In an increasingly competitive market, pulp and paper mills are under continual pressure to improve efficiency, produce more from existing equipment, often with added product diversity, and maintain high quality levels. Plant optimisation and efficient use of resources are paramount.
Beca AMEC utilises a range of sophisticated modelling tools and methodologies to assist with analysing and improving plant performance. These include:
- mass and energy balances
- dynamic process modelling
- process control analysis
- capacity modelling
- mill optimisation.
Capacity modelling and auditing can establish the true capacity of a plant. Benchmarking, duration curve analysis and bottleneck identification can demonstrate how a client can make real productivity and quality gains by adjusting the process, product mix or other variables.
Mill optimisation is a proven methodology to achieve the maximum capacity and/or efficiency from a complete mill or its individual plants. The methodology uses performance audits, benchmarking and problem-solving to identify capacity and quality gains.
CAPEX reviews determine which capital expenditure option provides the biggest capacity or quality gain, while production planning verifies that the proposed sales demand can be met.
While these methodologies are not revolutionary, they represent smart business practice. For the mill, it means a fresh view of unit operations, using proven techniques.
Beca AMEC's methods offer the benefits of improving the overall efficiency of plant operations and identifying the right solution for any given scenario.