Ircon-Solaronics cuts gas use by 25% at Sappi’s Carmignano off-line coater

Ircon-Solaronics completed a drying improvement project on an off-line coater at Sappi’s Carmignano di Brenta mill in Italy, achieving a 25% reduction in gas consumption and improved drying quality.

The new project follows a successful installation in 2024. Its objectives were to improve drying equipment efficiency, reduce gas use, enhance drying of specialty papers, control web temperature more precisely along the machine and increase productivity for the same paper grades.

The supplier installed GemDryer systems to raise web temperature rapidly to the gel point while continuously controlling it. The installation uses Gem12-Hi high-intensity emitters, designed to improve efficiency and reduce gas demand.

The changed drying strategy enabled the existing hot-air dryers to be retained and supplied solely with hot air discharged from the GemDryer system, recovering this heat as an energy source.

Optical pyrometers were installed at different points along the machine to optimise the drying process and paper quality. Ircon-Solaronics reported both lower gas consumption and improved drying performance, noting that projects of this type generally offer a short return on investment.

Sappi Europe produces woodfibre-based products and biobased solutions, including packaging, graphic, label and specialty papers. The company operates seven mills and twelve sales offices in Europe.

Carmignano is a non-integrated mill with a history of approximately 150 years. It operates two paper machines, off-line coating facilities and a converting centre. The site employs around 255 people and can produce up to 100,000 tonnes of paper annually.

Ircon Drying Systems AB of Sweden and Solaronics SAS of France combined under the Ircon-Solaronics brand in summer 2018. Their non-contact drying systems use gas or electric infrared and air drying and heating technologies, with more than fifty years of experience serving paper and board producers.