Tough Actuator Service on Paper Plant Green Liquor Line

Pulp and Paper Plant
Pulp and Paper Plant
It's said the only thing a pulp and paper plant doesn't reuse is the "shade the building casts". The processes used in the production of pulp and paper are very efficient when you consider the reuse of energy and by-products. The efficiency comes at a cost though - through very hostile atmospheres and demanding operating conditions for process equipment.

For example, the "kraft process" (also known as the sulfate process) is the method to convert wood chips into pulp and then to cellulose fibers. This is done by mixing the wood chips with sodium hydroxide and sodium sulphate, soaking, cooking and processing.

Here's a very basic explanation of the kraft process. Wood chips are soaked and processed in sodium hydroxide and sodium sulphate mixture known as "white liquor".  After the wood chips are impregnated with white liquor, they are then cooked in digesters to break the wood down into cellulose. The solid pulp is then separated and the remaining fluid is referred to as "black liquor". Black liquor is further processed to remove solids and chemicals which are to be re-used in the pulping process. One of the final by-products is "green liquor" which contains sodium carbonate and sodium sulfide and is then reacted with lime to regenerate more white liquor.

All of these steps expose process equipment, piping, and valves to very tough environments. Kinetrol actuators are preferred in these situations because they don't allow corrosive atmospheres to penetrate the actuator or springs, their long cycle life,  and their epoxy stove enamel finish.

Below is a picture of a Kinetrol model 14 double acting actuator on a 8” full-port ball valve on a green liquor line. The valve cycles 2 times per day to direct green liquor flow and weak wash (weak white liquor) alternatively from one pipe to another in order to prevent solids build up in the pipelines.

Kinetrol Model 14 in Green Liquor Line




Don't Get Racked Up ... Use Kinetrol Vane Actuators

Little video "commercial" about the virtue of Kinetrol Vane actuators over pneumatic rack and pinions actuators ...

Kinetrol vane actuators provide:
  • Single moving part - Simplest and most reliable mechanism for quarter-turn rotary actuation.
  • Close couple control modules - Fail-safe spring returns, limit switches, positioners and solenoid valves all close couple to the actuators.
  • No cranks or gearing - No power loss or backlash - allows accurate positioning.
  • Durable corrosion resistant finish
  • Long maintenance-free life - Up to 4 million operations guaranteed.
  • Compact - space saving - efficient: Best torque/size package available, fast operating speeds, best air consumption, proven design.

The Virtues of the Pneumatic Vane Actuator Damper Drive

pneumatic damper drives
Pneumatic damper drives
Pneumatic damper drives significantly improve the reliability, precision, and efficiency of industrial boilers and furnaces. Accurate control of combustion air and flue gas provide many cost savings benefits to plant operators. A pneumatic damper drive’s precision and rapid response greatly improve fuel efficiency, reduce emissions, lower fuel consumption, and provide better boiler draft control.

Recent “Boiler MACT” (Boiler Maximum Achievable Control Technology) regulations require regular maintenance to optimize boiler performance. Air-to-fuel mixing and CO emissions are two areas where fine tuning and precise control yields dramatic improvement in burn efficiency. Old electric drives do not provide the precision, speed or torque needed for accurate control, so a retrofitting program that replaces electric drives with pneumatic units is an easy way to improve efficiency and gain better performance.

In the application outlined below, several dual-arm damper drives, using Kinetrol Model 18 actuators, were specified to replace aging Bailey electric damper drives in a power plant in the southwest USA. These specific drives are used to control the desuperheater and reheater temperature at a gas fired plant. Not only was there a need for optimized performance for better fuel consumption and lower emissions, but the customer was also very concerned about reliability. The plant needed to know the new Kinetrol-based damper drives were immediately available, and ready for drop-in replacement as the Bailey drives failed. This was easily managed by designing pedestals and frames that matched the bolting patterns and envelope size of the existing Bailey units. The Kinetrol drives were designed to match the legacy footprint exactly, have the drive shaft and drive lever in the exact position, and provide a drive shaft and lever with the same dimensions as the Bailey drive.

The result is a high duty cycle, highly precise, long-life, fast acting, responsive, easily maintained, and easily automated damper drive.