RUNNABILITY

The importance
of cleaning and deposit control
in improving paper machine efficiency
A cleaning program will greatly reduce the number of breaks
By L. Daignault and D.R. Jones
Abstract: Weyerhaeuser Inc., Dryden, ON, is a fine paper mill in Northern Ontario. An increased
emphasis on paper machine shutdown cleaning and deposit control has helped to substantially
reduce breaks and increase efficiency. A coordinated chemical deposit-control program was supplemented by cleaning programs focused on difficult to reach areas which were suspected as possible contributors to breaks. The programs involved are discussed and the correlation with
improved machine runnability is presented.
ULP AND PAPER mills experience the
build-up of a variety of deposits.
Depending on the nature and location of the deposit the effect can
range from benign to extreme. Loss
of production caused by sheet defects, breaks
and unscheduled shutdowns for cleaning can
and do occur. In general, paper machine deposit components fall into three major areas:
organic, inorganic and microbiological. In practice, most paper machine deposits will contain a
combination of some or all of these major component types.
Many types of cleaning programs are used to
reduce the build-up of deposits. These can be
mechanical and/or chemical and are used on
the run and during shutdown cleaning.
This paper discusses the use of continuous
deposit-control programs and shutdown cleaning
on No.1 paper machine at Weyerhaeuser Canada,
Dryden Operations and the positive effect that it
has had on runnability and over-all paper
machine efficiency. The various cleaning programs used are explained and the effect on
breaks and sheet defects documented.

THE PAPER MILL

L. DAIGNAULT
Weyerhaeuser Canada,
Dryden Operations
Dryden, ON

D.R. JONES
Buckman Laboratories
of Canada Ltd.
Vaudreuil-Dorion, QC
drjones@buckman.com

22

104:8 (2003)

Weyerhaeuser Canada, Dryden Operations is a

417,000-tonne/year (t/y) fine paper mill located
in Dryden, ON, in northwestern Ontario halfway
between Thunder Bay, ON, and Winnipeg, MB.
The paper mill has two machines: No.1 Patricia
produces 147,000 t/y, and No.2 Trillium produces 270,000 t/y. Both paper machines are Valmet Symformers.
Printing grades are produced. Basis weight
ranges from 60 to 105 g/m2. Furnish is predominately hardwood and softwood kraft produced by
the kraft mill on-site. Other furnishes that are
used include BCTMP.
The paper machine wet end is alkaline using
PCC as filler. The system pH is 8.0 and the temperature is 45C. A retention aid system is used.
The sheet is internally sized using ASA. Surface
sizing is done at the size press with starch and a
synthetic sizing agent.

CLEANING
Paper machine cleaning should involve all sections, from the forming to the reel. The cleaning
can be mechanical, chemical or a combination of
both. Cleaning programs can be applied during
paper machine operation, either continuously or
on an on/off time cycle. These on-the-run programs can reduce the speed of deposit build-up
and also control target deposit-forming materials
such as pitch or microbial slime. Deposits will still
build-up on the paper machine and regular shutdown cleaning is required to remove them.
Deposit build-up occurs in many areas of the
paper machine. Some of these deposits can lead
to loss of production, sheet defects and loss of
over-all efficiency. Scheduled cleaning is important in all areas. The paper machine sections are
discussed starting at the wet end and moving
towards the reel.
The Wet End: A microbial deposit-control program is used to control the build-up of slime. On
No.1 paper machine the microbial deposit-control program consists of two proprietary organic
microbicides applied in the broke, the short
white-water circuit and the save-all. The goal of
the microbial control program is to minimize the
build-up of microbial slime in the paper machine
stock system and on the wet end.
Microbial slime can result in sheet defects and
breaks but can also act as a binder for other
materials leading to the build-up of deposits.
Over the last two years changes were implemented to the microbial deposit-control program that
have improved the effectiveness of the program,
and have been a major factor in the improved
runnability of No.1 paper machine.
An inorganic microbicide program is used in
the recovered-water system. Analysis of sheet
defects and deposit samples revealed that
deposits were being directly deposited into the
sheet from the breast roll shower. This led to
treatment of the recovered-water system and regular shutdown cleaning of these tanks.
Sodium bromide is used with hypochlorite as
the activator. This program prevents the build-up

