ABB Launches Latest Digital Solution For Total Control Over Wet End Operations To Maximize Productivity And Profit

ABB Wet End Control offers process stabilization, variability reduction and performance optimization for all paper, board and tissue manufacturers

ABB has today launched the latest generation of its Advanced Process Control (APC) to provide complete digital control over wet end operations, optimizing productivity and profit for paper mills globally.

Wet End Control — an ABB Ability APC solution for paper mills — stabilizes the wet end process and reduces variability by controlling, monitoring and optimizing retention performance. It uses a multivariable model predictive control approach to predict future wet end process behavior, making automatic adjustments to stabilize ash levels, reduce white water consistency variability and minimize chemical and filler dosages.

This results in improved machine runnability by helping to reduce sheet breaks, and accelerating grade changes and break recovery. Papermakers can then track performance from the wet end to the final sheet. It is available as a subscription-based service delivered via ABB Ability Collaborative Operations, with structured remote monitoring and expert analysis of control performance for sustainable results.

In addition to its impact on productivity, Wet End Control helps to minimize raw material, chemical costs and broke usage, ultimately reducing the environmental impact and leading to lower steam consumption and increased energy savings.

“We know that continuous monitoring of wet end operations is crucial to driving process improvements,” said Ramesh Satini, global product manager for Pulp & Paper Control Systems, ABB. “We developed our Wet End Control solution to address this need by automatically managing targets and implementing cost efficiencies within process constraints. By adopting this ABB service, mills will benefit from ongoing insight and collaboration to optimize stability for long-term gains and minimized operator interventions.”

Wet End Control is part of a fully integrated quality measurement, control and optimization solution that works seamlessly with ABB Ability 800xA control system or a third-party alternative (via OPC interface). ABB’s latest APC platform allows dynamic model adaption to capture varying process dynamics for tighter control, while optimally working within operational parameters to maximize the economic gain. The solution is suitable for all mills seeking a quality measurement, control and optimization solution that enables paper specifications to be met at the lowest possible cost.