The most common way to deliver heat for such a process is with a gas furnace, and this was also the first solution utilised in Uimaharju. However, the gas furnace was a source of fossil CO2 emissions and it was decided that this should change.
The target was to find a profitable solution which operates on renewable energy, and the installation of the new technical solution was completed in 2016. It consists of a heat exchanger for low temperature drying, an electrical heater for high temperature modification, an electrical combustion chamber to minimise emissions, and an optimised control system to achieve superior energy efficiency.
The ThermoWood process is now running on renewable electricity and heat while ensuring a stable production process and high product quality. Jouni Hämäläinen, Operation Manager at Stora Enso’s Uimaharju unit, is satisfied with the results and sums up his feelings: “This was a sound energy and environmental investment which has also improved overall competitiveness and safety.”
