Steam Conditioning a Pressing Problem at Pulp & Paper Mill

“It is comforting to know we can turn to a reliable and knowledgeable supplier when we need to complement our own expertise in steam conditioning,” says Ole Martin Flaten at Norske Skog in Follum, Norway.

Steam conditioning was becoming an increasing challenge at Norske Skog AS, a pulp and paper mill in Follum , Norway . Ole Martin Flaten, the Superintendent of Energy and Raw Materials, contacted CCI Sweden (formerly BTG Valves) to update them on the situation:

[I]…carefully described the conditions the valve should work under, but I wanted to add that the water supplied to the cooling water valve arrived at about 580 psi (40 bar) and at 220 F (105 C). The condition in which the steam is supplied to the grid where an electrical steam generator is also connected was another matter of importance because it affected the amount of water in the steam. I…also mentioned that the distance from the boiler to the cooling water valve was about 820 ft (250 m). Was the drainage from the valve good enough to handle this?

In response, CCI Sweden sent a sales engineer and a technical applications expert to the site to examine the actual installation with the Norske Skog mill staff in order to determine the best way to correct the problem.

Both CCI Sweden and the people at the mill agreed that the solution to the problem was replacing a globe-style valve with a custom-made VST-SE angle-type valve in a different location.

“We were looking for straightforward, no-nonsense answers to our questions from a supplier that could satisfy our specifications and then stand behind their solution to our problems. And that’s what we got,” said Ole Martin Flaten. “Our specifications for rangeability were tough, 40:1 with perfect pressure and temperature control. After more than three years of operation, we are completely satisfied with the pressure and temperature performance on both the steam and water sides.

Concluded Flaten, “We know a lot about steam conditioning, but we don’t know everything. So it is comforting to know we can turn to a reliable and knowledgeable supplier when we need to complement our own expertise in steam conditioning.”