Pulp mill__s annual maintenance shutdown a success
Each year, Millar Western’s Whitecourt bleached-chemi-thermo-mechanical pulp (BCTMP) mill undergoes a complete, week-long shutdown to allow for major maintenance of the mill’s two operating lines and site common services, including steam, water and environmental systems. The 2010 fall shutdown commenced on the morning of Sunday, September 26, with a stop in the flow of chips into the mill.
This year’s main objectives included engineering upgrades to the environmental treatment systems, remediation of the Line 2 slab press frame, and installation of a new slab press mold. To accomplish these and a long list of other maintenance tasks, 511 work orders were processed by the Maintenance, Electrical/Instrumentation, Engineering, and Production groups, a big increase over the 385 and 295 work orders conducted in 2009 and 2008, respectively. Some 150 additional contractors and specialists were brought on site to assist with the large volume of scheduled work.
All contract personnel who perform work at the mill must attend a site safety orientation. While many of the contractors were already current in their site training, more than 100 people received orientation for this year’s shutdown. To ensure the safety of all those working at the site, strict lockout procedures are observed, with almost 1400 locks being placed on various motor disconnects and valves throughout the mill.
With all work having been conducted safely and as scheduled, control of the mill was passed back to the operations group on the evening of Friday, October 1. Production equipment for both operating lines returned to service over the course of the weekend, wrapping up a highly successful 2010 fall maintenance shutdown.