Recovery Division

Profile

The Recovery Division is one of the world’s market leaders in providing systems, equipment, and processes used in chemical recovery plants in pulp mills.

The products of the Division include chemical recovery boilers, evaporation plants, effluent evaporators, NCG systems, and TMP heat recovery systems.

The Recovery Division’s major activities are centered in Helsinki and Varkaus, Finland, with significant operations in Alpharetta, GA, USA; Stockholm, Sweden; and Curitiba, Brazil.

Business Development

Work is progressing on the chemical recovery island ordered by UPM-Kymmene’s Wisaforest pulp mill in Pietarsaari, Finland.  This delivery includes the world’s largest evaporation plant and chemical recovery boiler.  When the chemical recovery plant is completed, it will produce approx. 600 MW of thermal power and 140 MW of electric power from renewable natural resources. Start-up is scheduled for April 2004.

Andritz is also delivering a recovery island to Zellstoff Stendal GmbH in Arneburg, Germany.  This recovery island is capable of meeting the tightest environmental regulations using up-to-date technologies developed by Andritz. Start-up is scheduled for the second Quarter of 2004.

Major Orders

• In Europe, Neusiedler (SCP) ordered a new recovery boiler for its Ruzomberok mill in Slovakia.  A couple of months later, the company also ordered an evaporation plant upgrade and NCG system for the mill, and, in November, Neusiedler completed the recovery package with an MVR pre-evaporator.  

• Portucel Industrial SA ordered major recovery boiler and evaporator retrofits for its Tejo mill in V.V. Rodao, Portugal.  

• Mondi Ltd. ordered a new black liquor evaporation plant for its Richards Bay mill in South Africa as well as a strong and weak malodorous gas handling system.

Research and Development

Much of the R&D effort in the Recovery Division has been in the area of reducing air emissions.  The main targets have been NO_x and greenhouse gases.  As many countries have ratified the Kyoto Protocol, customers are interested in the latest environmentally friendly technologies.

For the recovery island, the main developments have been around the High Efficiency Recovery Boiler (HERB).  The goal is a considerable increase in electrical generation capacity.  The first such boiler under construction is for the Wisaforest project in Pietarsaari, Finland. Higher steam parameters needed for HERB may require chlorine and potassium control in the mill.  The first chlorine removal system based on recovery boiler fly ash recrystallization (ARC) is under construction for Soporcel in Portugal.

Another essential element for lowering emissions is the development of the Vertical Air™ system with improved furnace processes.  With this technology, nitrogen conversion into NO_x is minimized.  Several plants based on this technology are already in operation.

Focusing on safety, the Division developed a modularized system for recovery boiler safety management, the RBS-Z20.  The system provides a safety concept approved by European authorities.  The system was first piloted in Värö, Sweden, and is now under installation in Stendal, Germany.  Later, it will be delivered to Soporcel, Portugal and Ruzomberok, Slovakia.  

The RBS-Z20 system ensures that the boiler is engineered strictly according to requirements assessed in safety analyses, built according to validated plans, and thoroughly tested while witnessed by authorities.  The concept includes a panel-type visualization system for local operators and a data link to mill automation for remote monitoring.

For design and training purposes, the Division created a Dynamic Recovery Boiler Model.  When integrated into the IDEAS simulation platform, it is used for simulation of operating conditions such as start-ups and shutdowns, production and liquor quality changes, as well as process disturbances and malfunctions.  A virtual plant is easily created for operator training well before construction is completed on the actual boiler.  Delivery times can be accelerated, since the mill’s automation system can be fully staged with the dynamic simulator to reduce the field-testing and start-up time.