T 194 Pulp & Paper Canada

RUNNABILITY
of microbial slime on and in shower bars
such as the breast roll shower and also in
areas that the shower water hits. It has
proven to be effective and the sheet
defects coming from the breast roll shower have been eliminated.
Deposits on the wet end of the paper
machines are mainly stock, PCC and
microbial slime. Table I shows a typical
analysis of deposits from the paper
machine. The high percentage of ash and
calcium indicates that the deposit contains a large amount of PCC.
The type of deposit can change depending on the location. For example,
No.1 paper machine can have a build-up
on the roof of the white-water flume. This
can be seen at the white-water flume hatch
at the rear of the forming section. This
deposit, when present, is always almost
100% microbial slime. That provides a
good indication of the degree of microbial
slime in the paper machine system.
The microbial deposit-control program controls the build-up of slime, but a
good cleaning program is required to
remove the stock/PCC type deposits that
accumulate. The short white-water loop
on the paper machine receives a caustic
boil-out on a scheduled basis.
This program uses caustic and two proprietary cleaning chemicals designed to
help remove inorganic and organic
deposits. The boil-out solution is heated
to 60C and has a pH of 12. The solution
is circulated through the short whitewater circuit for a minimum of two hours.
This program has been in place for a
number of years.
Boil-outs are widely used in the paper
industry, especially in fine paper mills.
They are very effective at cleaning the
internals, piping and headbox of the
short white-water circuit. It has been
found, however, that a boil-out cant
remove all deposits from the wet end.
The boil-out solution flows out
through the headbox slice and is carried
over the foil-boxes by the forming fabric.
The boil-out solution flows through the
forming fabric and over the foil-boxes, but
only over the first two or three. In addition, areas such as the save-all are not
reached by the regular paper machine
boil-out.
Every six months or so a boil-out is
done starting in the stock prep system. An
alkaline cleaning solution is pumped forward through the various stock tanks, and
then finally to the paper machine system
where it circulates. Normally additional
caustic and/or cleaners will be added to
insure that target pH is maintained.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to circulate the boil-out solution through the
entire system beater to wet end. The
fact that all-stock chests must be empty
means that the full system boil-out is
rarely done.
For the reasons above, a foam-cleaning

Pulp & Paper Canada T 195

TABLE I. #1 PM Wet End Deposit Analysis.

Foilbox

% Extractives
% Ash
% Calcium
% Silicon
% Aluminum

1.0
46.2
40.6
1.8
0.8

0.8
49.2
44.7
1.9
0.7

0.9
47.5
41.8
2.0
0.9

program was started during shutdowns.

