An intelligent digital twin system for paper manufacturing in the paper industry

Abstract

Based on the rapid development of intelligent technologies in recent years, the digital transformation of the whole industry and society has become increasingly important. Among them, digital twins and artificial intelligence have great potentials in improving industry processes and further enhancing productivity. This paper proposes an Intelligent Digital Twin System (IDTS) based on artificial intelligence and digital twins for the paper industry. The system includes the prediction models for the stirring speed of the dump chest, the water consumption of the deflaker, the supply air pressure of the dryer, and the exhaust air temperature of the dryer. The sensors, 5G network slices, and other equipment collect related data during the papermaking process for generating twin data, and we use the prediction models to analyze the data and monitor important indicators (stirring speeds, water consumptions, supply air pressures, and exhaust air temperatures) for the manufacturing processes, which are used to improve the energy utilization and production efficiency of the paper industry and thus facilitate cost saving. We apply this intelligent digital twin system and its associated prediction models to an actual paper manufacturing factory and show their effectiveness by improving the operational efficiency and saving labor and maintenance costs.