Pump smoothes board coating process
15 Jan 2000
Board packaging materials, at Iggesund Paperboard (IPL) in Cumbria, are now produced with a smooth latex coating, aided by a pump installation from Mono Pumps.
The vertically-mounted, industrial E range pumps are used to help transfer the coating mix from storage tanks to the final station tank, which feeds the top layer blade coater. The final station tank is equipped with a level transmitter, which uses pressure to detect changes in tank level. This information is fed to the central distributed control system (DCS), which automatically alters the pumps' variable speed drive in proportion to the rate at which the tank is emptying. This is said to ensure total process efficiency by keeping a stable level within the tank.
For constant refill of the tanks, the pumps operate at 5m3/h. The variable speed drive allows this to be increased automatically to refill a tank that has been completely emptied when changing the grade of coating mix. The coating mixtures can contain up to 60 per cent suspended solids, and with viscosities up to 1200cP are shear-sensitive. The pumps are mounted vertically to make sure that the seal and gland housing is sited above the highest liquid level in the tank. This helps prevent seal leakage.
