NEWS

(13.11.2020 / sbr)

New ABB Weight Virtual Measurement reduces sheet break recovery time and boosts mill profitability

ABB launched Weight Virtual Measurement, an ABB Ability™ Performance Service that allows paper, packaging and tissue manufacturers to recover quickly from sheet breaks. It works by reducing the amount of off-spec paper produced directly after sheet breaks and during the subsequent start-up period, potentially saving thousands of dollars each year.

The new digital solution uses inputs that affect product weight - such as stock flow, consistency, first pass retention and machine speed - to provide an online conditioned weight measurement during a sheet break event when the Quality Control System (QCS) weight sensor cannot provide a measurement since there is no paper to be measured.

By providing operators with a continuously optimized, machine-learning generated measurement model, or ‘soft sensor’, Weight Virtual Measurement helps reduce downtime, improve grade change times and decrease the time to achieve on-spec paper. Operator displays combine various inputs and highlight when the Virtual Measurement is available in the absence of the QCS measurement. Operators can view the current status and work with a choice of adjustments to get back on target.

“Our new Weight Virtual Measurement solution is unlike any other in that it combines deep industry expertise with advanced analytics, machine-learning technologies, proprietary modelling and auto-calibration techniques to create an accurate and robust virtual sensor,” said John Schroeder, Global Product Manager for ABB Ability™ applications for pulp and paper. “This will enable mills to make more strategic decisions such as balancing the cost options of getting their production up and running faster versus delaying putting the paper on the reel to avoid compromising their paper quality.”

Weight Virtual Measurement joins the ABB Ability™ Performance Service suite that includes other Virtual Measurement features for pulp and paper mills, all of which do not require an ABB DCS or QCS for implementation. It is delivered via ABB Ability™ Collaborative Operations, a service delivery model that connects production, headquarters and ABB personnel with remote access to ABB digital technologies, data analytics and domain expertise, and incorporates ongoing performance monitoring and analysis of the online calculated weight.

For more information about the solution go to: https://new.abb.com/pulp-paper/abb-in-pulp-and-paper/service/advanced-services/performance-services-for-paper-mills/weight-virtual-measurement.