EPA Webinar Presentation

August 21, 2014
Ashdown Mill 
Mill History

• The mill has been in operation since 1

• No 1 PB in operation since initial start up• No 2 PB installed in 1975

• Mill originally owned by Nekoosa Pape• Georgia-Pacific acquired the mill in 19• Domtar acquired the mill in 2001
BART – Technology Assessment

• Not technically viable technology

– SNCR

• Load swings• Adverse environmental factors (ammonia slip/PM2.5 for

– Methane DeNOx

• Not used commercially in pulp and paper operations• NCASI reports of operational issues

– Other technologies assessed

• Not feasible for mill (OFA, FGR, SCR)
Comparison Utility/Pulp & Paper Mill

Utility

• Boilers – larger; operate 

in baseload mode

• Steam – one-time pass 

through

• Monopoly – rate recovery 

of costs

• Capital equipment – earn 

money through rates

• Market conditions –

stable trends

Pulp & Paper Mill

• Boilers – smaller; o

swing mode for loatracking

• Steam – combined 

power

• Competitive – glob• Capital equipment 

cost to company

• Market conditions 

changing
Mill Processes & Products

Steam Generators• 3 Power Boilers & 1 Package Boiler

– The pulping and papermaking processes rely on combined heat and power - p

here to generate steam based on demand needs of the process

– Prior to being sent to the process, steam is sent to Turbine Generators to gene

utilized in the process as well

• 2 Chemical Recovery Boilers

– Reuse and recycle chemicals from the pulping process and to generate steam

Steam Users• 3 Pulping and Bleach Plant lines

– 2 Batch Digester lines and 1 Continuous Digester line

• 3 Paper Machines of various sizes, producing a wide variety 

grades (1 additional Paper Machine currently idled)

– Products primarily include white paper used in a variety of products, such as co

paper, envelope, lollipop stick paper, bag, etc.

• 1 Pulp Dryer producing market pulp for internal and external 
No. 1 

PB

No. 2 PB

No. 3 PB

No. 2 

Chemical

Recovery 

Boiler

TG 1 TG 2 TG 3 TG 

Ashdown Process Overview

Steam Properties:850 psi850 degrees F

Electrical:InternalGeneration~ 100 MW’sPurchased~40 MW’s 160 & 60 psi steam to major users

Evaporators Batch 

Digesters

Continuous Digester

Paper Machines

Pulp Dryer

580 MMBTU/HR

820 MMBTU/HR

N

Che

Rec

Bo
No 1 & 2 Power Boilers

No 1 PBWESP Stacks

No St
Variability of Steam Demand
Variability of Steam Demand
64 Paper Machine
No 2 PB Steam and 64 PM Demand
Batch Digesters
No 2 PB Steam and Digester Demand
No 2 PB Steam and Digester Demand
No. 1 PB WESP
Visibility Impact Post- No. 1 PB WESP

Emission Unit Class I Area Number of Days ≥ 0.5 

∆dv

a

Maximum

(∆dv)

b

98

(

No. 1 Power Boiler

CACR

0 0.476

UPBU

0 0.090

HERC

0 0.077

MING

0 0.060
No. 2 PB & Scrubber
No. 2 PB & Scrubber
No. 2 PB Plot Layout
Business Aspects of Ashdown Mill

• Emission control costs are borne directly 

the mill

– Competitive global market; restricts pass-through o

to customers

– Unlike regulated utility, which earns money on cap

projects through rate of return

• Markets rapidly changing (digital revoluti

– Operational flexibility essential– Adjust to either market demand and/or new produc

development
Proposed BART Approach

• Power Boiler 1

– Existing wet ESP

• Power Boiler 2

– Existing scrubber (SO

2

)

– Low NOx burners (NOx)

• Technically feasible options for Ashdown M• Economically cost effective• Allow for necessary flexibility in mill operati