Analysis of the sealing water costs in the paper- and pulp industry

Status

completed

Summary

Motivation: The INSTITUTE FOR HYDRAULIC FLUIDMACHINERY on the technical university of Graz accomplished at the begin of this year an operators questioning in Austria and Germany to deal with "Rotary Pumps in the Paper- and Pulp Industry". One of the results of this questioning was, that the issue "Sealing water" play a decisive role for a lot of operators. The main reasons therefore are:

• Pollution of the environment
• Wastewater treatment (costs,...)
• Energy- and water consumption
• Costs of operation (lifetime of the seals,...)

Here from arised the idea for this project.

Goals: The target of the project is to make a detailed determination of the sealing water costs (taking into account all influencing variables). A comparison with the cost of other seal systems should point out all users of pumps which need sealing water, that there are not only ecological motives but particularly economic reasons if they use in the future seal systems, which don't need sealing water.

A part from the cost reduction for the operators this would lead to a immense reduction of fresh water amount. According to profounded estimations, alone in the paper- and pulp industry in Austria and Germany could be economised annually between 8 and 10 m3 of fresh water, what equals the weekly water consumption of the Austrians (without industry and agriculture).

Content: At the used rotary pumps in the paper- and pulp industry are applied some different types of packings (stuffing box, simple floating ring seal, double floating ring seal, hydro mechanical seal) which need in part a lot of sealing water. Especially pumps with stuffing boxes, which are used frequently in this area, need a lot of fresh water for sealing purposes but also the other sealing versions need in part sealing water respectively there are leakages, what leads also to a water pollution.

Many operators know the problems with the sealing water, they accept it as a "required evil" but nobody knows the resulting costs, caused by the sealing water. By this project it will be possible for the first time to specify this costs. It shows all the operators, which reduction of costs there are possible in there companies, if they use sealing systems, which don't need sealing water.

Procedure: The project realisation must be effected naturally in close collaboration with representatives of the Austrian paper- and pulp industry, whose members can profit direct by the results of the project. The determination of the required dates should be made in the industry, at selected and representative companies. Further must be developed a measurement-and evaluation method, which have to be assumed, accepted and used by themselves.

Results: The result of this project is the knowledge of the sealing water costs (and also the knowledge of all influence parameters) for the operators of pulp pumps as well as the possible reduction of costs, if they use systems, which doesn't need sealing water. From all the information of the operators should be made a general applicable program to calculate in a easy manner the sealing water cost respectively the possible cost reduction if they use system which work without sealing water

Project manager

DI Klaus Senfter
Tel.: +43 (0) 316/ 873-7573
E-Mail: klaus.senfter@hfm.tugraz.at

Beatrix Kohlbacher
Tel.: +43 (0) 316/ 873-7571
E-Mail: beatrix.kohlbacher@hfm.tugraz.at

Project partners
Neusiedler AG
UPM Kymmene Austria (Steyrermühl AG)
SCA Laakirchen

Contact

O.Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Helmut Jaberg
Kopernikusgasse 24/IV, 8010 Graz
Tel.: +43 (0) 316/873-7571
Fax: +43 (0) 316/873-7577
E-Mail: helmut.jaberg@hfm.tugraz.at