Cellynne re-writes the book on startups

By Mark Williamson, Journalist Engineer, Thornhill

Haines City, FL, Aug. 31, 2009 (RISI) - There are a lot of smiling faces at the Cellynne Tissue mill in Haines City, central Florida - and for a very good reason. The integrated tissue producer, converter and marketer has just started up its second Metso DCT100HS tissue machine and reached full production capacity in what must be a world record time. Full design speed of 6562 fpm (2000 m/min) while running 9 lb tissue was reached just twenty-four days after the first tissue web reached the reel on January 12, 2009. The 102 inch (2.59 meter) trim machine has a capacity of 35,000 tons per year.

Left to right: Jerome Bareth, Mario Maltais, Patrice Minguez, Jeff Hammonds

Metso supplied a complete tissue making package, including the DCT100 machine, stock preparation equipment, automated jumbo roll handling and a full scope of automation equipment integrated into the metsoDNA CR automation system platform. The Metso automation scope includes tissue machine operation controls (MCS), general process controls such as stock preparation, motor controls, steam and condensate, and Yankee hood controls (DCS) and a PaperIQ Plus quality control system (QCS) all integrated into the metsoDNA CR platform with a common operator interface. The Tissue Machine drive controls are linked into the metsoDNA CR system via ProfiBus so that the operators have a common graphical user interface. The startup of PM2 comes quickly on the heels of an almost identical DCT100 machine started up in April, 2006. Similar to PM2, PM1 was running smoothly after nine months from the initial site groundbreaking.

The 102 inch (2.59 meter) trim Metso DCT100 HS machine has a capacity of 35,000 tons per year.

Mario Maltais, Chief Operations Officer and General Manager, tells about the PM2 startup: "This is the most successful startup I have witnessed in my more than 30 years in the tissue industry. It was the fastest and most coordinated and all the elements fit together. This was all possible thanks to the combination of the professional services supplied by the Metso engineering and support group, the dedication of our paper mill management team and the hard work of our employees."

Jeff Hammonds, Mill Manager, adds his thoughts: "We expected a good startup but not as good as this. We re-wrote the book on startups."

Success copied

So how did this exceptional startup happen? Well, a lot of it had to do with tried and true technology, good startup and learning experiences with the first machine and a trusting working relationship between Metso and Cellynne staff. Going back to the PM1 decision, Cellynne liked the concept of a standardized tissue machine (the DCT100 concept) supplied by Metso. The idea of a compact, standard machine with integrated automation promised to keep engineering costs low and startups fast and effective. Those expectations played out well for PM1. Mario Maltais explains that, to avoid risk on PM2, Cellynne wanted to copy and repeat the PM1 success. Jeff Hammonds adds: "We wanted to stick with Metso and its integrated approach. We had a working model (between Metso and Cellynne) and we knew what to expect. So why not copy success?" And that success was dependent on familiarity and good teamwork. "Everybody knew each other. It was a small team that worked well together," says Mike Brook, Cellynne Project Manager.Veijo Korhonen, Metso's automation project manager, agrees that previous experience working with Cellynne and project contractors has been invaluable: "We have worked with Cellynne now for two projects with a very trusting and respectful co-operation. This cooperative spirit includes our electrical and automation contractors with whom we have worked on several projects in North America. We all know each other and we communicate well," he says. He emphasizes that experience gained from many previous North American projects with Metso tissue making specialists from Sweden and the United States has also contributed to the success.

Metso I/O (MIO) modules and flat panel electronic benchboards facilitate the control of the Metso SoftReel and the jumbo reel handling system, including the reel lifting table, shaft pulling and core feeding operations.

The training of staff for the PM2 was made much easier by having a sister machine and the same automation system in the next hall. PM1 was used as a training model. "What we learned from PM1 was transferred to PM2, "explains Jeff Hammonds. Jerôme Bareth, hired for his tissue making experience in his native France, was machine tender on PM1 and then became Superintendent for PM2 well before the startup. He was instrumental in training new staff hired for PM2. He sees the transfer of knowledge from PM1 to PM2 was very smooth and effective. And, for the PM2 startup, there were few surprises. "We saw a very good job of machine set-up by Metso," he says.

Jerôme Bareth (left) and Jeff Hammonds

Reproducible operation

Of course, in any startup unexpected things happen, and this is where the automation system's information gathering and diagnostic capability, called DNAHelp, has been useful in avoiding process halts and instabilities. "It helps us to find out process issues and how to fix them," says Jerôme Bareth. The DNAHelp function of the machine controls helps process operators to determine easily the first-causes of motor trips so interlocks can be cleared and halts avoided a soon as possible. The PM2 project scope included a long term historian for process information. The application, Trend Event Archive, was shipped before the PM 2 startup so it could be integrated into the PM 1 system. After the PM1 historian upgrade, PM2 was integrated with the information system available immediately at startup.Jerôme Bareth says the trending capability of the system has been useful in detecting process problems such as pump plugging and in establishing a consistent flow balance in the stock preparation system which has a short residence time. "Things happen quickly in stock prep, but we can see it happening in the system" says Bareth. "We can look back in time and replay the data. This helps us to compare present and previous production runs and to reproduce process conditions. It means more reproducible operation," he adds.

Robust and reliable

Kevin Metts, Electrical and Instrumentation Superintendent, sees the smooth startup of the machine as an unqualified success from his point of view as well. "The automation has been very reliable, with no mysterious problems. The QCS system (PaperIQ Plus) is very robust," he says. "We've had excellent support from Metso people from Atlanta and Sweden." He appreciates their contribution to the project success.In addition, he credits Metso, VOS Electric (the electrical contractor) and Hunt Construction (the general contractor) with an excellent E&I and system field checkout and water runs before the machine startup. Field transmitters were checked with a HART communication link.

Electronic benchboards

The automation system for PM2 was much the same as PM1 with one notable exception. Whereas all PM1 field input and output points were wired to a centralized rackroom, most of PM2 dry end I/O was pre-wired in remote cabinets which are installed on the machine floor next to the dry end. The new metsoDNA CR I/O modules (called MIO) are specifically designed for remote installation locations. As a result, the Metso SoftReel and jumbo roll handling interfaces and controls were fully tested at the Metso factory in Karlstad, Sweden and then started up "plug and play" on the machine. Typical startup issues were therefore avoided.In a departure from recent trends, the operator interface for these controls is not located in the control room; they are in flat panel "electronic benchboards" on platforms right next to the machine. Located where the action is, they serve the operators' needs the best.In a final note, Metts comments favorably on the ValmetSP blade consistency transmitters supplied with the machine. "Consistency measurement has come a long way from when it was flow sensitive. With the supplied flow straighteners the consistency measurement repeatability has improved a lot," he states. Several Metso NOVE sampling valves were also supplied for taking routine process samples.

Kevin Metts inspects remote Metso I/O (MIO) modules: These new remote I/O modules were remotely located from the rack room in pre-wired "plug-and-play" cabinets right next to the paper machine.

Right on schedule

So with PM2 cruising along at full capacity just a few months after startup Cellynne staff are fully satisfied with the Metso tissue making technology and knowledge and the excellent teamwork that helped to pull off this success. Patrice Minguez, President of Cellynne, summarizes the feeling: "We are very satisfied. Metso is a top notch company and they deliver what they say. They give you a schedule and it's right on time."