity; reducing waste; and optimizing raw material and power usage – all areas that HPS can deliver for customers. The warmly-received opening was followed by addresses by senior representatives from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Russian paper-maker, Investlesprom. The conference continued for the remainder of day one with Honeywell technology, sponsor and customer presentations split into separate pulp & paper, biofuels and web-gauging sessions. Each of the three tracks was hosted by a senior Honeywell representative, namely Marko Jämsén for Pulp & Paper, Kari Liukko for Biofuels, and Barry Corcoran for Web Gauging. The second day started with keynote presentations from the International Energy Agency and Stora Enso, and was followed by a further 12 presentations and optional customer training.

Hands-on access to products

Throughout the Summit, Honeywell provided hands-on access to their industrial automation and safety products in an extensive onsite demonstration area. One of the most visited booths introduced Honeywell’s premier Quality Control System for the pulp and paper industry, Experion MX. Experion MX is an integrated quality control and process knowledge system which provides outstanding visibility into the papermaking process. It offers fast scanning and processing speeds, with state-of-the-art measurement technology, high resolution cross-direction profile control with a full offering of intelligent actuators, and a comprehensive suite of quality control applications. It simplifies operational efforts and is easy and costeffective to maintain and service. At the Summit, HPS announced another contract award for Experion MX, from Mitsubishi HiTec Paper in Germany who will replace its current QCS with Experion MX.

Transmission Infrared Fiber Weight and Moisture sensor

The demonstration area also allowed delegates and invited media to speak to experts in detail about Honeywell’s extensive offerings. One of these was their new Transmission Infrared (TRIR) Fiber Weight and Moisture sensor. It is designed to help tissue producers reduce costs and simplify overall operations by providing a more robust measurement of both dry weight and moisture from a single sensor. The new Honeywell sensor halves the number of sensors needed to produce tissue – reducing complexity and cost – whilst making measurements less sensitive to environmental factors, such as temperature and head alignment. This improvement creates a more reliable measurement of the key product quality parameters. The sensor can also be retrofitted to replace older systems containing nuclear source betagauges, allowing customers to avoid the periodic source replacement costs associated with this legacy technology.

Optical Caliper sensor

Honeywell also showcased their Optical Caliper sensor that will solve problems for papermakers of grades that depend upon excellent CD Caliper Control, but are sensitive to either the damage a contacting gauge can sometimes cause, or the dirt build-up that can also trouble contacting caliper sensors. It uses a sophisticated sheet stabilization system with patented features to capture the sheet edge for full off-sheet, edge-to-edge scanning. It is an alternative to contact-style caliper measurement for on-line scanning. With the sheet held at an ideal reference surface, the state-of-the-art laser triangulation distance device and high-frequency Z-sensor measures the thickness of the sheet, providing accurate and repeatable measurements with no damage to the sheet. Optical Caliper Measurement is suited for paper grades where the use of pinching contact measurement has been problematic. It is particularly well suited to caliper measurement for use by newsprint, filled-sheets, and recycled sheet producers.

MXProLine

Web gauging customers were particularly attracted to the demonstration of Honeywell’s MXProLine  Quality Control System and the new 4080 Intelligent Scanner. Specifically designed for web gauging applications, MXProLine includes a wide range of online scanners and sensors to measure quality parameters for applications such as extrusion, oriented films, coating & converting, nonwovens, rubber calendering, and aluminum rolling. It supports online quality measurements including weight, coat weight, moisture, thickness, density, opacity and multilayer measurement. Combining these measurement capabilities with advanced cross-directional controls, flexible user displays and on-screen setup and configuration, MXProLine delivers scalable solutions from basic measurements to advanced multi-scanner, multi-sensor control systems. This intelligent scanner increases reliability, provides faster measurement, while simplifying installations by leveraging Honeywell’s Ethernet Data Acquisition technology.

A focus on biofuels Honeywell also presented its award winning Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP) technology. RTP technology converts biomass, including forest and agricultural residues, into a clean-burning, nearly carbon-neutral liquid biofuel that can be burned to generate heat or electricity, or further upgraded to other fuels. “The interest in our biofuel sessions at this Summit has been fantastic,” commented Kari Liukko, EMEA Business Leader, Biofuels and Alternative Energy at HPS. “The pulp and paper industry can now use by-products from their manufacturing process to produce power for their own use or to sell on as a secondary revenue generator.” RTP technology works by rapidly heating biomass at ambient pressure to generate high yields of a liquid biofuel. The fuel can be burned in industrial burners to produce heat or to power electric generators. RTP is the only commercially proven process of its kind and the only biomass conversion technology commercially operating today that produces a liquid biofuel that can directly replace petroleum-based fuel oil. After the conference, Orhan Genis remarked, “It’s been a great conference that has generated dialogue, debate, and allowed us to educate our customers and partners about how Honeywell can help transform business performance in the pulp,paper, biofuels and web gauging industries”.