Energy Efficiency Project in a paper mill

Energy efficiency project in a paper mill.  Soluciones Integrales de Combustión (Comprehensive Combustion Solutions) has proceeded to change the industrial boiler in a paper plant, with the replacement of a fuel oil equipment by a 25-ton boiler, which works with natural gas as fuel. The complete energy efficiency project, which involves this change of boiler and the integration of the new equipment to improve the performance of the plant, has been undertaken within the express period of four days.

The paper industry is a major consumer of energy and is putting into practice a special effort to identify and apply a series of measures aimed at improving its energy efficiency throughout the process. In the context of the fight against climate change and the competitiveness of companies, it is vital for the paper and cardboard sector to find solutions to reduce its energy consumption through efficient technologies. Integral Combustion Solutions thus contributes to implementing a system to improve the energy efficiency of the paper mill, with the optimization of the performance of the installation and the consequent environmental improvement.

Pressurized condensate system

With this objective, Soluciones Integrales de Combustion has manufactured and installed the boiler, together with the pressurized condensate system, which allows increasing the efficiency of the steam generation equipment, reducing fuel consumption and increasing the quality of the water due to the treatment. in the circuit itself.

The 2000l pressurized condensate tank has a pressure of 10 bar and operates at 140ºC.

Thanks to the pressurized condensate system, practically all the condensates can be reused, thereby minimizing energy and water losses, helping to increase the useful life of the boiler.

Air preheater, energy efficiency

The energy efficiency project of the paper mill includes the manufacture and assembly of chimneys, ducts and a combustion air preheater, as well as a Low NOX JBD 6000 burner, and the instrumentation and control of the facilities in order to automate the entire process and improve its safety and reliability.

The SICAPH air preheater of our own manufacture is focused on improving energy efficiency in thermal and steam installations. Its objective is to significantly improve the environmental, technical and economic performance of the plants, while helping to reduce polluting emissions and the chimney outlet temperature.

The technical operation of the preheaters is designed with finned type fresh air conduction tubes (equipped with serrated fins on the outside of these) to increase the turbulence of the exhaust gases and the heat exchange surface of the equipment. The finned fresh air tubes are configured in line and in compact blocks to achieve a high transmission coefficient and dramatically reduce the temperature of the exhaust gases. For its part, the gas casing is made of a premium quality carbon steel sheet that is reinforced and properly arranged to avoid sealing failures.

As a means of heat recovery, air preheaters improve the average life and durability of boilers, which is why they represent a much greater energy saving system in general than that of other equipment used. The experience obtained in plants with continuous consumption such as a certain food industry or in this case of the paper industry, shows a depreciation of the installation of less than 2 years.