Total consistency is path to productivity
Emil Engvall, Product Manager Consistency products
The trend to optical consistency measurement is part of the broad and deep focus on increasing productivity across the board in the pulp and paper industry. And measuring total consistency is the key to doing optical measurements well.
What are customers asking for? Total consistency is the response from Emil Engvall, BTG’s consistency product manager. They’re looking, he says, for a product that’s simple to install, cost-effective and that doesn’t add a lot of extra costs over time. And that provides top-notch measuring data.
BTG’s solution is the TCR transmitter: advanced optical technology in a small package. Its mission is to simplify life for customers and provide the best possible measuring data possible.
“This product is perfect for many applications,” says Emil.
“It uses BTG’s patented Peak method which customers see as a guarantee of accuracy, and it’s definitely a cost-effective product in terms of getting down installation and maintenance costs. We’ve developed it to meet a clear market need, and I think what we’ll also see here is a changing market picture as it replaces microwave technology.”
Measuring total consistency – which includes fibers, fines and filler – instead of simply fiber consistency adds a significant benefit: the ability to better control the process.
We keep coming back to the importance of measuring consistency.
“It’s hard to avoid it,” says Emil. “You really can’t say it enough! The thing is that good consistency control is critical to so many other factors.”
FIGURE 1
Measurement accuracy, TCR-2300 vs Lab and Microwave transmitter placed after
mixing chest, top layer liquid board machine.
“Just make sure you optimize the consistency of the pulp being pumped through the process and you’ll start saving money. The more accurately you do it the more energy and water you can save for starters.”
It’s hard to imagine how the difference between a consistency of 3% and 4% could make such a difference in the great scheme of things. It doesn’t sound like much, but it soon becomes obviously it makes a whole lot of difference when it comes to energy consumption.
Emil jumps to the whiteboard and flows start to appear. "Let’s say you’re really organized about your consistency and you have 3.5% instead of 4%. At 4% you’ll have 24 tons of water running through here. At 3% you’ll have 32 tons. The difference in energy consumption could be as much as 33 %.”
A dramatic difference with serious economic consequences.
“We’re finding ourselves talking with customers more and more in these terms,” Emil explains. “It’s a dramatic situation but quite easy to get a grip on if you use the right equipment in the right place. Our job is to take the drama out of it for you.”