A unique paper machine drive system revamp

This paper reviews the successful master controller revamp of Sappi Fine Paper North America's #3 paper machine at its Skowhegan, Maine mill. The rebuild project included upgrading the press section and increasing the speed of the paper machine by 500 FPM (150 MPM). The existing original drive system had been installed with sectional AC drives. The original drive system was becoming more difficult to maintain due to unavailability of parts and the out-of-date diagnostic system. The revamp involved the re-use of 76 existing drives and the installation of 8 new AC sectional drives. A new master controller was added with an enhanced diagnostic HMI. The new master controller architecture communicated with, controlled and diagnosed the old drives as well as the new drives. The unique combination of existing drives and new drives formed a cohesive system with all of the advantages of a new drive system. A staged installation was performed to reduce the outage time impact. The paper machine rebuild project was completed in March 2003 and has met the expectations of a successful revamp.