DS-MAY23-PG52_Layout 1 18/05/2023 15:24 Page 1
INDUSTRY FOCUS PRINTING & PACKAGING
A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION TO PAPER MILL RELIABILITY
E
very day, 130 log trucks transport trees from a slow-growing forest in northern Sweden to the Billerud paper mill in
Each year packaging giant Billerud, the most northerly paper mill in the world, produces 350,000 tons of paper products. With operational reliability essential, the company turned to ABB to ensure production levels remain high.
Karlsborg. These trees, however, produce extremely strong paper, and each year they are transformed into 350,000 tons of mouldable paper (FibreForm), kraft paper, sack paper and bleached pulp in baled form. As the most northerly paper mill in the world, this has a main production plant as well as two application laboratories with expertise in pulp optimisation and bag and sack packaging development. The manufacturing process is a circular system where chemicals are recycled, and the company is 75-78% self-sufficient in electricity, enabling the operation to respond to the growing demand for more sustainable, plastic-free, packaging products. At the mill, reliable technology is essential
LONG-TERM RELIABILITY Unplanned stoppage can have a catastrophic effect on production and revenue, as well as the safety of employees. So, ABB and Billerud have been working together for many years to ensure production in Karlsborg runs round the clock. Billerud therefore tests its switchgear every three years and carries out scheduled maintenance and upgrades every seven weeks at different parts of the production chain. ABB has provided a variety of components
to the plant, including low and medium voltage switchgear, UPS, motors, drives and 800xA control systems. “ABB’s products work well for us and what
we appreciate most of all is the local service we receive. The fact that they are close to us when we need both products and their expertise is invaluable,” commented Henrik Jakobsson, electrical & automation technician at Billerud. To ensure the long-term reliability of the plant’s switchgear, which has been in service since the 1980s, a larger upgrade project is required occasionally. In the second half of 2022, ABB service engineers visited on two occasions to replace incoming circuit breakers in seven selected low voltage switchgear throughout the plant. Ten medium voltage circuit breakers were also replaced.
52 DESIGN SOLUTIONS MAY 2023
Patrik Granlund, sales manager at ABB
Electrification, said: “Billerud chose a site- built solution, which is the most extensive renovation you can do without replacing the entire switchgear. It is very cost-effective and also a sustainable option that allows switchgear from the 1980s to have a new life.” Six breakers were replaced with new Emax2
breakers during a stop after the summer of 2022, and the seventh in November of the same year. Replacing the old ALG and ALH variants in the switchgear improved the safety of the equipment and immediately increased the availability of spare parts. Emax2 is also the only breaker of its kind that can both protect electrical circuits and reduce energy consumption based on user needs. “Replacing a breaker in this comprehensive
way takes about 7-8 hours, but compared to replacing an entire switchgear, the loss of production and downtime is significantly less,” Granlund explained. From a sustainability standpoint, only a few parts needed to be scrapped in an otherwise intact plant, with the new breakers now likely to last for several decades. “The pay-off time for changing the breakers
can be anything from 0 to 100 years, but knowing that we have done what we could to secure the operation of the electricity and personal safety feels good,” Jakobsson explained.
ABB
https://new.abb.com/uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
