This thesis focuses on the debarking plant in Stora Enso’s Heinola Fluting Mill. The objective of thesis was to study the debarking plant and examine the sources of wood losses that occur in the process. The thesis also contains analyzing of the use hours of the chipping machine blade and quality testing of veneer chips. Veneer chips are used as a raw material in the mill.

The theoretical part of the thesis deals with basic information on wood, online measurments in modern debarking plants and the process of Heinola Mill’s debarking plant. Literature and the knowledge received from mill workers provided signigicant help in the thesis. The suppliers of debarking equipment (Teknosavo, Andritz, Metso) also provided information about debarking and the machines they provide.

The experimental part was a study of the wood losses at the debarking plant, the use hours of the chipping machine blades and the quality of veneer chips. Twenty-one sample batches were taken from the wood loss sources and the results of the samples were analyzed. Based on these results, it was possible to determine the amount of wood losses occurring in the debarking drum. Veneer chips were also tested. Sixteen samples of veneer chips were taken from the mill’s raw material storage. On the base of these samples and tests it was possible to do calculations about the real quality of the chips. The use hours of chipping machines blades were also analyzed by taking samples and screening them.