Bekaert Solaronics saving energy for Metsä Board Kyro

GemDryer. Photo: Bekaert Solaronics

Metsä Board Kyro produces coated folding boxboard for packaging. It was decided to replace the existing gas infrared equipment on board machine n°1 with the goals of higher reliability, higher efficiency and significant energy savings.  The start-up took place in September 2017. 

 Metsä Board and Bekaert Solaronics share a long history of partnership and Metsä Board counted on the experience of Bekaert Solaronics in the upgrade and optimization of non-contact drying systems.  Bekaert Solaronics supplied a 4-row GemDryer® infrared drying system equipped with Gem9E emitters. The exhaust air from the GemDryer® is used as make-up air for the existing air-dryer via the ERS link. This reduces the gas consumption of the air dryers and thereby the energy efficiency of the total drying is significantly improved as well. 

Energy savings guarantees of 300 kW have been achieved while keeping the good drying strategy from quality point of view. The combination of the new Bekaert Solaronics Gem9E emitters and the ERS energy link implemented after the coating station increases the efficiency while keeping the same drying capacity. As a result, the cost of drying is decreased by 30% for the coating station compared to the situation before the rebuild.

 The solutions meets also the customer needs in terms of flexibility, reliability and ease of maintenance.  According to Petri Huiko, Production Manager in Kyro mill, all the goals have been fulfilled: “we are very satisfied by the performance of the Bekaert Solaronics solution”.