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Sustainable neighborhood in Perlen

Equipped with a process control system, controls and drive solutions from Siemens, the massive paper machine PM7 of Perlen Papier AG produces newsprint daily in a length from Lucerne to Cairo.

Did you read your favorite newspaper this morning? It's quite possible that the paper for it comes from Perlen in the canton of Lucerne. Paper has been manufactured there for over 150 years. The company premises are extensive, featuring a 13 km long rail network, two hydroelectric power plants, a wastewater treatment plant (WTP), huge waste paper storage facilities, a workshop and a testing laboratory for quality control.

Much invested in sustainability

Paper production is resource-intensive. Throughout the entire plant, 3,356 motors are in operation, at peak times the power consumption is 74 MW and is thus as high as that of the city of Lucerne. The PM7 alone consumes 18 MW of electricity at full load. Three 110-kV lines lead directly into the plant. In addition, 16,000 liters of wastewater are produced per minute. This water is processed again directly in the company's own WTP and discharged into the works canal branched off from the Reuss.

Previously, this heat had to be generated with heating oil and gas; thanks to the process steam, we save 30 million cubic meters of natural gas annually. Our CO2 footprint is 76% lower than the industry average.
Sandro Malzach, Head of Technology at Perlen Papier

A complex interplay

For the sophisticated interplay of mechanics and electrical engineering, Perlen Papier trusts Siemens: Digital Industries equipped the PM7 electrically in 2010 on behalf of plant manufacturer Voith Paper based on the solution platform for the paper and pulp industry "Sipaper." The project included the drive and electrical technology, two roll cutters and the auxiliary systems, e.g., for energy supply. Special attention was paid to energy-efficient drive technology: The largely gearless design and water-cooled high-torque motors ensure better efficiency.

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The technology in brief

Around 120 Sinamics frequency converters are used in the PM7 and the two winding machines. Sinamics S7-400 and the flexible process control system PCS7 control the system. At Perlen, 14 fire detection systems with over 1,800 fire detectors and various extinguishing systems are installed. In the huge hall of the PM7, the company relies on the building automation systems Desigo PX and Desigo Insight.

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Smooth update thanks to digital twin

The neighboring waste incineration plant Renergia Zentralschweiz AG is the largest power plant in the canton of Lucerne and has also relied on Siemens since its construction in 2015. With two lines, they convert 280,000 tons of waste into energy annually. They handle the entire operation with the process control system PCS7 and Simatic controls – from the furnaces that burn the waste, through the transport systems, process steam production, steam turbines for electricity generation, flue gas and fly ash treatment as well as heat recovery and much more.