CCI is Good News for Major Paper Producer

In a pulp and paper mill, the quality of the steam supplies to the paper machines is of the utmost importance, as it is used to condition the dyes and coatings on the machines and plays a principal role in the overall quality of the paper produced.

At a leading pulp and paper plant located in Dublin, Georgia, the desuperheater/spraywater system control was poor. With a Fisher brand ED spraywater valve and a Fisher/Contek spray nozzle installed, the mill was experiencing dramatic steam temperature swings, with spikes of 25ºF to 30ºF (14ºC to 17ºC). This poor temperature control impaired the paper production process, resulting in coating problems and poor paper quality. Additionally, the original system displayed excessive condensate, a leaky spraywater valve, and trim and seat erosion.

Aware that it was time for a change, the customer asked CCI to hold a Severe Valve Technology seminar at the mill, which convinced the company that CCI held the answer to its main steam desuperheating system woes. CCI responded to the plant’s needs with a 1.5-inch DRAG® 100 DSV spraywater valve and a DA-O steam desuperheater, combining the best of CCI’s DRAG® and BTG technologies for a cost-effective package that would enhance reliability and product quality at the mill.

CCI’s DRAG® steam conditioning valve offered multi-flow paths and a number of pressure-reducing stages to control the velocity of the fluid and steam traveling through the valve. Better velocity control not only meant finer control of the water supply but also solved the mill’s erosion and leakage problems.

Coupled with the DRAG® valve was a BTG DA-O desuperheater, which maintains temperature control with its specialized injection nozzle. The cooling water enters the inner nozzle chamber, where the special arrangement of admission holes causes it to rotate quickly around the control plug. At the same time, the angle of the nozzle seat allows for maximum water velocity as it leaves the nozzle. The combination of fast rotation and high velocity of the water ensures fast evaporation of the injected cooling water and provides an effective spray geometry throughout the main steam line, greatly enhancing temperature control.

After installation of this CCI solution, the pulp and paper facility has seen no more than a 7ºF (4ºC) fluctuation in temperature. This constant temperature results in a much more reliable system for coating the paper, which improves paper quality and boosts profits. This cost-effective system has also saved the customer the expense of paper machine downtime and maintenance. And the best news: the system promises long-term, reliable performance, having proven its mettle without any system upsets for over eight months.

Published in Summer Solutions 2004