BIOPRODUCT MILL INDUSTRY NEWS
“The project was big, international and divided into hundreds of smaller contractor agreements. Our co-operation with Valmet with the open book project model worked well,” agreed Timo Merikallio from Metsä Group.
also supplied a comprehensive information management solution that provides real-time data for maintenance and quality control. “The mill is equipped with 1,500 sensors that measure bearing vibration. Our automation service agreement provides weekly status reports for Metsä Group’s maintenance personnel. This enables repairs and replacements before any breakdowns occur. Äänekoski mill also uses maintenance pads for easy access to information and reporting on the shop floor,” explained Tuomo Marjomaa, Senior Project Manager at Valmet.
On time start-up
In August, 2017, the Äänekoski bioproduct mill was started up a couple of minutes before the
schedule that was set two years earlier. The mill produces 1.3 million tonnes of pulp per year, along with other bioproducts such as tall oil and turpentine. ”I think success in this project was a result of good time management, the open book working model, our decision- making culture and interaction between people,” stated Jari- Pekka in his Johansson summing- up.
”Projects like ours always include unexpected issues and challenges. We also had some, but the way Valmet handled them only increased my trust in them. I feel very positive as the mill has performed well and the ramp- up is nearly completed,” added Timo Merikallio. ”Building these kinds of mills is always a different
Top: Äänekoski mill’s control room provides mill-wide automation solutions with Valmet DNA and analysers. Above: The high level of automation on the pulp drying line, e.g. automatic tail threading, in the drying machine, allows the operators to start the machine with hands free, bringing safe and reliable operation.
combination of technologies and there isn’t only one way of doing it. I enjoyed working with Valmet; their professionalism and well- managed sourcing organisation impressed me.”
More information from
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*Photographs illustrating this article are courtesy of Antti Ratia and Tomi Parkkonen.
New solution for making sulfuric acid
Metsä Group contacted Valmet to develop a solution to make sulfuric acid from the mill’s own chemical circulation to increase its self-sufficiency in chemicals.
“The sulfuric acid plant producing process chemicals from sulfur compounds from odorous gases is a remarkable step towards closed chemical circulation and further improves the environmental performance of the bioproduct mill,” said Timo Merikallio, Project Director at Metsä Group.
This project is an excellent example how Valmet is able to develop new innovative technology to meet customer needs. “We had not done any internal R&D before we got the first query from Metsä Group. I am proud to say that we developed the solution literally from scratch and was able to deliver new technology within the normal
project schedule,” declared Eevi Smolander, Manager for Valmet’s mill- wide NCG solutions.
In normal closed chemical circulation, the odorous gases are burned and recycled. Valmet delivered a technological solution that processes the odorous gases into sulfuric acid. The main challenge was to find the correct materials that are in contact with the 60-70% strong acid. Usually, sulfuric acid plants manufacture close to 100% strong acid, which is easier to handle and transport.
“So far the performance has been good. The technology works. The eye is now on the durability of the materials that are in contact with the sulfuric acid,” added Merikallio.
The sulfuric acid plant is in conjunction with the odorous gas burner and can be run separately or simultaneously with the gas burner.
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