38 n PAPER AND PACKAGING January 2025 www.drivesncontrols.com Infrared eye on papermaking machines could save $1.3m A US specialist in papermaking automation is using infrared thermal cameras to obtain data from paper machines as part of a patented system that boosts machine control and efficiency. Moisture and temperature can affect both paper properties and machine performance, making the measurement of these parameters vital. Although visual-spectrum cameras are already widely used, some aspects of the papermaking process remain invisible because of factors such as steamy environments, camera limitations, and a lack of tools to convert camera images into usable data. Industrial Video Solutions (IVS) has patented a system called ThermoVision based on IR cameras which provides realtime moisture profiles in any part of a paper machine, mapping them to a multi-function thermal profiler. The system can provide realtime, full-width cross-direction (CD) moisture and temperature profiles, as well as machine direction (MD) profile variations. Profile analytics provide insights into dewatering and drying efficiency – which are critical for energy benchmarking. The technology can detect and classify wet streaks and spots in real time. It can also detect embedded foreign materials, such as metals in the paper pulp. The system can operate in steamy conditions. With an IR camera capturing an image of a pulper vortex, for example, users can see through steam and visualise the vortex in detail. This is indispensable for monitoring inside a machine. While only one IR camera is needed to execute all of the analyses, multi-camera systems are more effective for troubleshooting, optimisation and improvement. It is even possible to feed data from a combination of IR and visual spectrum cameras to an artificial intelligence (AI) module that learns the relationship between the forces exerted on the paper, paper vulnerabilities, and process upsets – such as sheet breaks – with the aim of predicting runnability issues. Seven-figure savings “We estimate substantial savings for ThermoVision users,” says IVS president and CEO, Slawek Frackowiak. “For example, reductions in energy consumption and paper breaks, alongside increases in productivity, can lead to annual savings in the region of $1.3m on a 300,000-tonne liner-board machine. “We came across the potential for this technology by chance,”he adds. “We had already patented our ProcessVision technology, which extracts pixels from an image to effectively turn an area-scan camera into a linear camera, when a potential application provided us with a new idea.” Excessive moisture often leads to sheet breaks – a major issue on papermaking machines. IVS was invited to quote for a project in Poland where the operators wanted to use IR cameras instead of a traditional sheet break system. “I had no idea why, so I started investigating,” Frackowiak recalls. “I discovered that while a few competitors had started using IR cameras for displaying video, they were not doing anything with that output. In a papermaking machine, temperature is inversely proportional to moisture, so we set about developing a new system which combines the concept of our existing ProcessVision with Flir thermal cameras.” The idea has led to several patents covering thermal vision – in particular, temperature being inversely proportional to moisture in the papermaking process. “Of course, anyone can make that conversion mentally, but a system based on that concept is our patent,” says Frackowiak. “I A new technology that uses infrared cameras to monitor papermaking machines is helping to enhance quality, efficiency, uptime and control. On some machines, the annual savings could amount to around $1.3m. Using an infrared camera to monitor edge temperatures on a corrugated board manufacturing machine
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