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District Heating System at Luthern
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Location:
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Luthern (Switzerland)
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Luthern Composite Heating System
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This is the first system in Switzerland to be supported by the ’climate cent’ tax
The village of Luthern, in the foothills of the Napf region, has 1400 inhabitants who can look back on a long history. And this year, the local authority added a new chapter to that history.
The Christen sawmill processes tonnes of wood each year and there is a certain amount of saw timber left over; the mill also wanted to use this waste material in the most suitable way. The opportunity to take advantage of this situation was offered when a new central heating plant was built; it is equipped with an electrofilter so that used wood can be burned. Another factor was the Swiss Parliament’s approval of the ’climate cent’ tax late in the summer, so this could also be included in the cost-to-benefit calculations. The Christen sawmill submitted the application together with all the information relevant to the project and as a result, it was given the official green light to implement the project. This means that the Luthern Composite Heating System is Switzerland’s first plant to receive support from the ’climate cent’.
Technical points regarding the use of products were clarified at the outset, when the composite heating system was still just an idea. The major challenge was that the project order could not be placed and no building could take place before the decision on the ’climate cent’, but the plant nevertheless had to be commissioned by the start of the heating season. The operating temperature was set at 100° Celsius and opinions varied as to whether the network should be produced with rigid and flexible pipes or just with flexible pipes. The customer had concerns about the use of Flexwell, especially in terms of pressure loss and noises. But the decision was ultimately made to opt for FHK, although the feed pipe (about 550 metres long) was planned to be one dimension larger. The Napf region also proved to be a challenge in terms of topography. Luthern itself is very hilly and the soil is loamy. Nevertheless, the client’s requirement was to lay and install the entire distribution network (totalling 2200 metres) within 6 weeks. This involved personnel planning as well as ordering and processing the materials so that they could be delivered to the right place at the right time. To enable compliance with the specifications during installation, special distribution pieces with junctions were used almost exclusively - these parts had never been used before in this form and they posed a challenge for the production side as well. Thanks to the know-how of everyone involved, their tireless efforts and the courage to view new challenges as an opportunity, the network was finally handed over and the composite heating system was commissioned on time. 96% of all households in Luthern now receive their heat from used wood that is burned in the Christen sawmill.
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