Press Section Performance Monitoring, PaperCon '09 Conference

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The adage, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t control it” certainly applies to papermaking. Until recently, visibility into press section performance was severely limited, yet for years, steamboxes, crown- and zone-controlled rolls, and other devices have been used to control sheet moisture in the press section. It is therefore not surprising to hear a papermaker say that his “papermaker’s dream came true” with the installation of a fast, robust and compact wet-press moisture measurement system. The papermaker finally had a means to monitor the operation of his press section.

This paper examines data from several global installations of a small, scanning, fiber-optic moisture measurement system that delivers cross-direction profiles in seconds on a broad spectrum of applications. The results will show how problems can be exposed and processes brought under tighter control using this system. The measurements enable evaluation and optimization of individual press section elements, leading to production and quality improvements and/or energy savings.