This degree project was performed at Sherwin-Williams in Märsta, Sweden over a period of ten weeks. The purpose of the work was to optimize the manufacturing process of heavy fillers due to a problem with achieving consistent quality. An optimization of the process would lead to a larger produced volume and thus increased sales. This would also help provide a better insight in all the parts of the manufacturing process. The company uses an index called OTMIS that describes how many of the products that are approved in the quality control directly after being manufactured. A higher OTMIS-index would result in a lowered total process time as it would lead to fewer time-consuming adjustments of non-approved filler batches. The work is based on a literature study and lectures in filler production to gain a basic understanding of how the production works. Daily observations of the manufacturing process led to the design of experiments being made for own laboratory tests. The purpose of these tests was to identify the parameters that had the greatest impact on the properties of the filler and how these should be controlled. Using the MODDE software, the key variables and their impact on the filler’s final quality and utility could be found and optimized. The time between the completion of the manufacturing process and the quality control, and how much variation there was in the amount of filling material used to give the filler the correct rheology proved to have the greatest impact on the results. After developing an analysis of possible sources of errors and how much they affected the result, a plan of solutions was submitted for continued improvement work. The proposals in this plan focus on lowering the average process time by introducing new routines for control, changing the manufacturing process as per the filling material’s effect, improved documentation of the manufacturing process and striving for a longer term planning process prior to manufacturing.

The purpose of this rapport/paper is to summarize and compare three different reparation methods, which can be used in repairing damaged concrete dams, which are one of the most important parts of electricity production in Sweden. Most of big dams in Sweden built between1900- 1960 are in a great need of restoration. Time, harsh winter conditions and constant presence of water have caused great damages to these dams. There are numerous restoration methods, which can be used in dam reconstruction.  However, choosing the right method plays a crucial role in terms of economy and quality for the power plant companies. Due to negatively impacting global warming, carbon dioxide emissions can also be another concern for power plant companies when selecting a reparation method. Sometimes determining and choosing the “right” method is rather difficult when facing different reparation methods.  When deciding which method to choose, comparisons are made in terms of economy, quality, and carbon dioxide emissions causing global warming. The methods compared in this rapport are applying waterjet mechanical chiseling, and Chesterton filler.  Accordingly, some boundaries are set and some, but not all, factors are taken into account.  For example, winter expenses and transportation are not included in this rapport. The method which has been used in this study is both qualitative and quantitative. In the qualitative method, interviews, literature studies and experience of experts are gathered and used. The quantitative method used for calculation of costs and CO2 (e) emissions to the air. The study shows that in a minor spalled concrete damage, the waterjet method and Chesterton filler are appropriate with regards to quality.  Mechanical chiseling is the cheapest method, and the Chesterton filler method releases the least amount of carbon dioxide to the air of all methods. Hopefully, the comparison in this rapport can aid those who want to choose a reparation method based on the criterias for the outcome/method. / Dammkonstruktioner är en av de viktigaste delarna av elproduktionen i Sverige. De flesta av de stora betongdammarna i Sverige som är byggda mellan 1900 och 1960 är i behov av reparation. Åldern, svåra vinterförhållanden och ständig närvaron av vatten påverkar dammarna negativt och orsakar skador i betongen. Det finns gott om olika reparationsmetoder som kan användas vid dammreparationer. Att välja rätt metod vid reparationer kan spela en avgörande roll när det gäller ekonomi och kvalitet för kraftverksbolagen. Då de olika metoderna resulterar i olika mycket koldioxidutsläpp till luften och därmed effekt på den globala uppvärmningen är just koldioxidutsläppen en annan faktor som kan beaktas av elbolagen när de vill välja en reparationsmetod. Valet av reparationsmetod är inte lätt. Ofta går det att välja mellan flera olika metoder. Syftet med denna rapport att upprätta sammanfattningar för tre olika reparationsmetoder vid reparation av betongdammar, samt en jämförelse mellan dessa metoder. Jämförelser har gjorts i förhållande till ekonomi, kvalitet och koldioxidutsläpp till luften. De reparationsmetoder som har jämförts i denna rapport är vattenbilning, mekanisk bilning och Chesterton spackel. För att möjliggöra jämförelsen i denna studie har några avgränsningar gjorts i för de faktorer som jämförts, bland annat har vinterkostnader och transporter inte inkluderats i jämförelsen.   Metoden i denna uppsats bygger på kvalitativ och kvantitativ studie. Den kvalitativa studien består av litteraturstudier och intervjuer genom samtal och email, och den kvantitativa studien består av beräkningar för kostnader och CO2 (e)-utsläpp med hjälp av grundvärden och faktorer för 1 m² betongyta. Studien visar att vid en enkel frostskada så är vattenbilningsmetoden och Chestertonspackel lämpligast med avseende på kvalitet. Mekanisk bilning är billigast och Chestertonspackel släpper ut minst koldioxid till luften. Förhoppningsvis kan jämförelsen i denna rapport hjälpa de som vill välja reperationsmetod baserat på önskade kriterier för slutresultatet. / <p>2017-06-27</p>