machine was also very dirty. Now, it is still relatively
clean. Rivard notes that Temboard is taking a cautious
approach to boilout frequency. “We feel it can be
extended, but we want to go slow. Over the long-term,
we now believe maintenance and corrosion issues
will not be a factor. There will be big payoffs over the
long run.”
Enhanced safety is another benefit for the main-
tenance crews since the XD3899 dosing system only
produces biocide when it is needed. Additionally,
when the treatment is complete, the biocide line is
automatically flushed with water, ensuring no stand-
ing biocide remains in the line
Although Temboard did some other work on the
machine, including changes to fresh water treatment,
machine clothing adjustments and wet end automa-
tion, Kilgour said the benefits cited can be attributed
to the XD3899 technology. Overall, machine effi-
ciency has improved more than 1%, which has led to
increased productivity, improved quality, lower costs
and improved safety.

Temboard is currently running a 12-week trial
with Ashland’s XD3899 technology in the starch sys-
tem. “We are looking for the same benefits,” Kilgour
adds. “We run a lot of starch, three different types, so
treatment is critical. If this trial is successful, we will
be able to eliminate a strong oxidizer [used for micro-
biological control] we have on site.”
Technology alone is not enough. Kilgour says
one of the main reasons for success is the team at

Temboard. And, Ashland brings a lot to the table. “They work well with us and work hard to improve Temboard’s performance. Ashland has an excellent support team.”

smurfit needed more than
a band-aid

La Tuque’s problem was long-running. Patrice
Arseneault, senior engineer, quality and finished
products, explains that the problems began about
10 years ago when the mill switched to an alkaline
process in an effort to lower its costs. “We had a lot
of slime in the top of the bottom headbox on PM 3. It
needed constant boilouts.”
The mill evaluated a number of biocides,
including adding an extra feed point, but this only
allowed it to increase the time between boilouts.
Arsenault said that in reality, it was only a Band-Aid
solution.

In 2002-2003, the mill coated its headbox with Teflon, which led to less sticking. But, when the mill added ASA alkaline size, things got worse.

Then La Tuque tried AKD alkaline size on the bottom and ASA on the top. This led to some improvement, but slime-related problems persisted. The problem was due to a low flow rate in the bottom headbox (not enough turbulence in the tubes) and it was most noticeable when producing high basis weights. PM 3 produces board with a basis

before and after pictures from the smurfit-stone’s bottom heabox of Pm 3 at the La tuque mill. the left picture shows the deposit problems the machine had. at left, the headbox following the application of ashland’s spectrum Xd3899 technology