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Conditioning monitoring equipment from Monitran Ltd is playing a vital role in the effective planning of predictive maintenance schedules at the Aylesford based paper mill of SCA Packaging, which produces 230,000 tonnes per annum of fluting and liner paper for the packaging industry.
SCA Packaging has installed more than 400 of Monitran’s MTN/1100 series vibration sensors, hardwired to 25 MTN/3000 switch boxes throughout the plant. A monitoring programme is instigated on a five weekly cycle, with the resultant data being used to identify maintenance requirements for planned shutdowns.
The planned maintenance routine at the SCA Packaging Aylesford mill is an integral part of a proactive risk management and safety policy operated by the company, that has seen it invest in the region of £150 thousand over the last 3 years in new monitoring systems and equipment.
As Paul Spencer, Technical Supervisor at SCA Packaging explains, “Safety has always been a major issue in paper manufacturing, but this is improving with initiatives such as the 1998 PABIAC (Paper and Board Industry Advisory Committee of the Health and Safety Commission) initiative to drive forward a 50% reduction in accident rates by August of this year, which we are glad to say we have met.”
This has been in no small way, due to the fact that, with the Monitran vibration sensors installed, SCA Packaging is now able to monitor critical, difficult to access or hazardous areas remotely, simply collecting the data that is fed back to the switch boxes, installed in safe environments.
For example, Monitran MTN/1100CQ quick-fit accelerometers are installed to monitor vibration in areas such as the machine hood which operates up to in excess of 60 deg. Wet bulb GT.
“All of the bearings running on the actual paper machine are critical to its operation and we cannot afford any unplanned downtime through failure,” says Paul Spencer. “Unplanned downtime is a cost everyone is trying to reduce. With Monitran sensors installed to monitor vibration on all the cylinder and winder bearings, we have been able to reduce unplanned downtime for bearing failure.”
In total the paper machine, known as PM6, encompasses 64 drying cylinders, that are processing a 6.5 metre wide web, running at a speed of 650 m/minute, with drive bearings being monitored on all.
Furthermore, the Monitran MTN/1100CQ sensors are also playing a vital role in monitoring the performance of sealed fan and motor units, located in the plant’s environmental system, which is on the roof of the machine house.
Once again, the ability of the sensors to be hardwired back to the MTN/3000 switch box for data collection, eliminates the need for any disturbance of the sealed fans and motors being monitored and reduces any risk to employees.
SCA Packaging are making significant investments in a new fibre preparation plant and a new water and effluent treatment plant at the Aylesford site.
“When specifying new plant, we now ask that, as standard, all bearings used have the facility to be fitted with accelerometers for vibration monitoring as part of our predictive maintenance programme,” comments Paul Spencer. “With some sensors already being installed in the new plant.”
In addition to the MTN/1100CQ quick-fit accelerometers, SCA Packaging is also using a number of Monitran’s low profile MTN/1100SHC sensors, for installation in areas where space is restricted. Typical installations at the plant include the monitoring of rotor bearings on screens in the process.
The data from the Monitran accelerometers is collected using a portable data logger from the MTN/3000 switch boxes and downloaded to a central computer for analysis and reporting. Frequency graphs from the bearings monitored provide the engineering team with an accurate representation of the current operating condition of the plant, from which maintenance requirements during the planned shutdown are scheduled, or if possible, repairs are made in safe areas while the plant is still running.
SCA Packaging has specified Monitran accelerometers and switch boxes from the start, based on a combination of recommendations from other users of the products, pricing, good deliveries and technical support.
SCA has established an excellent working relationship with Monitran over the last three years, working closely with them to identify and develop the most appropriate solutions for our application.
The next stage for SCA in the process is to move from periodic to continuous monitoring and they will be looking at this, in conjunction with Monitran, in the longer term.
The mill dates back to 1920 when its founder Albert E Reed started production of paper at Aylesford. Since then its ownership has changed hands several times, the most recent being in 1990 when the Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget group (SCA) bought the mill in a package costing £1.05 billion.
The SCA Company is based in Sweden and the business group headquarters is in Belgium (SCA Packaging).
New Hythe Mill became a ‘one-machine mill’ in 1997 when PM2 closed.
PM6 was last rebuilt in 1994.
