ND Paper Completes Massive Overhaul of Rumford Mill in Maine

The massive project at the Rumford Mill included the replacement of the mill's lime kiln stack. There were significant holes and rust in sections of the stack, so the entire column was replaced.

Feb. 6, 2024 - ND Paper announced that its pulp and paper mill in Rumford, Maine, recently wrapped up an historic outage and is thanking everyone for the hard work over the past few months.

"This outage was a massive undertaking and we are excited for a more efficient and more productive future," ND Paper said.

The company noted that throughout August and September of 2023, the historic mill received a deep-cleaning, some much-needed TLC, along with several major repairs and significant projects that took place throughout the mill.

"This outage is a significant milestone in ND Paper's commitment to operational efficiency and safety and approximately 1,000 contractors were on site performing various functions," ND Paper explained. "Unlike the simultaneous annual outage, a cold outage involved a complete shutdown of all equipment and electricity. This pause in production allowed our team to make critical repairs and replacement on typically inaccessible machinery."

The cold outage spanned nine days (September 5th to September 14th) and included major steam, air, water, electrical and sewer system repairs. All four boilers were taken offline, allowing for the execution of 88 work orders focused on steam system leaks and valve issues.

In addition to the cold outage, the Rumford Mill's annual outage took place and noteworthy repair items included:

• an annual shutdown of liquor cycle components,
• replacement of the turbine generator rotor, and
• the the replacement of the lime kiln stack.

In addition, the liquor cycle was out of operation for 6 weeks for several capital projects. These projects include replacement of the Recovery Boiler Superheater and Left and Right Lower Furnace Walls, Precipitator T/R Upgrade and ID Fan Rotor Replacement. This surpasses the typical 12-day annual outage duration, ND Paper pointed out.

A notable enhancement within the liquor cycle was the installation of the Smelt Runner, the second of its design being introduced in North America.

The Lime Kiln Stack, rising high above most of the facility, was also replaced. "There were significant holes and rust in sections of the stack, so the entire column was replaced," the company said.

ND Paper emphasized that it is excited for the future. "We expect the Rumford mill to be more productive, more efficient and more capable than ever before."

ND Paper has posted photos and time lapse videos of the Rumford Mill project on its Facebook page.

About the Rumford Mill

The Rumford Mill has one pulp dryer and 3 paper machines. The mill has the capacity to produce 120,000 tons per year (tpy) of market pulp (northern bleached hardwood kraft), 215,000 tpy of coated and uncoated freesheet, and 300,000 tpy of packaging paper. The facility employs 530 full-time people.

Headquartered in Oakbrook, Illinois (USA), ND Paper is a leading manufacturer of various types of high-quality and sustainable pulp, packaging and paper products and is part of a strong, global manufacturing operation and a rich customer-focused tradition.

SOURCE: ND Paper