An Overview of Process Engineering Work in the Pulp & Paper Industry By Rich Bankhead

Prince Albert Rothschild Valliant Plymouth Cedar River Manufacturing Locations that I worked NORPAC

Cedar River Paper Mill  Cedar Rapids, Iowa #1 PM Startup: March 17, 1995 #2 PM Startup: April 1, 1996  2700 tpd production of Linerboard and Corrugating Medium  100% Recycle Post-Consumer Waste  225 Team Members 4 Process Teams (32 People per team) 50 Optimization Team Members Support Staff

Process Flow Diagram #1 OCC #2 OCC #2 Stock Prep #1 Stock Prep #1 PM #2 PM #1 Winder #2 Winder Shipping WT System Raw Materials Customer OCC

Raw Materials

Screening and Cleaning

Process Control

Paper Machine Wet End

Paper Machine Press Section

Paper Machine Dry End

Paper Quality

Finished Rolls

Environmental Stewards Weyerhaeuser  Invested over $1.5 billion for environmental protection  Promised to reduce greenhouse gas emission by 40%  Reuse 90% of chemicals used in paper making process  40% of wood fiber is from recycled wastepaper  Generate 2/3 of required energy from the manufacturing process itself Cedar River Paper  Recycled 2 billion pounds of OCC last year  Year-to-date recycled over 50% of our industrial waste  By 2008 CRP will have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 60%  Practice minimum impact manufacturing

Process Engineer  What does a process engineer do?  Jack or Jill of all trades safety environmental quality technical support budgeting chemical handling training fire fighting: daily problem solving process improvements projects interface with suppliers interface with customers computer systems support

Skills needed to do job  Technical Skills Engineering  Applied math (statistics!), physics, biology, chemistry Accounting  Without understanding money it is hard to add value to a business Computer Skills (Word, Excel, Power Point, Database)  Social Skills Communication (Read, Write, Speak, Listen) Initiative Leadership (Everyone’s responsibility) Respect, Trust and Integrity

Chemical Engineering Applications  Mass and Energy Balances on a Hood system  Flash Steam Flow in Condensate System  Jet Velocity Control out of the Headbox  Moisture Control with a spray shower  Surface and Colloid Science  Steam control in a dryer section  Functional chemistry of paper making

Daily Activities  Process ownerships including Complete rounds Review process and equipment set points Track runability Monitor quality data Use process data to understand  Water Usage  Energy Usage  Steam Usage  Chemical Usage  Tons Produced  Downtime  Effluent Production  Emissions  Work with vendors New/better equipment New/better chemicals  Lead special teams Chemical Management Project teams Residual Management Safety  Work with People Leadership Laboratory Technicians Maintenance Teams Process Teams Administration Accounting Contractors Vendors