Austria-headed international technology group Andritz AG (ANDRITZ) and Pohjolan Voima Oyj (Pohjolan Voima), one of Finland's largest energy utilities, have commissioned a Metris BOA measurement and analysis system for the Hämeenkyrö Voima biomass-fired combined heat and power (CHP) plant at Metsä Board’s Kyro mill in Kyröskoski, Hämeenkyrö, Finland.
Pohjolan Voima is an energy company with hydroelectric, combined heat and power (CHP), and nuclear power plant assets The company’s share of the total electricity generated in Finland is approximately 20 percent, with 96 percent of this energy being fossil-free.
The Metris BOA system, which is the first of its kind to be installed in Finland, is used to extend the lifecycle of the power plant’s boilers as well as to reduce maintenance and cut emissions. It was installed as part of Hämeenkyrön Voima’s switch from peat to recycled fuels.
The latter creates new requirements with regard to condition monitoring of the boilers as the risk of erosion and corrosion damage on heating surfaces increases when these types of fuel are used.
Web app
The ANDRITZ Metris BOA is a web app that utilizes live data as well as historical data from the plant to optimize and analyze power plant processes and monitor the equipment installed.
Indicators and advisors increase the operators’ awareness of opportunities to optimize the consumption of utilities, improve efficiency, or keep the combustion process running at the optimum level.
Machine-learning algorithms trained using historical data monitor important equipment and processes to reduce unplanned shutdown time and identify deviations at an early stage before any serious failure occurs.
Initial results show that emissions from the plant have decreased, the quality of ash has improved, and the plant availability has increased with Metris BOA.
When making the switch to recycled fuel, we already knew that the varying quality of the fuel and the impact of the new fuels on the boiler would pose challenges to us. In addition, abandoning peat has required changes to the boiler technology, said Jarmo Tervo, Manager, Technology and Projects, Pohjolan Voima.
