Kamianets-Podilskyi is a famous tourist destination city in Khmelnitsky Oblast in the western part of Ukraine. It has a population of 103,000 inhabitants.
The district heating utility in Kamianets-Podilskyi is a municipal public enterprise “MiskTeploVodEnerhiya”. It operates both central water and heat infrastructure in the city. The utility operates nine boiler houses including one Combined Heat and Power station with a total installed thermal capacity of 260 Gcal/h. The heating networks consist of 73 km of pipelines for heating and hot water distribution. The three main district heating networks cover more than 90% of the connected load: CHP (48%), the boiler house (15%) and the Zukhova boiler house (29%).
Kamianets-Podilskyi Demonstration Project – overview
District heating generation at the Zhukova boiler house was based on gas. District heating from the boiler house was distributed via the pipe system to the central heating substations (CHS) where domestic hot water is produced. From the CHSs there were 4-pipe systems for distribution of heat and DHW. The project was based in the DH Company’s conviction that the most effective way to improve the overall efficiency of the system is to convert the system from a production-driven system to a demand-driven system by the introduction of Individual Heat Substations (IHS) in each building connected to the district heating network. The demonstration project was the first step in this development.
The aim of the demonstration project was to identify where the distribution of heat and DHW was most inefficient and in these buildings install IHSs and disconnect them from the pipe system. By the introduction of IHSs, step by step the inefficient CHSs and the 4-pipe systems could be eliminated in the long term and the conversion to a demand-driven system could finally be implemented.
Kamianets-Podilskyi Demonstration Project – details
The area selected for the demonstration project was the Zhukova boiler house area. This area is one of the most densely populated areas in the city.
Specifics of the Kamianets-Podilskyi project included:
- Individual Heat Substations – introduction of 29 IHSs with brazed heat exchangers, downsized control valves and heat meters at residential and public buildings supplied from the boiler house.
- Rehabilitation of inner building heating systems, mainly balancing of heating and renovation of hot tap water systems.
- Installation of a new frequency-controlled network distribution pump for variable flow at the boiler house.
The investment was EUR 720,311. The proposed financing plan was as follows:
- Total loan – EUR 298,349 (41%)
- Total grant – EUR 299,962 (42%)
- Total Kamyanets-Podilsky local contribution – EUR 122,000 (17%)
The project benefited the local community by:
- Saving 6,220 MWh heat per year
- Saving 540,000 m³ gas per year
- Saving 230 MWh electricity per year
- Saving 1,070 tonnes CO2 per year
The project in Kamianets-Podilskyi demonstrates best practices in technical design and project implementation. For the district heating company, it was the first experience with installation of IHSs and the start of a development to install IHSs in all the buildings of the city. As a result of the project, a significant proportion of the heating system has been converted to a demand-driven system. The pipe system was replaced and provided with equipment for controlling the heat supply according to the real heat demand. For customers the indoor climate improved and the quality of tap water preparation in each building increased significantly. The district heating company conducted an awareness campaign to improve the customers’ understanding of the new system and to inform them about the way in which their individual behaviour influences energy consumption (e.g. use of hot water, control over overheated parts of buildings).
Current status
The project was completed in autumn 2016. All goods were procured, installed and successfully commissioned.
Photo credit: city administration