Inspection in the Pulp and Paper Industry : preserving assets integrity
In this blog post, we’ll discusses the importance of inspection in the pulp and paper industry. Inspections preserve the reliability and integrity of installations, support asset maintenance, and reduce the risk of production downtime, which can significantly impact profitability. Regular inspections of heat exchangers, tubes, coils, boilers, tanks, pressure vessels, digesters, and bleaching systems are essential to prevent failure risks. A success story is also shared, where Nucleom’s team provided a turnkey inspection solution to a pulp and paper facility, including inpsection of repairs following a maintenance work.
Introduction
The pulp and paper industry encounters several challenges that necessitate efficient and reliable machinery and equipment. These challenges include meeting environmental regulations and optimizing production. Defects or damages on assets, such as corrosion, cracks, or wear and tear can affect equipment performance and lead to expensive production downtime.
Applications in the Pulp and Paper industry
In the pulp and paper industry, the drying step is essential in the transformation process as it consist of drying the pulp contained in the paper (or in other word, drying the paper fiber), which is why heat exchangers must be reliable and highly efficient. Regular inspections of heat exchangers’ tubes and coils are necessary to prevent corrosion and cracks to minimize the risk of failure, which can affect the factory’s production and energy bills.
Regular evaluation of weld integrity in components such as boilers, tanks, and pressure vessels is also essential to prevent failure risks. The inspection may face challenges due to the location and accessibility of the components, as well as their condition.
In addition, structures such as digesters, evaporators, recovery boilers, and bleaching systems are exposed to corrosive environments, leading to corrosion and cracking challenges. Corrosion detection and failure analysis inspections help minimize production shutdowns and equipment repair costs.
Success Story
Nucleom’s team managed the overall shutdown of a pulp and paper facility. We provided our client with a turnkey inspection solution that covered a wide range of NDT solutions such as Liquid Penetrant Testing (LPT), Ultrasound (UT), Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT), Radiography (RT), Magnetic Testing (MT), Positive Material Identification (PMI), Boroscopy, Thickness Measurement and welding services. We provided the customer with 7 NDT methods to perform defect detection and inspection of repairs following maintenance work. A team of 20 highly skilled technicians worked for a week and a half to ensure the successful completion of the project. Despite the short time range, we complied with the time set for the project. The client was satisfied of the results and was able to better plan its maintenance based on the detailed data provided in the reports.
If you’re interested in learning more about our inspection solutions for the Pulp and Paper industry or would like to discuss your inspection needs, contact our SALES TEAM
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