The wet end is hosed down to remove
loose deposits; these would be mainly the
build-up of stock that occurs. A portable
foam gun is used to spray a foaming caustic cleaner on all accessible surfaces. A
mildly alkaline degreaser is the product of
choice because it is effective in removing
grease as well as general dirt and deposits.
The low caustic product reduces the risk of
injury. The foam-cleaning unit uses an air
driven pump to throw the cleaning solution onto the machine surfaces. Air is also
injected into the cleaning solution to
create the foam. The foam is allowed to sit
for 15 to 30 minutes, and then rinsed off
with water. Good rinsing is important to
completely remove the caustic cleaning solution for safety reasons, and also to remove
the softened deposits. This method of
cleaning allows dirty areas to be targeted.
Extensive foam cleaning is scheduled
when forming fabrics are cut off. Without
the forming fabric in place, it is possible
to foam the inside of the foil-boxes and in
the centre of the paper machine areas
that are impossible to reach with the
forming fabric in place.
The foam cleaning has been proven to
be effective in cleaning off almost all
deposits. Some deposits such as hard
scale-like PCC deposits would require acid
foam cleaning or some sort of bead blast
cleaning.
Acid foam cleaning has not been tried
for safety reasons. Soda blast cleaning has
been used to clean the forming section of
No.2 paper machine. Plans call for the
cleaning of the forming section of No.1
paper machine with soda blasting when
scheduling permits. Soda blasting uses
baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) as the
bead. This type of bead blasting is used for
its ease of clean-up, because it does not
damage bearings on the paper machine.
It is possible that once the soda blasting has removed the deposits then a mild
acid foam-cleaning solution may be able
to control the build-up of the PCC scaletype deposits.
Pitch-type deposits in the forming section are only a problem when hardwood
kraft slush pulp is used. A proprietary
organic dispersant product is used at
these times to prevent these deposits. It is
applied through one of the forming fabric
cleaning showers continuously, when
hardwood slush kraft pulp is being used
on the paper machine.

At Dryden, mist eliminators have been

installed on No.2 paper machine. These
have reduced deposits in the forming section to a large degree. Mist eliminators
are being considered for No.1 paper
machine.
Save-all: The save-all has proven to be an
important area in deposit control. If it
remains dirty and untreated, it can then
serve as an area for deposit growth.
Deposits should not be allowed to grow to
the size that they start to fall off. If the
deposits are allowed to remain too long,
then microbial growth can occur. These
deposits can serve to help seed the system.
The save-all is cleaned on shutdowns
with a water hose. All that is required is
that the stock deposits that form on the
walls and the doors are removed.
Press Section: Shutdown foam cleaning is
also done in the press section, where the
press section framework is cleaned. If
press felts have been removed prior to the
foam cleaning, then press rolls and the
interior areas of the press section can be
foamed and cleaned.
Dryer Section: The dryer sections of the
paper machine are an area that often gets
neglected. Many mills will boil-out the wet
end and batch clean the press felts, but
will do little in the dryer section other
than clean the outside of the dryer hood
and doors.
In many cases this is due to the lack of
cleaning showers in the dryer sections.
Flooding showers are required to apply
cleaning solutions and to ensure proper
timely rinsing. It is very important to completely rinse the cleaning solution from
the dryer fabrics. This is especially true of
alkaline cleaning solutions, where high
temperatures in the dryer section can
work with any residual caustic and lead to
damage or even loss of the dryer fabric.
Currently, a cold-water wash is used to
remove starch and loose deposits. It is not
effective in removing organic-type material embedded in the dryer felts. For this
reason, chemical cleaning is being considered as well as the installation of continuous high-pressure cleaning showers.
The dryer fabrics are but one area of
concern. Number 1 paper machine was
experiencing sheet defects and breaks at
the calendar stack. Investigation lead to
the suspicion that deposits on the dryer
section felt rolls were the cause of these
defects. The first cleaning was done by
manually scraping the dryer felt rolls
104:8 (2003)

23

RUNNABILITY

FIG. 1. Wet end breaks, No. 1 PM, monthly average, number of breaks per day.

FIG. 2. Size press breaks, No. 1 PM, monthly average, number of breaks per day.

FIG. 3. Calendar, reel breaks, No. 1 PM, monthly average,

number of breaks per day.

FIG. 4. Total breaks, No. 1 PM, monthly average, number of

breaks per day.

clean with pieces of old doctor blades.

