Conversion in Gelsenkirchen
New pulper cleaning base coat
The upcoming rebuild in Gelsenkirchen includes not only the rebuild of the paper machine, but also the expansion of stock preparation to achieve the planned target. Within the framework of this expansion, it is particularly important for us to raise the quality of the pulp of our products. For this purpose, in addition to an extended pulper cleaning system, new screening systems will be installed in the top and reverse side strands. The first step has now been taken by adding another pulper cleaning system from Grebien Qualifiber GmbH to the existing pulper. The new pulper cleaning system consists of a rejects feed pump at the pulper outlet, a large secondary pulper, and the associated extension of the process control system. This sorts out the unwanted foreign material delivered in the raw material, cleans it, and thus minimizes fiber losses. This ensures maximum utilization of the delivered raw materials. In addition, it is now possible to use lower-quality raw materials in Gelsenkirchen and thus produce more cost-effectively. The preliminary work for this project step already began in July. With the goal of commissioning the plant in mid-August, everyone involved showed full commitment and vigor. At the beginning of August, the hot phase began, with conversion work being carried out during ongoing operations.
were in full swing. That was quite a challenge in sections. On 19.08.2016 the time had finally come and the commissioning of the plant took place in close cooperation with all trades and departments as well as with the support of the plant manufacturer. After only two hours, a continuous process could be observed and the result could be inspected on the reject belt. The next 50 hours passed without any significant incidents, which delighted everyone involved. During this time, minor teething problems of the plant were still identified and subsequently eliminated through teamwork. Initial evaluations of the system show that the rejects (the undesirable component in the paper) are discharged with significantly less fiber and the cleaning of the raw material is much better. These initial results underscore the selection of the supplier by project manager Christian Linke. In the next step of the rebuild, additional screening and classifying units will be installed in the stock preparation system to enable the desired raw material composition to be optimized in terms of costs and to significantly improve the quality of the paper. Michael Kaßner, Oliver Schan, Christian Linke