Heidenheim, Germany 14 March 2018 -- South African paper manufacturer Mpact is the first of Voith's customers to use an InfiltraDiscfilter with HiCon 2.0 technology following a machine rebuild. At Mpact, the disc filters have significantly exceeded expectations.​

The premiere of HiCon 2.0 technology at the South African board and corrugated cardboard producer Mpact has shown that the potential of HiCon 2.0 is not just possible in the technology center but can also be achieved in practice. The new system incorporates InfiltraDiscfilters with HiCon 2.0 technology. Maggy Odayar, Technical Manager at Mpact, describes the results: "The disc filters have proven to be reliable, efficient and highly flexible in respect of inlet stock consistency and stock flow. Throughput is 15 percent higher than the planned rate." Long-term tests show that consistencies of two percent can be sustained. The filters installed at Mpact can also readily handle consistency peaks of 2.5 percent. The upgrade of the components was an important element for increasing productivity of the entire system.

As part of the conversion of the company's paper mill in Felixton to make production ''greener'', recovered paper fibers have been used instead of the sugar cane waste product bagasse since 2015. A machine rebuild was designed to increase the machine speed from 700 to 930 meters per minute, to achieve the goal of a 40 percent increase in production. For this project Voith executed an upgrade of the complete stock preparation unit. Since the completion of the rebuild in 2016, a vertical LC pulper with a capacity of 800 metric tons per day has been added to the existing drum pulper.

The new technology from Voith's BlueLine range is the latest development of the disc filters, which began in 2012 with the launch of the BaglessPlus system and was followed by the HiCon technology in 2014. This new system not only allows the consistency of the stock flow in the inlet to be increased but also raises throughput by up to 20 percent. Filters equipped with HiCon have already demonstrated in a large number of applications in both new builds and upgrades that they are robust enough to readily handle high and strongly fluctuating stock consistencies in the inlet.

The HiCon 2.0 technology builds on these proven concepts but has added two core innovations: First, a sturdy system ensures that discs stay on track, which prevents damage of the segments. And second, each disc is fed separately, the flow pattern in the vat can be reversed. This prevents thickening of the pulp. In conventional disc filters, higher inlet stock consistencies inevitably result in a high degree of thickening in the filter vat. This is why most paper manufacturers dilute the stock flow upstream of the disc filters. This means higher water input and a higher demand of pumping energy.

About the company

Voith Paper is a Group Division of Voith and the leading partner and pioneer in the paper industry. Through constant innovations, Voith Paper is optimizing the paper manufacturing process, focusing on developing resource-conserving products to reduce the use of energy, water and fibers. Furthermore, Voith Paper offers a broad service portfolio for all sections of the paper manufacturing process.

Voith is a global technology group. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, Voith today has more than 19,000 employees and earns 4.2 billion euros in sales. It has locations in over 60 countries and is one of the largest family-owned companies in Europe.

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