Yueyang Paper starts up OptiConcept paper machine for newsprint and LWC paper

Published July 17, 2003 13.00.00 +2 GMT

Veracel Celulose S.A. has placed an order to Metso Paper for a supply of a complete woodyard system for their new 900,000 tonnes/year greenfield kraft pulp mill to be built at Eunápolis in the state of Bahia, Brazil. The value of the order is approximately EUR 25 million, including deliveries from sub-suppliers.

Metso Paper's scope of supply comprises a complete wood processing system for eucalyptus wood, which is coming from Veracel's own forest plantations. The wood handling system features the latest technology in the field and will be one of the largest ones in the world. The two chipping lines include high capacity Gentlefeed™ conveyors for feeding the new GentleBarking™ system, where wood flow is equalised and bark and impurities are removed before the heavy duty Camura™ chippers. Chip handling consists of a new GentleStore™ chip storage system, with a storage capacity of 80 000 m3, as well as of EasyScreen™ type chip screens. The scope of delivery also includes complete bark and fuel handling systems.

The order from Brazil strengthens Metso's business development within the Latin American market. From the company's Sorocaba facilities, encompassing approximately 3800 sq.m. service and office area under roof, Metso is capable of offering full scope of services for Latin American pulp and paper mills.

Veracel Celulose is a joint venture between Stora Enso Oyj and Aracruz Celulose S.A. The greenfield pulp mill project is budgeted for 870 million USD, and the start up of the mill is scheduled for mid-2005.

Metso Corporation is a global supplier of process industry machinery and systems. The Corporation's fiber and paper technology business area, Metso Paper, is the world's leading supplier of technology, systems and equipment for the pulp and paper industries. Metso's other core businesses are divided between Metso Minerals (rock and mineral processing) and Metso Automation (automation and control technology). In 2002, the net sales of Metso Corporation were EUR 4.7 billion and the personnel totaled approximately 28,500. Metso Corporation is listed on the Helsinki and New York Stock Exchanges.

More information: Roland Edström, Vice President Metso Paper Chemical Pulping Business Line tel. +46 70 690 93 70 Alpo Tuomi, VP Marketing Metso Paper Chemical Pulping Business Line tel. +358 400 591 450

Yueyang Paper Group Co. Ltd., Hunan province, China, started up an on-line OptiConcept papermaking line on July 1, 2003. The new PM8 is capable of producing either 580 tpd of high-quality newsprint or 715 tpd of LWC paper. Metso Paper received the order for the LWC line in December 2001.

At the start-up on July 1, the machine achieved a speed of 1280 m/min at the reel. The start-up proceeded normally with the OptiFeed wet-end system, in particular, fulfilling all expectations. Metso Paper’s local presence ensured that the project progressed and stayed on schedule – even though the testing period was short.

The new paper machine has already momentarily run newsprint in excess of the design capacity. The next target will be to conduct coating trials when the base paper raw material is brought up to the level required for LWC paper production in the fall.

This OptiConcept paper machine has a design speed of 1,600 m/min and a trim width of 6.3 m. The main basis weight will be 60 g/m2 and the furnish will be based mainly on domestic poplar pulp.

The On-Line OptiConcept paper machine consists of an OptiFlo headbox, an OptiFormer, an OptiPress, a SymRun dryer section, an OptiHard machine calender, an OptiSizer film coating system, an OptiLoad calender and an OptiReel Plus. Also included are a WinBelt M winder and Metso Automation control systems.

New deinking line and OptiFeed wet-end system

The new paper machine’s stock is produced by a new 2-loop deinking line and an OptiFeed wet-end system, both of which were full scope deliveries by Metso Paper. The deinking line uses recycled newspapers (ONP), magazine papers (OMG) and office waste (MOW) as raw material. The capacity of the line is 300 tons per day.

The deinking line includes all key subprocesses, including OptiSlush drum pulping, OptiScreen coarse, pre- and fine screening, OptiBright main and post-deinking flotation, cleaning, thickening, OptiFiner dispersion, OptiBright high-consistency peroxide and reductive bleaching, OptiThick gap washing and OptiDaf water clarification.

The OptiFeed wet-end system of the Yueyang PM 8 covers the key subprocesses, ranging from pulp storage towers to the paper machine's headbox i.e. stock lines, a broke system, stock mixing, an approach system, wet-end chemical handling and white water handling. Due to the swing type of paper machine, several different stock components are to be used, e.g. short and long fiber kraft, DIP, CTMP and other mechanical pulp.

The kraft lines feature OptiSlush bale pulpers, OptiScreen coarse screening and OptiFiner refining followed by Kajaani KSF freeness transmitters. The stock component proportioning and recipe is accurately controlled in each line, and flow measurements are used to enable fast changes in proportioning and to avoid level control problems. Metso Automation's IQStock carries out flow information and consistency control in the stock lines.

The broke handling consists of OptiSlush pulpers and a couch pit followed by full line Gard screening with OptiScreen high-consistency fine screens.

The approach system is a single dilution system with LobeMix, a modern stock and chemical mixer. An OptiAir Vac active deaeration tank ensures effective deaeration. Passive aeration of OptiFormer waters with an OptiAir Flume ensures the required deaeration of dilution profiling waters. OptiScreen machine screening is integrated with Gard screening to finalize the stock quality prior to the OptiFlo headbox. The save-all system is designed to recover fibers and to stabilize white water quality.

Chemical management

Metso Paper's delivery included not only wet end chemical handling, but also coating color preparation and supply systems with OptiScreens and OptiMixers and coating color recovery with the OptiFilter CR.

Wet-end chemicals and coating color preparation are controlled by a metsoDNA system, while recipe handling and reporting are controlled by a FlexCom DB. The system includes two operating stations located in the same control room. The supply systems are integrated with a metsoDNA process station, which also handles the OptiSizer operation.

Metso Corporation is a global supplier of process industry machinery and systems. The Corporation's fiber and paper technology business area, Metso Paper, is the world's leading supplier of technology, systems and equipment for the pulp and paper industries. Metso's other core businesses are divided between Metso Minerals (rock and mineral processing) and Metso Automation (automation and control technology). In 2002, the net sales of Metso Corporation were EUR 4.7 billion and the personnel totaled approximately 28,500. Metso Corporation is listed on the Helsinki and New York Stock Exchanges.

More information: Aki Niemi, Paper Technology Manager, Paper Business Line, tel. +358 20 482 6069 Jari Koikkalainen, Vice President, Sales & CRM, Mechanical Pulping Business Line, tel. +358 20 482 9213