Nordic Paper Brings Valmet OptiBin Online at Bäckhammar Mill

 

Valmet’s (Finland) first OptiBin was recently started up at the Nordic Paper Bäckhammar pulp and paper mill near Kristinehamn, Sweden. In spite of a very tight schedule, the installation and assembly of the new chip bin exceeded expectations at Nordic Paper—everything had to be completed during the regular eight-day mill shutdown. 

 

OptiBin serves as a buffer before the digester and to remove air from the chips in an odorless manner. The new design is the result of years of development aimed at a cost-effective solution with as few moving parts as possible.

 

 

 

"The startup was very successful. We started production according to our schedule. What's more, even the startup curve, with a gradual increase in output, followed our plans. A week after the shutdown, we reached full production," said Jonas Lindqvist, deputy director of production and project manager at Nordic Paper. "There is still some residual points and, of course, some trimming to ensure that we achieve the goals we have set for the project," he added. 

 

"For us at Valmet, Bäckhammar was the perfect partner for taking our new development into practice. Partly because the mill is close to our development center in Karlstad, Sweden, and also because we've always had a very good relationship with Bäckhammar," said David Elfman, sales manager at Valmet.

 

Valmet's OptiBin can be used in various cooking processes. The design allows chips to flow smoothly and results in even pre-steaming and less runnability problems. Without good pre-steaming before cooking, the cooking liquor will not penetrate the whole chip, resulting in uncooked chips.