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Nip Impressions� is Paperitalo Publications' flagship publication.  Published every Thursday afternoon (US Eastern Time), Nip Impressions� is eagerly read by pulp and paper professionals around the world.


7 May 14: Materials 3: Structures
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LGMI is all about reducing the weight of a pulp or paper facility, but this has to be done in a smart way.

 

Take structures, for instance. Concrete is obviously very heavy compared to other materials, but it is also relatively inexpensive in most applications and can be used fairly liberally except in one situation.

 

What is that situation?  When it is up in the air, say, on an operating floor.  For in a modern building, where the operating floor is about 7 meters above the basement, which is actually at ground level, all the weight of all that concrete on the operating floor is transferred to the foundation by building columns.  In North America, building columns are usually steel (not so in other parts of the world). Steel is relatively expensive compared to concrete.

 

As usual, we need to make sure we are thinking about all aspects of the design when we build a new facility.

 

We will be announcing our 2014 LGMI Conference details soon.  We have chosen a great location.  You may want to come and share your wisdom or absorb the wisdoms of others.  Watch for details.

 

Any comments?  Let us know by sending an email to [email protected]
with "LGMI Frontiers" in the subject line.

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We had some feedback on last week's topic:

Jim,

As usual, a great thought provoking article. Tweaking vs innovation will always be a  competitive "game" as we challenge the innovators to "get out of the box" but still want them to start by making sure they are aware of what is already known so they do not reinvent.

  

As I read your comment, I just couldn't stop thinking about a TAPPI article many years ago that showed a tree and listed some of the many products that could be produced with this solar powered, renewable resource. Today the list could probably be expanded 10 fold.

  

Just hope that the "green machine" can produce more than just bales and rolls of conventional pulp and paper (and 2 x 4's), otherwise we could end up just tweaking. Assuming they consume many similar nutrients from nature, the challenge could be framed as the hornet vs the silkworm.

  

All the best,
Bob Eamer


Jim,

You wrote:

"For instance, it would be an interesting exercise to take a group of classically trained engineers and scientists with no pulp and paper industry experience and ask them to take a tree and make it into paper, without the benefit of any prior knowledge."

WHY TREES???

Mark Lewis

EDITOR'S REPLY: I guess we could try paper clips, but I think they would be awfully expensive.

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And some feedback on the topic from the week before that


Jim,

  

You are on the right track.  I dream of a paper machine that could make a grade change in 5 minutes or less-not by smearing specs so that the grades over-lap, but by fast response of the machine's systems.

 

What would that mean?  Most significantly it would mean reduction of wet end volume from 1000's of gallons to an almost 'straight-through' system which would mean outstanding mixing and on-line process monitoring and control.  This concept is totally in-line with other LGMI concepts of a small, light, nimble, high-efficiency paper production system.

 

Getting rid of the headbox should be an integral part of that.  One should start by defining the purpose of the headbox such as "To properly (?) align fibers and distribute them evenly across the wire"  Experts could embellish this.

 

Like you, if a group of NASA engineers (and several are available) were engaged to design a system to accomplish this, I seriously doubt that we would recognize it as a 'headbox'.  Further, suppose they were able to design a system that could do that at 3-5% consistency rather than 0.1%; what would that do to the design of the machine.  That would be totally consistent with my goal of a short dwell-time wet end and fast grade changes.

 

The sad part is that our industry experts typically refine the design rather than replace the concept; we have very few 'paradigm-busters' among us.

 

Ed Turner  


 

 

 

LGMI Design Practices
LGMI DESIGN PRACTICES ARE NOW AVAILABLE! 
  
As always, your comments will be appreciated.
Think light!

 

Brian Brogdon, Ph.D.
Executive Director

 

or

 

Jim Thompson
Founder
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Available for download: 2013 LGMI Conference Presentations.
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LGMI Weekly Ideas are presented for your consideration and inspiration only.  It is solely your responsibility to check for engineering correctness, applicability, standards, insurance policy and local, national or any other legal compliance required before implementing.  Neither The Light Green Machine (TM) Institute, Paperitalo Publications, Talo Analytic International, Inc., nor any individual associated with these entities accepts any responsibility for your application or compliance issues.

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