Pulp mills are an integral part of the chemical process industry. This industry carefully uses one of our most important resources, trees, to produce a commodity that has become a necessity to our lives today, paper. What would we do without paper and the ability to produce books. Of course, the computer people will reassure you that every piece of information will some day be on the Internet or in electronic form; but what do we do in the meantime? We produce paper for the electronic industry, and for many other industries. Some uses of paper are for our own hygiene needs, such as facial tissues and toilet paper.

In preparing and during the process of producing paper, various types of equipment are needed from the time trees are cut to the point of producing the final paper products. Obviously all these different pieces of equipment are manufactured using many different types of steels. Materials of construction selection has certainly become a science to the materials and corrosion engineers. Not only do we select a material for its mechanical properties, we must also consider the physical properties. In some cases, corrosion resistance is one of the most important elements to be considered when selecting material. The material of construction may be strong and look good as a piece of machinery, but if the environment to which it is exposed attacks this piece of equipment, the result is a less than expected life expectancy and the selection was a poor choice. At least most people try to select materials that will have longevity and give a good return on the money invested.

Actual applications where austenitic stainless steel has been replaced with duplex stainless steel will be discussed.