Features Pulp
Valmet delivers new chip storing system to Portuguese pulp mill

The fully automatic storing system, which includes conveyors, is integrated with the existing woodyard and began operations in May 2017.

According to The Navigator Company, the system — the first GentleStore chip storing system that Valmet has delivered to the country — replaces an existing, high energy consuming, pneumatic conveying system. The storage volume is nearly 180,000 m3s.

Designed to withstand the wind conditions in the coastal area of Atlantic Ocean, it operates on the first-in first-out principle allowing to use 360-degree circle. The chips are reclaimed gently from the whole cross section of the pile, which ensures excellent blending and homogenization of the chips, explains Valmet, adding that a more homogeneous chip feeding contributes to a stable process afterwards.

“Having an automated system will improve the chip quality and safety, as no bulldozers or front-loaders are used. Less traffic together with minimized chip damage, dust and noise generation will enhance the woodyard operation up to date,” explains Valmet.

“The implementation of this GentleStore is an important effort to reduce the environmental impact of our mill, and it is to be part of a continuous cycle of Navigator as a modern company, concerned about sustainability and recognized for its culture of excellence through its operations and quality of products,” said Pedro Matos Silva, Figueira da Foz mill manager.

The Navigator Company is a global manufacturer of uncoated woodfree (UWF) printing and writing paper and producer of BEKP (Bleached Eucalyptus Kraft Pulp), the fifth largest in the world, and has entered the tissue market.