The reduction in defects and breaks was dramatic. Based on
the success of the manual cleaning, it was decided to use soda
blasting to clean the rolls. This has been done once with good
success. It is planned to continue this cleaning on a scheduled
basis. It is not known at this time how often the dryer felt rolls
would require cleaning.
Size Press: Like the stock system and the wet end of the paper
machine, the size starch system requires cleaning at the size
press and in the starch system itself. Starch deposits can be hard
to remove and over the years many different cleaning recipes
have been tried.
The big breakthrough in starch system cleaning has been the
introduction of enzyme-cleaning products. The enzyme used is
amylase, an enzyme that breaks down the starch deposits and
thus allowing them to be easily washed away. The enzyme is so
powerful and persistent that it is necessary to deactivate the
enzyme with hypochlorite or peroxide after the cleaning.
The Dryden mill has used the starch enzymatic cleaner for
the last few years with very good success. In the early enzymatic
starch cleanings the system was found to have leaks after the
enzyme boil-out. Starch deposits that had plugged the leaks were
completely cleaned away.
In addition to the enzymatic cleaning, regular caustic clean-

24

104:8 (2003)

ings of the system are done. These are effective but do not
match the enzyme cleaning. The size press area itself is cleaned
with hot water.

Rsum: Weyerhaeuser Inc. de Dryden est une usine de papier fin

du Nord de lOntario. En mettant davantage laccent sur le nettoyage
lors de larrt des machines et sur le contrle des dpts, nous avons
pu substantiellement rduire les cassures et accrotre lefficacit. Des
programmes de nettoyage des endroits difficiles atteindre et pouvant
contribuer aux cassures ont fait partie dun grand programme coordonn devant permettre de contrler les dpts de produits chimiques.
Ces programmes font lobjet de discussion et nous dmontrons la corrlation avec lamlioration de laptitude au passage sur machine.
Reference: DAIGNAULT, L., JONES, D.R. The importance of cleaning and deposit control in improving paper machine efficiency. Pulp &
Paper Canada 104(8): T194-197 (August 2003). Paper presented at the
87th Annual Meeting in Montreal, QC, on January 29 to February 1,
2001. Not to be reproduced without permission of PAPTAC. Manuscript
received November 10, 2000. Revised manuscript approved for publication by the Review Panel November 22, 2002.
Keywords: PAPER MACHINES, RUNNABILITY, SHUT DOWN,
MAINTENANCE CLEANING, DEPOSITS.

T 196 Pulp & Paper Canada

RUNNABILITY

PAPER MACHINE RUNNABILTY

The Dryden mill has maintained detailed
records of downtime and breaks for a number of years. Figures 1 to 3 show the average breaks per day for each month from
January 1998 to the present. Figure 1 is for
wet end breaks, Fig. 2 is size press breaks
and Fig. 3 is calendar and reel breaks.
In all three cases the trendline clearly
displays a marked reduction in breaks.
There are mechanical and operational
improvements that have also played a part
in the reduction of breaks and in good
production. The major part of the efficiency improvements is attributed to the
scheduled, intensive cleaning that has
and is being done.
In summary, Fig. 4 shows the average
total breaks per day for No.1 paper machine
from January 1998 to September 2000. The
trendline clearly indicates the marked reduction in breaks for the paper machine. This
has resulted in increased paper machine efficiency. In the time period discussed the absolute efficiency of No.1 PM has increased
from 76.7% in 1998 to 80.9% YTD 2000.

CONCLUSIONS
Over the last few years, a practice has been
followed on No.1 paper machine at Weyerhaeuser Canada, Dryden Operations that
has emphasized the importance of regular,
scheduled cleaning of all sections of the
paper machine. All areas of the paper mill
are involved, and need to be. Cleaning
from the beater to the winder is required to
enjoy all of the benefits of a clean system.
Step reductions in breaks cannot always be
attributed to specific cleaning operations.
In some cases, however, for example the
cleaning of the dryer felt rolls; a marked
reduction in sheet defects was noted.
The cleaning programs, in conjunction with the other deposit-control programs, have been a major factor in the
reduction of breaks and increases in efficiency that have been enjoyed. An excellent illustration of this is that No.1 paper
machine ran from 10:00 a.m. February 25,
2000, to 6:54 a.m. March 6, 2000, without
a break a total of 9.9 days.

Pulp & Paper Canada T 197

104:8 (2003)

25