16 XERIUM
INDUSTRY NEWS
Pulp Paper & Logistics
Reducing energy consumption
Paper makers should be able to take control of the costs of running their machines. One way is to exploit the latest press felt technologies, says Robert Marchhart
availability of sustainable raw material resources and virgin fibre is limited and the growing global demand continues to increase their costs. Rising demand from Asia, especially in China, will certainly make these market conditions even more volatile. In recent years, energy prices
T
have risen sharply and the trend is expected to continue in the future. Energy remains a critical cost driver, despite the fact that the paper production process has been greatly optimised in recent years with less power consumption and less water used per ton of paper. Pressure is rising on papermakers to further enhance production processes. At the same time, the demands on
he paper industry must adapt to increasingly more demanding market conditions. The
Figure 1
paper quality are also rising. When it comes to the cost
optimisation on a paper machine the first step is to determine the major cost drivers in the paper making process.
Besides raw materials like
fibre and chemicals, the most significant cost is in energy. So paper makers have increasingly been focusing on identifying those parts of the manufacturing
process that will most effectively produce savings. One component is the paper machine’s clothing, and by means of relatively low-cost effort the opportunities for process optimisation are very high. Looking closely at the energy
Figure 2 November/December 2014
consumption of a paper machine the potential for savings can be found in the three segments: the forming section (forming fabrics); press section (press felts) and dryer section (dryer fabrics). The relative energy consumption at each segment can be assumed as detailed in Figure 1 when averaging different types of paper machines and paper grades. Xerium, as an innovative PMC supplier, is focusing on clothing solutions by supporting its customers’ demands for energy savings and higher machine efficiency. In the forming section, Xerium´s
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