“Erdwärme Grünwald”, with its geothermal power plant for district heating purposes, is a German energy transition pioneer. In the course of standard operation, however, the facility encountered significant performance issues and suffered unexpected downtime. The operators undertook several measures to remedy the situation – with mixed results. The Austrian company KLINGER Fluid Control was subsequently brought on board to provide a lasting solution. Their answer: KLINGER Ballostar KHI.
When the Erdwärme Grünwald geothermal power plant experienced unexpected downtimes and output issues, the source was quickly identified: Scaling. This term describes an undesired accumulation of matter in the pipe system, e.g. in the form of crystallized solids. It is frequently observed in geothermal water applications that feature an operating temperature greater than 70 °C as well as pressure fluctuations in the pipe system. And this phenomenon was also affecting the availability and the efficiency of the facility located in Oberhaching-Laufzorn, south of Munich.
