Honeywell, Morris Township, N.J., USA, announced yesterday that it has been selected to provide the process control system for a new pulp mill under construction in the Chita region of southeast Russia—the first greenfield pulp mill to be built in Russia in 35 years. Built and operated by Russian North Star Pulp Industrial Complex LLC, but wholly owned by Chinese firm Heilongjiang Xingbang International Resources Investment Co., the new pulp mill will use Honeywell's Experion® Process Knowledge System (PKS) to run plant operations. 

The new mill will have an annual capacity of 230,000 metric tons of unbleached market pulp when fully operational. Startup is expected in mid-2015.

The entire output of the mill will be exported to China to meet the growing demand for paper goods there, including construction material, packaging, and other products. Consumption of paper-based goods in China continues to rise at a rate of around 10% a year and is expected to reach 115 million metric tons in 2015. The new pulp mill project is one result of efforts for greater cooperation between Russia's Chita region and the neighboring Heilonhjiang province of China.

"Having efficient control systems in place helps improve production performance several times over, so we put a great emphasis on choosing the right ones. Honeywell's Experion PKS fully meets our requirements in terms of energy efficiency, reliability, and safety," said Yang Guangwen, chief engineer and vice general manager, North Star Pulp Industrial Complex. "In addition, Honeywell has offices in Siberia and in China, which will make our collaboration easier."

Honeywell's Experion® PKS will be installed in all of the mill's major process areas including wood preparation, pulping, and drying, as well as the chemical recovery and combined heat and power plant.

"Honeywell has the innovative technologies and the depth of experience in the pulp and paper industry to meet North Star Pulp Industrial Complex's need for a highly productive and efficient pulp mill," said Jarmo Kosunen, program director for Honeywell Process Solutions. "Our technology will manage every main process in the mill, improving productivity, process reliability, and helping to prevent unplanned shutdowns."