No.1 Pulp Dryer Upgrade

At Carter Holt Harvey Tasman's Kawerau pulp mill, the No.1 Pulp Dryer was ready for a rebuild to accommodate a change in grade mix, and prevent a processing bottleneck. A rebuild was also necessary to match the increasing demand for unbleached fibre cement pulp. The dryer rebuild would enable CHH Tasman to increase fibre cement pulp production from 200 AD tonnes per day to 350 AD tonnes per day.

Beca AMEC was engaged to handle the detailed engineering design, construction management and site-construction supervision across all aspects of the project.

The project used leading edge engineering design tools IDEAS and PDMS. IDEAS (Integrated Design Engineering with Advanced Simulation) allowed the team to predict the effects of process upsets prior to start-up on the real plant. It also provided the pulp dryer operators with a ‘virtual’ plant that they
could train on and operate.

PDMS was used to create a 3D model of the pulp dryer, including equipment bases, interconnecting piping and electrical racking. The model was used for client reviews to demonstrate machine accessibility and operation prior to start-up and commissioning in March 2007.

In 35 days, the existing machine was demolished and the new machine was built and installed. The project took one year, from a start in April 2005 until April 2006. During that time, 1465 personnel worked on the project with zero time lost to injury, reflecting the careful planning and execution of the machine construction.