Plant-wide Assessment Summary: $9.5 Million in Savings Identified through Inland Assessment Forest Products.

摘要

Inland Box Corporation and its partners applied a systematic plant-wide assessment (PWA) approach to identify energy- and cost-saving opportunities at the corporation’s linerboard mill in Rome, Georgia. The assessment team identified $9.5 million in potential annual savings. The Rome plant has two paper machines that produce an average of 2,400 tons per day of linerboard, used as the facing sheet in the construction of corrugated cardboard boxes. The assesssment team’s comprehensive strategy addressed mill-wide steam and power use, focusing primarily on reduction of steam generated as a by-product and reducing fresh water use. Improvements in efficiencies of the energy production systems were also considered. The assessment team recommended several projects, including: improving steam utilization and condensate collection systems, optimizing mill water processes to re-use water, modernizing paper machine lineshaft and fan pump drives, rebuilding pulp washers, replacing paper machine and pulp mill pumps and control valves with new pumps and variable-frequency drives, adding blow boxes to the paper machine, installing a new dryer hood, and rebuilding the broke (discarded paper or board) handling systems. These seven projects are slated for completion between 2001 and 2004. DOE funded the assessment at $75,000 and required at least a matching amount from Inland.