Recommendations for water treatment & corrosion prevention in district heating

Article by Jorn Urup Nielsen, Group Sales Director, SILHORKO-EUROWATER A/S

Denmark is considered the leading district heating market when it comes to innovation and practical experience with modern district heating. For this reason, recommendations issued by the Danish District Heating Association are typically received with much interest from other countries, in order to learn “Best Practice” based on findings from the close to 400 district heating companies in Denmark.

Water treatment plants can be designed partly based on water analysis for the water used as inlet for the plant, partly based on information on which water quality it needs to deliver at the outlet.

Design parameters include opportunities for water and energy savings, minimum use of chemicals, minimum floor space footprint for the plant, trouble-free installation and operation, fast/safe and reliable commissioning of plants etc. It means we often supply frame mounted installations combining several water treatment technologies into one compact plant complete with PLC’s.

Recently, the Danish District Heating Association published its recommendations for correct water treatment for district heating with a view to prevent corrosion of pipes etc. – which could cause water leakages (loss of water and energy), intake of untreated water through the network as well as interruption of supply to the customers of the district heating company. Correct water treatment strongly influences lifecycles and maintenance requirements for key assets such as pipes, fittings, boilers, heat exchangers etc. The recommendations apply to all water-born district heating systems irrespective of operating temperature. In other words, the recommendations are all about good asset management.

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