"The Perilous Path of Predicting Energy Implications "

Note: Emails are organized in the order received, with first received at the top.

Jim,

OK, first, I preferred getting Nip Impressions "the old way" as I actually save them. It takes some extra steps now.

Energy implications are never well thought out. A vendor called me with an idea, he did not tell me what it was, but he told me what it would do. He had a way to dry paper on a paper machine without... steam drums. He asked me "what do you think"? I told him he'd need to find some really old mills that have really old (non-recovery) boilers that only produced 250# steam. Of course I had to explain that steam efficiency was based upon higher and higher pressures in the boiler and that steam was used to generate electricity in the mill with high pressure efficient steam and that the turbine 250# extraction (saturation temp plus a little superheat approaches 451F at which temperature paper burns...) was used to dry paper at very little cost. I also explained that the majority of paper mills did not have condensing turbines (newer ones do). Unless a 250# condensing load is available, all hell breaks loose. I started to then explain recovery boilers that had to operate to run the pulp mill, at which time he said that he got the picture.

We put in anew NCG collection system and a new incinerator... the old incinerator did just that - incinerated the NCGs with a small stabilizing flame. Someone just had to put in a small 60# boiler to recover the heat... Long story short, the power and recovery area took a $1,000,000 annual hit due to the now excess 60# steam in the system.

Not energy related, but my old employer participated in AF&PA. The instrumentation group had R&D money to develop things and share the results among members. In comes the fellow with an idea for an instrument to measure dioxin down to parts-per-trillion, not parts-per-billion as the current technology. He'd heard the paper industry had issues with dioxin... He was summarily shown the door. It was hard enough to control down to parts-per-billion, God forbid that we could measure it lower, probably lower than naturally occurring levels.

When I worked in the steel industry new instrumentation made it possible for big brother to require us to clean up more of the major stream running through the mill. Yes, you guessed it, the stream exited the mill cleaner than when it entered.

Larry Wells
Atlanta, Georgia, USA

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Thanks, Larry. By the way, the "old way" which we call the Legacy Version of Nip Impressions is still available and you will now get it that way. There is a button on the new version (the Express Version) for anyone else who prefers the Legacy Version. Express is the default version and is a result of long time complaints from those stuck with Lotus Notes as their mail system.

Jim

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Jim -

Well, as I live and breathe, you posed a question that I could answer. Growing up in Kansas we actually read several Hardy Boys mysteries when driving by various routes to Wellington to see grandparents. Sometimes through Emporia and Wichita and other times south on 69 to Ft. Scott and then west. We would go by way of Iola or Chanute. Gas was pretty cheap around there as that was near but not in the oil field and refinery area of El Dorado.

So my guess is Iola.

Take care and have a safe weekend and say hello to Laura.

Regards,

Dave Ruby
Chicago, Illinois, USA

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Thanks, Dave, the interesting thing missing from your story was the automobile vintage you used to make this trip. I'm guessing a late '40's Ford.

Jim


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Jim,

I hope your shoulder is better and your Fred has taken his training seriously! What a tale!

I loved your story, though ached for you, too! Also found the analysis of family ties versus moving, interesting.

Finnish paper mills aren't requesting many translations into English right now, so my TAPPI involvement is haphazard, but I still like to read your notes.

Regards,
Jill Timbers,
translator, in Illinois, USA

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Jill,

I have no idea how you learned Finnish, very impressive. When I lived there for six months back in 1988, I finally, with intensive training, learned how to ask where the restroom was, but, sadly, I could not understand the response.

Jim

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