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Tag: Energy savings

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Introducing the SteamDry Pilot Plant Infographic

When we talk about decarbonising drying, it can be hard to picture what the future actually looks like on a real machine. That’s exactly why we created our new SteamDry Pilot Plant infographic.

The infographic walks you through how we’ve rebuilt the VTT SAMPO pilot machine into a fully fledged Superheated Steam Drying (SSD) line. It shows the complete journey: from how the wet web enters the first hood, to how closed-loop superheated steam dries the sheet, to how waste heat can be recovered and reused in the mill.

At a glance, you can see the key technical parameters:

  • Speed range from low trial speeds up to near-industrial levels
  • Web width suitable for realistic scale-up
  • A long dryer section with two SSD hoods in series
  • High-temperature steam and installed power enabling efficient drying
  • A very wide basis-weight window, from light grades to heavy structures

In parallel, the infographic highlights why SSD is such a strong candidate for low-carbon drying. By circulating and reheating steam in a closed loop, the system offers the potential for significant energy savings and a much higher drying rate than conventional hot-air systems. Because the exhaust is steam, its latent heat can be captured and reused, supporting more circular heat management at mill level.

You’ll also find a clear, step-by-step process flow: how the sheet enters, how the steam is superheated, how it circulates through the hoods, and how an optional IR section can be used for final moisture adjustment. For users of pilot facilities, this gives a concrete picture of what kind of trials are possible and how flexible the line really is.

The infographic also touches on the technical challenges that our team is addressing, such as sealing, steam purity, and thermal durability of fabrics and materials at high temperature. These are exactly the issues that need to be solved to pave the way for full-scale industrial implementations.

Finally, the infographic places the pilot plant in its wider innovation context, as part of a Horizon Europe–funded effort to develop energy-efficient, sustainable drying solutions for fiber-based materials across Europe.

If you’re interested in:

  • Exploring energy and heat-recovery scenarios, or
  • Investigating how superheated steam drying affects product quality,

we’d be happy to discuss what’s possible on the pilot plant.

You can view the full SteamDry Pilot Plant infographic below.

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Superheated Steam Drying: the next step in dryer retrofits

At SteamDry we are advancing Superheated Steam Drying (SSD) from concept development to full‑scale industrial retrofit solutions. The core objective is to increase installed drying capacity and reduce specific energy consumption and CO₂ emissions, while keeping the existing machine as far as possible.

Three SSD concepts assessed on an industrial board machine

Within the project, three SSD configurations have been evaluated on a representative European packaging board machine: convective SSD, conductive SSD and a combined convective‑conductive SSD concept. Each option has been benchmarked against key KPIs: energy savings at machine level, required investment and payback time, runnability and product quality, and the practical feasibility of retrofitting into existing multicylinder dryer sections.

Superheated Steam Drying: From Concepts to the First Retrofit

Why the combined SSD concept is the lead candidate for the first retrofit

The combined SSD concept (convective + conductive) emerges as the lead candidate for the first industrial retrofit. It delivers strong energy savings with acceptable payback, while maintaining robust web handling and product quality and limiting layout changes in the dryer section.

Technically, a high‑intensity convective SSD module with superheated steam impingement is installed at the dryer front end to boost evaporation rate, followed by a conductive cylinder group operated in a steam‑rich environment that reuses part of the exhaust steam. This configuration enables reuse of existing dryer cylinders, reduces total capex compared to a full conductive SSD rebuild, and provides a more attractive retrofit pathway.

Enabling a realistic decarbonisation trajectory

By targeting retrofit‑friendly configurations instead of greenfield installations only, the combined SSD concept supports mill decarbonisation within realistic shutdown windows and investment cycles. Building on established impingement drying experience, the concept lowers technical risk, facilitates scale‑up from pilot to industrial scale, and shortens time to market.

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SteamDry Consortium Meeting Held in Santiago de Compostela

On January 22-23, 2025, the SteamDry Consortium gathered at FEUGA in Santiago de Compostela for a key project meeting. The event focused on evaluating progress, discussing technical challenges, and planning future steps for the project.

The meeting began with a welcome address from FEUGA’s General Manager and an update from the European Commission’s Project Adviser. Over the course of two days, work package leaders presented updates on management, energy-efficient drying strategies, and the transition to greener drying processes. Discussions covered simulation results, challenges in optimizing heat transfer, and the development of digital technologies for process integration. The consortium also explored strategies for preventing fiber and air contamination in the drying system, scaling up the proposed solutions, and assessing their environmental and economic impact. Workshops were conducted to refine pilot testing parameters and intellectual property management, while communication and dissemination strategies were reviewed to enhance the project’s outreach.

A visit to the FINSA facility provided insights into industrial applications, further grounding the research in practical implementation. The meeting concluded with a review of key takeaways, reaffirming the consortium’s commitment to achieving significant energy savings in industrial drying processes and advancing sustainable innovations in the sector.

For a closer look at the discussions and key moments of the event, we invite you to watch the video summary available, along with some pictures of the event: