A recycled tissue mill was facing difficulty in 2019, challenged by aging and problematic legacy equipment. The drive system for the tissue machine was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. When the manufacturer, Harland Simon, went into administration, it became an issue the tissue business could no longer ignore. By keeping a drive system that was showing its age and no longer supported by the supplier, the business was leaving itself vulnerable. The tissue business called on system integrators, Industrial Automation & Control (IAC), to determine how, on a tight budget they could replace the old drives whilst retaining the existing DCS system.

The solution

Opting for a retrofit approach to keep costs down, IAC proposed extending the existing drive enclosures to make room for new ABB DC drives and associated hardware whilst introducing a Rockwell PLC to interface with the DCS system.

During a site survey it became evident that the old drives relied on built in mains supply conditioning. These filters were just as old and problematic as the drive IAC called CP Automation, who visited the site and carried out an audit, concluding that the old power supply conditioning was only performing to 50 per cent of its original capacity. Unless the tissue business wanted to pay ongoing power factor penalty charges by the generating board for inefficient power use, they had no other choice but to source a new power quality filter.

CP Automation proposed 4% AC line chokes, a Sine Tamer for transients and lightning protection, Comsys ADF filters for harmonic mitigation and reactive power compensation for the DC drives. At this point in the project, the tissue business was acquired by a larger and more stable paper hygiene products group. This proved exceptionally good timing, as the buyers recognised the need to invest in the required equipment to move forward.

The Implementation

“With the help of CP Automation, we were able to deliver a complete solution for our customer. Our customer made it clear that any break in production, to swap out the equipment had to be minimal. We planned all installation and commissioning tasks ahead of the shutdown which enabled the work to be completed efficiently.

"By utilising a team of our own technicians and engineers to remove redundant equipment, install new panels and commission the new drive system complimented by CP Automation who commissioned the filter system, migration to the new set up was a complete success.”

Conclusion

The tissue business is now in a much more secure position, using commonly used parts that they are familiar with for repairs and maintenance. Additionally, the effective power quality conditioning means an end to inefficient power use and the business will no longer be faced equipment replacements attributed to harmonic damage.