Keeping Track

Voith’s Rebuild Measures Secure Energy Savings and Efficiency Increases in the Dry End for Papierfabrik Jass

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  • Improvement in PM availability through better runnability
  • Energy savings through state-of-the-art heat recovery solutions
  • Increase in web width to 5,160mm
  • Migration of the Voith QCS system into a new automation solution
  • Reduced maintenance required

In March 2024, Voith carried out extensive upgrades to the predryer section and the heat recovery of paper manufacturer Jass’ PM3 at its Fulda site. Since up to two-thirds of the energy consumed during paper production is required in the dryer section, Jass is achieving great savings potential and significantly increased machine availability at the site. The measures implemented during the month-long rebuild now show their effect. The company reports improved runnability and energy savings in the dryer section of PM3, which produces 280,000 tonnes of paper annually with basis weights of 120 to 140g/m².

Despite several parallel works, the rebuild went smoothly and within the scheduled time. Voith’s expertise and good teamwork have contributed significantly to this success. We are extremely satisfied with the innovations, which we see as an important building block for our future.

Michael Habeck, Technical Director at Jass

“Our modular solutions are an effective way to modernise existing paper machines and unlock significant savings potential. With a rebuild phase of just under a month, we were able to noticeably increase the efficiency of the production processes at Jass and at the same time achieve energy savings in the dryer section,” stated Stefan Kiel, Project Manager at Voith Paper.

Clean Design for smooth operations
In the TG1 and TG2 dryer groups, Voith implemented a new Clean Design concept that was already introduced at the Schwarza plant in 2015. With this design, the drying process is carried out on internal guide rolls, which enables more convenient operation and has a positive effect on maintainability. In particular, the measure leads to an even more efficient and smoother production process. Modifications to the web stabilizers ensure stable web pickup from the dryer and good pocket ventilation. The dryer fabric tension was optimised with redundant sensors and the cleaning system was converted to Voith’s CleanLine Extract4D, which cleans the fabric with four-directional water jets to increase the permeability of the fabric. This increases drying efficiency and significantly improves the runnability of the machine.

High-performance dryer section hood and heat recovery
The TG3, TG4 and TG5 dryer groups were replaced, and a highly efficient EcoHood 65 dryer hood was installed.

With the rebuilt dryer hood, Jass can significantly increase its energy efficiency.

Torben Schlieckau, Vice President Air Systems at Voith Paper

Compared to conventional dryer hoods with a dew point of around 60°C, energy savings of up to 25 percent are possible. Thanks to its closed design, the EcoHood 65 encapsulates the dryer section, thus ensuring maximum energy efficiency. At the same time, it provides safe access to the system through lift gates, access doors and screen change gates or via the hood roof to ensure optimal operation and maintenance. In addition, the EcoHood 65 is characterised by very good process control. Thanks to improved energy recovery, the drying process is significantly more efficient, and the paper machine is more economical to operate.

“For years, we have been supporting our customers in optimising their heat recovery systems,” said Torben Schlieckau, Vice President Air Systems at Voith Paper.

At Jass, appropriate measures have already proven successful before the PM3. In 2017, the PM4 was also equipped with the innovative air system.

Increased production capacity and automation
As part of the rebuild, the dryer section was also technically upgraded for a new operating width of 5,160mm (compatible with PM4) and a stable production speed of up to 1,050m/min. Existing automation solutions for the paper machine were migrated to the new process control system (PCS 7). This state-of-the-art control system combines all previous individual control systems as well as the Voith QCS quality control system to ensure smooth and efficient operation.

The successes at Jass are an impressive example of how a conversion to innovative and sustainable technologies can have an immediate and positive impact on both the bottom line and the environment. To save energy, Voith offers various options in the area of ventilation technology, including multilevel heat recovery systems for heating supply air, freshwater and white-water heating and hall heating, as well as automation solutions such as OnC.HoodBalance and OnC.HallBalance for optimised operation.

About Jass
For people and nature. This is the guiding principle under which the Jass Group offers sustainability from a single source. With its three divisions JassFibre (recovered paper as raw material), JassPaper (containerboard) and JassBoard (corrugated board and cardboard sheets), the company covers the full paper cycle. As a leading European company that operates in the bioeconomy, Jass employs around 800 workers in Fulda, Rudolstadt/Schwarza and Erfurt in Germany, as well as Gostyń and Dąbrowa Górnicza in Poland. Jass is family-run, a partnership, sustainable, and pioneering.