The 2020 Jay, Maine digester explosion underscored the need for industry collaboration on continuous digester safety and corrosion understanding.
FPInnovations is addressing this through a project led by Matthew Tunnicliffe, focused on how organic compounds in black liquor contribute to stress corrosion cracking. The research is tailored to conditions in Canadian mills, with findings shared through FPInnovations reports, TAPPI conference presentations, and webinars to support safer digester operation across North America.
In January 2026, Matthew hosted an online knowledge-sharing session titled “Continuous Digester Weld Repairs and Refurbishing” targeting pulp mill owners, and engineers with invested interest in the safe operation of continuous digesters. The speakers shared perspectives on inspection best practices, effective weld overlay strategies (and surface preparation), and a contractor shared recent experience with major digester repair efforts from finding flaws to getting the asset back in service. The event drew 86 participants, including OEMs, consultants, researchers, and engineers employed at FPInnovations member mills.
The next series of asset-integrity events will include weekly reliability webinars in March, followed by technical sessions at TAPPICon, where FPInnovations will present research findings on slow-strain-rate testing and ensure research better supports the Canadian industry through asset integrity.
