With a goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions 50% – equivalent to removing 15,000 plus cars from the road – and after years of extensive planning, permitting, and engineering, a U.S. paper mill broke ground for a new Recovery Boiler and other capital projects.  The plant produces containerboard – the strong brown paper used to produce shipping boxes and other packaging. 
 
Typical of most paper mills, the plant produces most of the steam and electrical power required to operate through on-site power and recovery methods.  The plant upgrade included the installation of a new Kraft recovery boiler, turbine generator, and water treatment and steam piping system.  The upgrade increased capacity and reduced dependence on purchased energy.  Normal operations at the plant continued during the upgrade period.
 
Renewable Energy
Much of the fuel used in a paper mill is consumed in boilers for generating high-pressure steam, creating electric power and heat.  A Kraft recovery boiler burns a waste by-product called black liquor (created from boiling wood chips) to generate steam which can then be used in the paper making process, as well as to power a steam turbine generator to produce electricity for the mill.  Large pumps feed water to the boiler and large fans supply air to the process.
 
Burning waste by-products as well asbiomass, such as bark and lignin, (additional by-products from making pulp), reduces the use and dependence on fossil fuels and also burns up various undesirable residues in the by-products. Biomass fuel from sustainably managed forests is considered to have a neutral effect on greenhouse gases because the regenerating forest absorbs the carbon dioxide released by burning the fuel.
 
The Dura-Bilt5i Solution
The mill selected the Dura-Bilt5i medium voltage drives to power four large motors connected to two feedwater pumps and two ID fans. Each Dura-Bilt5i included the integral 13.8 kV fused disconnect option which saved money, engineering and floor space, by eliminating the need for one very large, or four smaller, 13.8 kV to 4kV transformers, plus associated switchgear.
 

Dura-Bilt5i MV Cabinet
 
 
About the Dura-Bilt5i Medium Voltage Drive
The Dura-Bilt5i is a high performance medium voltage drive designed to be motor friendly and line side friendly, exceeding the IEEE 519-1992 stringent guidelines for input current distortion without requiring special filtering. Each Dura-Bilt5i includes a written 5 year parts and labor warranty in North America.