PPIC Technical Program

The PPIC technical program is developed over the course of a 2 year period by dedicated members of the IAS Pulp & Paper Industry Technical Committee. The objective of the Technical Committee is “To advance the theory and practice in the electrical field as related to the design and management of electrical systems within the pulp and paper products industry”. Our committee is comprised of five subcommittees, each with domain expertise in specific industry applications.

Subcommittees

Our subcommittees include:  PPIC Subcommittees and their Scope (Click Here)

The subcommittees meet twice a year, including a working session during our annual conference. During the meetings held on Tuesday afternoon, we discuss new ideas for technical papers for future conferences. Our subcommittee meetings are open to all and all conference attendees are invited to participate as guests during these sessions.

2023 Technical Papers, Technical Panels, and Tutorials

  1. NFPA 70B Electrical Maintenance Recommended Practice Standard
  2. Improved Asset, Process, and Safety Performance Using Machine Learning
  3. Improving Bearing Reliability in Large Electric Motors
  4. Understanding and Applying Arc-Resistant Equipment
  5. Danger Zone: Contactor Dropout vs Fuse Clearing Time
  6. Testing and Commissioning of Integrated Protection and Control Solution for Synchronous Motors
  7. AC Drives – Not Just for AC Motors
  8. Putting Wireless to Work in Process Operations
  9. Pulp Friction – Refiner Motor Considerations
  10. Plotting a Course Down the Winding Road of Social Media in the Pulp and Paper Industry
  11. Lessons Learned from Electrical Upgrade at a Century-Old Paper Mill
  12. Retirement and Emeritus Status
  13. Data Challenges – Best Practices in Managing Too Much Information
  14. Dry Ice Cleaning of Electrical Equipment
  15. IEEE 2455 – A Recommended Practice for Direct Current Machine Repair
  16. Using Modern IOT Lighting Techniques: Fixture Selection and Design Criteria to Address Environmental Impacts
  17. Demystification of AFCIs – Part I: The Beginning of the Odyssey
  18. Demystification of AFCIs – Part II: Technology and Applications

2023 Technical Panels

Panel A – Attracting and Retaining Young Engineers in Industry and Manufacturing

Panel B – PLC (SCADA) vs DCS Control

Tutorials

See Tutorials page

The Conference Technical Program provides paper industry engineers and maintenance professionals valuable knowledge that can be applied to daily mill responsibilities.

Conference participants will:

  • Learn about changes in electrical engineering, maintenance and safety practices, standards and codes.
  • Experience equipment upgrades in other plants, hear about the projects that worked and the ones that didn’t.
  • Acquire skills in generator and motor protection, determining relay settings and troubleshooting failures.
  • Discover how to justify electrical upgrades with an emphasis on efficiency, reliability and safety.
  • Network with other attendees that are extremely knowledgeable and actively working every day in the industry to make industry facilities, safer and more competitive.
  • And that’s just the beginning.

Follow this link to view the agenda for the conference

Comments from Previous Attendees

“The majority of the papers presented in the technical sessions, as well as the tutorials, are down to earth with very practical experience and procedures that an attendee can bring back to the facility and immediately implement.”

Bob Jordan, Weyerhaeuser

“Without a doubt this is the premier technical conference for electrical engineers in the Pulp & Paper industry. The technical papers are excellent and right on target for day to day electrical engineering challenges in the mill. Once you attend one of the annual conferences, you will want to come back year after year!”

Martin Troy, PE, Mill Electrical Engineer, Madison Paper Industries, Madison, ME

Young Engineer Testimonial: “As a first time attendee I was very impressed by the papers and how much I learned from them. Everything was set up very well from the first time attendees, facilities were nice. I look forward to attending next years conference. I had a great experience in Milwaukee, getting exposed to the technical papers and professionals within the field! The hotel was great, and the vendor hospitality was much appreciated!  Excellent technical conference. This conference is always on my “Definitely Attend” list. Great opportunity to network with industry professionals.

I was pleased to be accepted as a Young Engineer this year at the IEEE conference and that was probably the only reason I was able to attend the conference this year. I look forward being able to attend future years as the conference exceeded my expectations I’m more likely to pursue attendance next year.”