Emerson’s Danny Streets and Dennis Barrow shared their experience in optimizing pulp & paper batch digest operations. Their abstract:

Emerson has enhanced its SmartProcess Cook solution for batch digesters in the Pulp & Paper Industry taking advantage of the DeltaV system’s Human Centered Design (HCD) graphics and class based equipment modules to enhance the ease of use and quick identification of issues. These enhancements allow operators to identify and respond to potential problems in a faster, more efficient manner. SmartProcess Cook’s unique method of controlling the digester house can increase production and pulp yield while decreasing Kappa variability, steam and liquor usage with the overall result of improving pulp quality.

Danny opened by sharing the SmartProcess Cook solution has undergone enhancements taking an HCD approach. The focus was to enhance the ease of use and quick identification of issues. It helps control the digester house to increase production and pulp yield while decreasing Kappa variability, steam and liquor usage with the overall result of improving pulp quality.

SmartProcess Cook for batch digesters is used for both the kraft pulping and sulfite pulping processes. It includes control of all digester sequences from liquor and chip filling to the final blow. Digester scheduling and model-based cooking control are at the core and the application and it contains an operator interface and production and quality reports. These are custom-developed for the mill in which it is installed, since different mills require different information in their reports.

A common issue for mill operators is being inundated with alarms. Many digester control systems don’t do a good job at helping an operator identify these issues or present the current abnormal state of the process which can lead to overcooked digesters, lost production, variability in quality, not to mention creating a possible safety issue.

The enhancements simplified the colors used in the operator interface, based on HCD concepts to focus the operators’ attention to issues to be addressed. The operators have “single lever control” to provide an informative and operator friendly control system for the digester house.

The DeltaV equipment modules continuously indicate the current status or state of the module which provides the operator with a clearer understanding of what’s happening in the process.

You can connect and interact with other pulp & paper professionals in the Pulp & Paper track of the Emerson Exchange 365 community.