Heatmasters’ heat treatment operators were on site at the Kymijärvi III bio-heating plant before its commissioning in 2019. Now, they were back on site for on-site heat treatment works during a project involving the installation of additional piping.
The Kymijärvi III bio-heating plant uses certified sustainable woody biomass as fuel, providing Finland’s most environmentally friendly district heating to the city of Lahti.
Lahti – European Green Capital 2021
Lahti has been chosen as the European Green Capital 2021, a title awarded by the European Commission for merits in pioneering environmental actions, innovations, and solutions to environmental challenges, and setting an example for other cities. The city has shared a vision of a bold green city with multiple goals such as:
- Become a carbon-neutral city by 2025, ten years before the rest of Finland
- Cut down greenhouse gas emissions by 80% compared to the levels in 1990 by 2025
- Become a zero-waste circular economy city by 2050
- Protect the natural and valuable surface and groundwater areas
- Encourage the use of sustainable modes of transport such as walking, cycling, skiing, and public transport
The Kymijärvi III bio-heating plant supplied the first heat to Lahti’s district heating network on the 6th of August 2019. Aerial images from Lahti Energia.
Kymijärvi III Bio-Heating Plant
The plant CFB energy-efficient multi-fuel boiler enables the use of multiple solid fuels in addition to certified biomass
One larger step towards these goals was taken through the Kymijärvi III bio-heating project, started in 2014 by Lahti Energia, the local district heating company. The Kymijärvi III 190-megawatt bio-heating plant has replaced the coal-fired Kymijärvi I plant which was started up in the 1970s, reducing Lahti Energia’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by approximately 600 000 tonnes per year.
The plant CFB (circulating fluidized bed) energy-efficient multi-fuel boiler enables the use of multiple solid fuels in addition to certified biomass, which secures the plant’s operations in the future which may bring changes in energy policy and markets.
Currently, the plant has a district heating capacity of 190 megawatts, with equipment in place to also enable electricity generation in the future. The plant utilizes innovative technologies to ensure all process waste is recycled and no sulfates end up in water bodies.
Heatmasters Heat Treatment Services
Heatmasters have decades of experience in heat treatment works across many industries, including the heat treatment of CFB boiler components and on-site heat treatment works within energy industry facilities.
The wizards of metal were working at the site for approximately 18 months before the plant's commissioning, providing a wide range of heat treatment services. Now, the operators were on-site again to provide heat treatment services during additional piping work, which was executed to ensure smooth and reliable heat production in all operational conditions at the Kymijärvi III bio-heating plant.
Several of the operators equipped with 4 six-channel 40kVA heat treatment units completed pre-heating and post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) works at the plant, located right next door to the Heatmasters headquarters. The Heatmasters HM406T heat treatment unit and the experienced team of wizards ensured that heat treatment was well documented and met the highest quality standards.
HM406T heat treatment unit
Heatmasters heat treatment units are relatively portable, weighing only half of the weight of traditional units
The HM406T is a fully automatic heat treatment unit designed for preheating and annealing metal workpieces. The unit features the state-of-the-art temperature control system which means that setting, controlling, monitoring, and documentation of heat treatment parameters are carried out quickly and accurately.
Heatmasters heat treatment units are also relatively portable, weighing only half of the weight of traditional units, and being small enough to move around by hand, even though doorways, etc. which are an important factor to consider for on-site heat treatment works such as during this project.
“The additional piping work was executed to ensure smooth and reliable heat production in all operational conditions. Cooperation with Heatmasters was easy due to the highly skilled site personnel,” said Esa Tepponen, Project Manager, Lahti Energia.
Custom-tailored solutions
Heatmasters look forward to future challenges utilizing their knowledge and long-term experience in high-quality heat treatment and industrial services.
In addition to on-site pre-heating and post-weld heat treatment (PWHT), Heatmasters provides custom-tailored solutions including:
- Heat treatment of workpieces in fixed furnaces
- Heat treatment of large workpieces in portable temporary furnaces
- Refractory dry-outs
- Wide range of industrial services (NDT, surface treatment, welding, etc.)
- High-tech heat treatment equipment (furnaces, transformers, temperature control systems, etc.)
- Modernizations for all manufacturer’s heat treatment equipment