ANDRITZ and Pohjolan Voima commission Metris BOA measurement and analysis system at Hämeenkyrö CHP biopower plant, Finland


ANDRITZ and Finnish energy company Pohjolan Voima have commissioned a Metris BOA measurement and analysis system for the combined heat and power plant at Metsä Board’s Kyro mill in Kyröskoski, Hämeenkyrö, Finland. The 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.

 The Metris BOA system was installed as part of Hämeenkyrön Voima’s switch from fossil fuel to recycled fuels. The latter create 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.

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 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.

Jarmo Tervo, Manager, Technology and Projects, Pohjolan Voima, says: “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.”

Pohjolan Voima is a Finnish energy company producing electricity and heat using hydroelectric, thermal and nuclear power. The company’s share of the total electricity generated in Finland is approximately 20%, with 96% of this energy being carbon neutral.