Honeywell to Support Safe and Efficient Production at Biofuel Demonstration Plant
Control and Safety Systems to be Used to Research Renewable Biofuels that Help Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fossil Fuel Use
KUOPIO, Finland, Dec. 2, 2008 - Honeywell today announced it will provide the process control and safety systems for a new NSE Biofuels Oy Ltd. research facility in Varkaus, Finland. The demonstration plant will develop processes to produce renewable biofuels from wood residues. The resulting biofuels will help reduce greenhouse gases in the automotive transportation sector and help meet stringent European Union standards for the reduction of fossil fuel. NSE Biofuels Oy Ltd. is a joint venture between Stora Enso Oyj and Neste Oil Corporation.
"The research we are conducting is important because it will be applied to the next generation of biofuel production plants," said Reino Panula, managing director of NSE Biofuels Oy Ltd. "Honeywell's experience and proven automation and safety management systems contributes significantly to this undertaking."
NSE Biofuels will use Honeywell's Experion® Process Knowledge System (PKS) to operate the demonstration plant. Experion streamlines production by allowing plants to unify process, production and business management. The system ties together critical subsystems, including process units and safety systems, throughout a plant and delivers relevant information directly to operators for improved decision making in the control room. Experion's flexibility allows operators to modify the system according to process requirements, which enables continuous improvement in overall production efficiency.
Additionally, Honeywell will help drive plant safety by providing its Safety Manager platform, which incorporates safety systems such as fire and gas detectors into overall control and automation strategies. Safety Manager can also help support proper start up and shutdown sequences.
The Varkaus site features a number of innovations designed to save energy and increase environmental compliance. For example, the demonstration plant will re-use the extra gas emerging from the process to heat the lime kiln in the pulp production process instead of using exhaustible raw materials such as oil.
"This is a significant project because of its potential impact on the global effort to reduce greenhouse gasses," said Timo Saarelainen, managing director, Honeywell Finland. "Integrated process-safety systems are vital to helping a facility such as this deliver on its full potential."
For more information about Experion, Safety Manager and other Honeywell solutions that improve business performance, visit www.honeywell.com/ps.
Honeywell International is a $38 billion diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell's shares are traded on the New York, London and Chicago Stock Exchanges. For additional information, please visit www.honeywell.com. Honeywell Process Solutions is part of Honeywell's Automation and Control Solutions group, a global leader in providing product and service solutions that improve efficiency and profitability, support regulatory compliance, and maintain safe, comfortable environments in homes, buildings and industry.
For more information about Process Solutions, access www.honeywell.com/ps.
Contacts:
Jake Saylor
602-313-4054
jake.saylor@honeywell.com
Andres Ybarra
952-346-6314
aybarra@webershandwick.com
