Tamil Nadu's expanding jewel in an Indian crown Part II

By Mark Rushton, Editor, Pulp & Paper International Magazine, RISI

BRUSSELS, May 9, 2011 (RISI) - Tamil Nadu, one of the top five integrated pulp and paper producers in India, is challenging itself to increase paper and pulp production by the end of 2011 amid infrastructure limitations and a battle for raw materials. Part I can be read here.

Pulp expansion - bagasse and deinking

The chemical bagasse pulp lines include two lines, "At the moment we cook raw materials in two different locations, which are around 400 meters apart," explains Varadarajan. "We then bring the unbleached pulp to a single ECF bleach line. As part of the next mill expansion plan we are doing a backward integration to make it one single line. We have two chemical bagasse pulping lines 400 meters apart, the first line has two digesters followed by brownstock washing screening and bleaching and the second line has three digesters also followed by brownstock washing and screening as well as bleaching. In the new expansion plan, we have installed a 550-tonne/day ECF bleaching line which will now receive unbleached pulp from both lines. We are then going to introduce brownstock washing and screening, which will result in one single line. The digesters will then also be moved to the new location and eventually all the equipment on lines 1 and 2 will be retired."

The target of the investment is not only to improve overall performance by bringing two lines into one, but also the new technology will improve the pulp quality and minimize environmental impact by reducing water consumption, use of chemicals and emissions outflow. Metso has supplied all the equipment for the expansion and improvement of the mill's pulp line, including cooking, screening and washing based on its latest TwinRoll press technology and oxygen delignification. The end result of the modification will mean that TNPL will have the world's largest single line for bagasse.

Yet another area of expansion is the move into recycled paper production. Work on the de-inked pulp plant has recently been started at the mill, Andritz having won the order. Varadarajan says: "Basically the plant will be making 300 tonnes/day of deinked pulp. It will enable the company to increase the pulp capacity in more than one way rather than expanding purely on the bagasse side. The pulp will be used to replace any purchased pulp we now bring in. We hope to be up and running at the end of 2011."

Wastepaper will mostly be imported, and the mill estimates that it will need around 450 to 500 tonnes/day. "To start with we have to import, to see how this works, but we have plans to set up a paper recovery model of our own in the near future," adds Varadarajan.

The new deinking plant will have three loops - another first in India for TNPL - and two dispersers. The raw material to be used in the DIP line will be 80% sorted office waste and 20% magazine grades.

TNPL’s new PM 3 which has been brought in not only to increase capacity, but also to address the increasing high quality printing market

The paper machines

PM 1, first installed in 1985, has a capacity of around 105,000 tonnes/yr and runs at 725 m/min, PM 2 has a capacity of around 125,000 tonnes/yr and runs at 950 m/min. PM 1 was originally a Beloit machine, PM 2 is a Voith machine. Both were then upgraded together in 2002 by Voith. "We also did some lifecycle extensions recently, to change the headboxes to dilution- type boxes," says Varadarajan

The recently started up PM 3 machine, supplied by Voith, has a design speed of 1,200 m/min, a trim width at the reel of 5.45 m and an annual capacity of 155,000 tonnes/yr. The machine has been designed to fit perfectly into TNPL's product mix, which includes surface sized grades, copier paper and pigmented grades.

PM 3 comes with an hydraulic type headbox with dilution water control system, a Fourdrinier with top wire former and tandem shoe press and a dryer section consisting of pre and post size press groups. The machine also has a pre metered size press for surface sizing and pigmenting for up to 5 grams a side, with provisions for coating at a later date. It also has a single soft nip calender.

PM 3 has been brought in not only to increase capacity, but also to address the increasing high quality printing market which this particular area of India is known for. R.V. Krishnan, general manager, paper division at TNPL says: "The printing industry in this country is highly advanced, and printers in the area are always looking for big improvements in paper quality. These printers are using eight color presses both web and sheet fed, and this is the challenge we must meet today. The biggest problem we experience with paper made from bagasse is low bulk, which we are addressing with the new PM 3 which has a tandem shoe press. This enables us to maintain the original bulk whilst maintain quality and smoothness provided by a single soft nip calender. So we hope to be able to address this high quality market with PM 3.

PM 3 started up on December 25, 2010.

The products

The product range at the mill includes surface sized products, cream wove, offset printing papers and copier paper. The company supplies vendors all over the country, as well as government departments. Export goes to countries in the Middle East, Africa and South America, as well as to Malaysia and Sri Lanka. The mill exports to around 25 countries around the world.

"Exports have been growing. Last year we exported around 50,000 tonnes of various grades and this will increase. Although we have a growing home market, there is tough competition from all over India, so we also need the outside markets. In India we have 66 outlets, and a number of direct outlets, for example the Government Textbook Society, they order from us because we are the only mill that can turn this sort of paper around in two to three days. But we need this export market because of the advantages, for instance bulk orders, say 500 tonnes in one shipment. That is just the sort of orders we thrive on, quick turnaround orders that we ship to the port just 140 kms from here," says Krishnan.

The future

New capacity for the generation of power has also been needed for the latest mill expansion. The company will be replacing three of its 60 tonne/hr boilers with a 125 tonnes/hr CFBC boiler, as well as the installation of a turbo generator of 40 MW resulting in a combined power generation of 91.12 MW. Start up is expected in late 2011. The mill also has a wind farm which generates 35.50 MW, all of which is sold to the national grid.

But the mill is not stopping there with its onward advancement; other projects at hand include the a 600 tonnes/day ‘mini' cement plant which will be set up to utilise lime sludge and fly ash. "Lime sludge from the mill, and fly ash from the boilers will used as the raw material for this project which will start up in December 2011", says Varadarajan.

TNPL will also shortly have a Precipitated Calcium Carbonate (PCC) site close at hand, although it will not be operating the plant. The unit will be set up by Swiss company Omya, which will build, own and operate the plant. TNPL will supply all the input chemicals and utilities, for instance steam, power and flu gas. In return it will receive quality filler material at a much lower cost without any capital outlay of its own.

Clearly TNPL is a modern, far reaching and ambitious mill which is living up to its mission statement, "To be the market leader in the manufacture of eco-friendly world class papers adopting innovative technologies".

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