InfraStructures - April 2012 - Metso DNA Expands to Mining and Construction

Metso DNA Expands to Mining and Construction

Metso DNA is again leading the way by being the first in the world to introduce new control applications that enhance productivity and profitability in energy industries, pulp and paper industries, and as a new area, mining and construction industries.

Metso is the first to introduce embedded machine condition and runnability monitoring within process controls. Metso DNA has also been strengthened with new control applications, such as winder controls, power plant turbine controls and machine condition monitoring. As well, Metso is pioneering usability in process control work.

Metso DNA meets diverse mining and construction industry needs
Metso is a leading supplier in mining and construction machinery. This expertise is now combined with scalable Metso DNA automation systems that adapt to the diverse mining and construction industry needs, from single machine controls to entire plant-wide automation and information management systems.

An example of Metso's new offering is the new crushing plant control room solution that connects crushers and screens together, ensuring the effective management of the entire plant from a pleasant and safe control room. The Metso DNA user interface provides production information to ensure a proper and rapid response to plant events. Automatic controls stabilize the process and allow the operators to monitor the plant as a whole.

Metso DNA now offers one system for power producers, which includes energy management, plant information management, controls for the boiler, turbine and Balance of Plant, safety integrated systems, as well as emission management.

The integration of applications for turbine control, turbine protection and turbine management into the Metso DNA automation system provides customers with easy and cost-efficient maintenance, and reliability-based redundant process controllers. Metso's pulverized coal-fired combustion optimization manages control reactions to dynamic upsets, such as changes in mill configuration or load demand.

The sootblowing optimization tool calculates, stores and displays the boiler heat transfer characteristics that indicate fouling and deposit accumulation on heat transfer surfaces. It also defines the economically optimal sootblowing sequence. Another new application, machine condition monitoring, has been developed for the condition monitoring of rotating machines, such as flue gas fans, feed water pumps and turbines.

Metso DNA offers pulp and paper makers a single system for all controls, from the fiber line to baling information, and from headbox to winder.

The new Metso DNA also offers winder controls, which increase the transparency between the winding process and papermaking process controls. The new winder controls enable operators to follow paper profiles through the winder controls, which improve both the runnability and productivity of the winding process.

Metso has also further developed its Metso DNA pulp mill information management offering and upgraded its bale tracking solution for the baling line. The newest application in Metso’s pulp mill information management system, Metso DNA Bale Tracker, takes bale tracking to a new level. The new solution is based solely on the Metso DNA automation platform, which makes bale tracking and marking even more reliable. All online quality data needed for each and every bale is also available, thanks to full integration with Metso’s Quality Control System (QCS) and Process and Quality Vision (PQV).

Mechanical condition monitoring is a part of preventive maintenance for wearing components, such as shafts and bearings, which need to be monitored for possible replacement needs. The new mechanical condition monitoring solution from Metso includes rotating machinery vibration measurements and analysis carried out as part of the automation system. Condition and runnability monitoring has traditionally been a separate system, mostly utilized by maintenance specialists. Thanks to Metso DNA Machine Monitoring, the same information can be shared with machine operators in the control room.

In addition, Metso is pioneering usability in the process control work. Metso DNA takes a new approach to usability by regarding emotions and feelings as part of the process control work. “Despite being fact-based by nature, process control work at pulp and paper mills includes a lot of feelings connected with solving situations. When all the aspects of business and production processes are under control, people in various tasks can enjoy feeling in control of their work,” explains Jaakko Oksanen, product manager for Metso DNA.

An example of usability is that Metso DNA is the only system in the world from which the user receives the process data in real time and retrospectively from the same user interface, with one push of a button. All Metso automation systems delivered after 1988 can be upgraded with new applications as a whole or in sections. Existing equipment and applications can be used in the upgraded system. The system network may also contain different generation subsystems or even different generations of products within a single system, meaning that new product features can be easily added.

Source: Metso