Converting boiler from coal-fired to pellet-fired
June 2023
Electrical Power & Protection
Valmet is to convert Helen Ltd’s coal-fired district heat boiler to bubbling fluidised bed (BFB) combustion to enable wood pellet firing at the Salmisaari power plant in Helsinki, Finland. The conversion promotes the company’s goal of phasing out coal and at the same time strengthens the construction of a sustainable energy system. “Our goal is carbon-neutral energy production in 2030. Sustainable bioenergy is part of the overall solution to achieve our goal. The versatile production structure ensures reliability of heat supply even in freezing weather. This project is an important step for us on the way to carbon neutrality. We trust Valmet’s abilities to complete this demanding project on time,” says Juhani Aaltonen, who is responsible for Helen’s sustainable energy solutions.
“Converting an existing coal-fired boiler to biofuel combustion is a quick and cost-effective way to transition from fossil to renewable fuels. Valmet has decades of experience of successful boiler conversions,” says Valmet director, Niina Ollikka.
The project is a continuation of the good cooperation between Helen and Valmet. In 2018, Valmet started up a 92 MW pellet-fired heating plant at the Salmisaari power plant area, and during this year the heat recovery plant belonging to the Vuosaari bioheating plant will be completed.
Valmet’s turnkey delivery includes a fuel conversion from pulverised coal to wood pellets on a hot water boiler. It will be modified to a bubbling fluidised bed boiler with a fuel capacity of 150 MW. The delivery includes a flue gas cleaning system and a heat recovery system and modification to the Valmet DNA automation system, together with all necessary auxiliary systems. After the conversion, the plant will produce district heat with extremely high efficiency – the flue gas temperature at the stack will be only 13°C.
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