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Cleaner air in the “Spring City” by means of district heating

14 September 2007

Danfoss is behind the renovation and expansion of a district heating network in one of China’s most polluted cities

Changchun is situated in north China, with 2.5 million inhabitants, and is poetically called “The Spring City beyond the Great Wall”. During winter, however, it is hard to see the poetry: the sky is full of smoke from the many coal-fired boilers which heat every block of flats. The boilers are inefficient and emit harmful substances into the atmosphere.

But things will improve as of next winter. A district heating network in the city was renovated and expanded this spring – with Danfoss as the main contractor. Last year, District Heating won an order worth 10 million euros and, as a result, 30 containers with equipment were shipped to north China in March this year. In the containers, for example, were 40 large 3-10 MW Danfoss heat exchangers weighing up to nine tonnes each and equipment for the upgrading of 12 units at the plant.

This was a very complicated project, not least because it was funded with money from Danida, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ development organisation, and, therefore, part of the production had to take place in Denmark. Other parts of the project came from Danfoss in Poland and Finland.

“Early in the process, I realised that we had won a very tricky project – and that if we could manage it, we could cope with anything,” says Dariusz Wellenger, head of the project.

Improved working environment

Changchun is one of the most polluted cities in China and the many small coal-fired boilers are responsible for most of the pollution. Around 70 per cent of them were made in the 70s, and they supply 85 per cent of heating in the city. The administrators of the properties supplied with heating typically own the boilers; and boiler men manually manoeuvre coal into the hungry boilers 24-hours-a-day.

The result of the project will be that the district heating network will supply heat to 80,000 households – which is around one tenth of the city – and that eight of the small coal-fired boilers can be switched off. This way, the city’s atmosphere will be spared 58,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), 321 tonnes of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and 58 tonnes of nitrogen dioxide (NOX)
every year.

It also means that a range of outdoor coal stocks can be eliminated. The result: less coal dust in the air – and a more professional and healthy working environment.

The renovated district heating network will be ready for use by
2008.

Facts

As the main contractor, Danfoss is responsible for the entire project, including the delivery of heat exchanger units, district heating pipes and other equipment, training, testing, surveillance of installations and the final transfer of the system.
A heat exchanger unit is a heat exchanger with related equipment ready to install on the system. It is also called a sub-station.

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