Energy efficiency in mechanical pulping – definitions and considerations

Abstract

Abstract Production of mechanical pulps requires high specific electrical energy compared to many other attrition processes. In Scandinavia, the lowest specific refining energy for production of thermomechanical pulp is around 1800 kWh/t for newsprint quality, which is roughly 60 times higher than for crushing of stone to a similar size distribution. The high specific energy demand for refining has naturally motivated large efforts in the search for improved efficiency. It is always practical to be able to quantify improvements in efficiency for comparison of process designs and of different machine types. However, there is no commonly accepted definition of efficiency for mechanical pulping processes. In published work within mechanical pulping, energy efficiency has been presented in different ways. In this paper, we discuss definitions of energy efficiency and aspects that ought to be considered when energy efficiency is presented. Although focus of this work is on energy efficiency for refiner processes, the principles can be applied to other types of mechanical pulping processes such as stone groundwood.