EUROCON - PulpEye - Pulp Analyzer for Optimal and Stable Pulp Quality

Eurocon is a technical, processing-consultancy company with many years of experience and a wide span of knowledge of the pulp and paper processing industry. In January 2004 Eurocon released PulpEye, a robust and flexible pulp analyzer utilizing the very latest pulp analysis and measurement technology. PulpEye is the ultimate analyzer for the pulp and paper industry, with performance of up to 60fps. A complete fiber analysis takes 30 to 40 seconds with 100,000 objects.

When fully equipped, the PulpEye measures consistency, freeness, fiber dimensions shive content and brightness. Applications exist in all areas: kraft pulp, mechanical pulp, recycled fiber and stock preparation.

AUTOMATIC FIBER, SHIVE, FREENESS AND BRIGHTNESS MEASUREMENT

PulpEye can handle automatic pulp samples from one or more different positions as well as manual samples. After conditioning the pulp sample, tests are carried out in different modules for freeness, fiber dimensions shive content and brightness. The analyzer has assigned space for additional future modules.

In the freeness module the drainage rate is recorded and the result is presented as CSF (Canadian Standard Freeness) or SR (Shopper Riegler). In the fiber / shive module, fibers and shives are measured by a very powerful image analysis system. The fiber results are presented as length, width, curl and fines. The shive results are presented as number of shives per gram of pulp and percent shive content (no/gram, %).

PULPEYE: ON-LINE AND MANUAL PULP SAMPLING

With the PulpEye pulp analyzer, sampling can be performed both on-line and manually. With its modular design the PulpEye can be easily adapted to the needs of the customer and updated with new measuring modules at a later date. The software is integrated into each measuring module, which simplifies upgrades of the individual modules.

The use of the latest measuring techniques together with the best camera technology and image analysis gives PulpEye unique performance; combining high measuring accuracy with the shortest possible pulp analysis time.

PulpEye has only a few moving components and with our selection of components and solutions it will stand up to the demands of 24 hour-a-day operation in the tough environment of a pulp mill.

THE PULPEYE ANALYZER - LATEST CAMERA SYSTEM

The PulpEye analyzer is based on the latest camera system, which consists of a 512 x 1,526 CMOS sensor with 1536 RISC processor working simultaneously.

Designed to achieve a much higher image rate compared to other camera systems, the PulpEye analayzer can handle image processing directly inside the camera, ensuring better statistical analysis and shorter measuring cycle time. A complete fiber analysis takes about 30 to 40 seconds (100,000 objects).

The camera system is capable of rapid image processing and can produce high-resolution pictures of a single element such as fibers or shives. These images can be used for investigations of different streams around refiners and screens.

CONTROLEYE FOR PULP AND PAPER QUALITY CONTROL

Eurocon have excellent skills in developing, manufacturing, installing and servicing analyzers for the pulp and paper industry. A good analyzer, that automatically performs accurate measurements at high speed, is a necessity for supervising and controlling important quality properties in the production line. This contributes to an added value from both lower production cost and more stable quality.

Eurocon can supply a complete quality control system by combining knowledge from our new PulpEye analyzer and ControlEye. ControlEye is a supervisory control system for optimization and control of fiber quality and reduces freeness variation up to 70% (standard deviation).

PULPEYE - THE PULP ANALYZER PROVEN IN PULP MILLS

During 2003, at the Rottneros mill in Sweden, the Rottneros group and Eurocon Analyzer began cooperating to evaluate the PulpEye. The objective was to evaluate the pulp analyzer in a real paper mill environment and to tune the different measurement features and the user interface.

The Rottneros mill produces 75,000 tonnes of SGW and 75,000 tonnes of CTMP in a wide range of qualities regarding wood species, freeness and brightness. It was the perfect environment to test the PulpEye pulp analyzer.

The evaluation of the prototype started in August 2003 with two samplers, one in each production line. Since then the pulp analyzer has been in continuous operation with excellent results. In March 2004 the prototype was replaced by a commercial unit with four samplers in strategic position along the production lines.

The Rottneros, Rockhammar and Utansjö mills in Sweden were updated with new PulpEye analysers during 2004 and 2005.

More recently, Iggesund Paperboard have installed the PulpEye pulp analyzer with sample points in both the fiber line and in the board mill, with start-up during January 2007. PulpEye will also be used for product development.

Iggesund Paperboard anually produces 545,000 tonnes of paperboard at factories in Iggesund and Strömsbruk, Sweden, and Workington, England.

Eurocon have also sold a PulpEye analyser with four sample points to Holmen Paper's Hallstavik paper mill (Sweden). The installation will be in the TMP line.