Pulp Paper & Logistics


VALMET 25


for mill operations. Valmet also supplied a comprehensive information management solution that provides real-time data for maintenance and quality control. Tuomo Marjomaa, senior project manager at Valmet says: “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.”


Start-up right on time In August 2017, the Äänekoski bioproduct mill was started up a couple of minutes before the schedule that was planned two years earlier. The mill produces 1.3 million tonnes of pulp per year, along with other bioproducts such


New solutions for making sulphuric acid


Metsä Group contacted Valmet to develop a way of making sulphuric acid from the mill’s own chemical circulation to increase its self- sufficiency. “The sulphuric acid plant


“Valmet’s commitment to safety showed during the project through the resources Valmet appointed to the site. Our lost time accident rate was below 14 per million working hours, which can be categorised as a good result in a project like Äänekoski,” says Camilla Wikström from Metsä Fibre


as tall oil and turpentine. Jari-Pekka Johansson sums by


saying: “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.” Timo Merikallio adds: “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.


“Building these kinds of mills is


always a different combination of technologies, and there isn’t only one way of doing it. I enjoyed working with Valmet; their professionalism and well-managed sourcing organization impressed me.”


producing process chemicals from sulphur compounds in the odorous gases is a remarkable step towards closed chemical circulation and further improves the environmental performance of the bioproduct mill,” says Timo Merikallio, project director at Metsä Group. This project is an example of


how Valmet is able to develop new innovative technology to meet customer needs. Eevi Smolander, manager for


Valmet’s mill-wide NCG solutions, says: “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 were able to deliver new technology within the normal project schedule.” In normal closed chemical


circulation, the odorous gases are burned and recycled. Valmet delivered a technological solution that processes the odorous gases into sulphuric acid. The main challenge was to find the correct materials that are in contact with the 60-70 per cent strong acid. Usually, sulphuric acid plants manufacture close to 100 per cent strong acid, which is easier to handle and transport. The sulphuric acid plant works in


The high level of automation in the drying machine allows the operators to start the machine hands free, providing safe and reliable operation


conjunction with the odorous gas burner and can be run separately or simultaneously with the gas burner. Merikallio concludes: “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 sulphuric acid.”


September/October 2018


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