Shopping Cart
Aerial view of the city of Herne with its densely built-up residential area,red roofs and distinctive church with a high steeple
2 min read

Climate-neutral heating for Herne: How KSB pumps enable district heating sourced from a chemical plant

The project

The city of Herne is aiming to transition to providing climate-neutral heating by 2045. One of the sources it has opted for is district heating using industrial waste heat. A joint project with KSB illustrates how existing energy can be tapped into and used efficiently by means of networking and modern control technology. It also highlights the central role pump systems play in the transition towards sustainable heating solutions.
Part of Herne's characteristic skyline is formed by the INEOS Solvents plant's chimneys, gas tanks and distinctive cooling tower. The industrial plant not only produces solvents, such as ethanol, diethyl ether or isopropanol; it also supplies the city with climate-neutral heating.
The plant provides industrial waste heat for use in district heating. For its production processes the plant requires wet steam, also known as exhaust vapour. When steam is cooled and condensed, waste heat is generated. Heat exchangers make this heat available to a district heating network spanning about 5 km and supplying more than 1000 households in the plant's vicinity with heat. Up to 4 megawatts of thermal energy are provided by the INEOS network in this way. As this is heat for which no additional fossil fuels have to be burned, it is climate neutral.
 
The INEOS Solvents plant in Herne with its high distillation columns, pipelines and distinctive chimney

The INEOS Solvents plant in Herne supplies 1000 households with district heating.

Image: ChemSim/Wikimedia CC BY-SA 4.0

The challenge

For a long time, the operators of the district heating network had been facing two challenges. One of them was that the excess heat generated by the industrial plant exceeded the capacity of the existing network by far. Under optimal conditions, more than 8 megawatts of waste heat may be generated by the production process – clearly exceeding the 4 megawatts required by the households connected.
The other challenge was that in order to maintain the heat supply, expensive heat generation by steam had to be used whenever downtime in the INEOS production occurred, for instance during maintenance work.
By working with KSB the municipal utilities of Herne circumnavigated these obstacles and expanded the use of process waste heat for their district heating supply. The solution was to connect the existing network with another district heating network. The "centre" district heating network, which supplies the town centre of Herne with heat, only runs 500 metres from the INEOS plant. This network is provided with heat from fossil energy by the energy supplier Uniper.
Connecting the two networks enables excess heat from the INEOS network to be used for the "centre" district heating network. Consequently, less fossil-fuel-generated energy is needed. And the other way round, the "centre" network provides a back-up for the INEOS network when no waste heat is produced at the plant for a short time.
Practically speaking, connecting these networks was far from simple as they are designed based on very different technical principles.
 
A technician with a hard hat working on a control cabinet and configuring a control system via a laptop

The KSB-engineered pump control system flexibly and automatically adjusts operation to match the demand.

 
Some households are connected directly to the INEOS network, meaning that the heating water flows directly through their heaters. For this reason, the system has to be operated at relatively low temperatures and at a low pressure. The system temperatures are restricted to below 90 degrees Celsius. The static pressure of the system is about 3 bar and the maximum pressure in the supply line 4.5 bar.
By contrast, the "centre" district heating network is connected to the buildings via transfer stations equipped with heat exchangers. This means it can be operated at a higher pressure and at higher temperatures with system temperatures reaching up to 130 degrees Celsius in the supply line and 50 to 80 degrees Celsius in the return line. The static pressure of the system is about 12 bar.
This makes it impossible to connect the two networks directly. The solution: An intelligent heat transfer station fitted with two powerful plate heat exchangers with a rated capacity of 8 megawatts each. The station hydraulically separates the two systems from each other while enabling the exchange of heat. This transforms two previously separate systems into a flexible combined one.
The actual challenge was the control system as the demand in a district heating network fluctuates constantly. Fluctuations are not only caused by the seasons but also by the time of day and by the weather. The quantity of industrial waste heat also changes as it depends directly on the production process..

The solution

The task of adjusting the operation of the heat transfer station flexibly to the demand is taken on by the KSB-engineered pump control system, the system's centrepiece. On the side of the INEOS network, it controls four recirculation pumps of the type Etanorm 200-150-250 with grey cast iron casings and bronze impellers. They are driven by 4-pole asynchronous motors with a 45 kilowatt rating. The motors are operated over-synchronously up to 60 Hz on frequency inverters of the type KSB PumpDrive R via the KSB-engineered pump control system. The same control system is used for the two return pumps feeding water into the "centre" district heating network. The control system and frequency inverters adjust the pumps to the optimum return flow rate.
 
An Etanorm pump in an industrial plant, with insulated pipelines and large metal channels in a machinery room

Four recirculation pumps of the type Etanorm 200-150-250 control the INEOS district heating network.

 
The pumps controlled in this way keep the water circuit in the INEOS network moving, stabilise the pressure and prevent any safety-relevant conditions such as excessive pressure or temperature, negative pressure or dry running. The control system especially monitors critical points, also called bad-value points, which are the first areas in which pressure may drop too much or the temperature may no longer be sufficient.
In line with the demand the system switches between several operating modes. Normally, process waste heat supplies the network surrounding the plant. If not enough heat is available, e.g. during maintenance work, the "centre" network takes over the heat supply for that network. If more waste heat is available than locally required, the excess energy is fed into the "centre" network. Switching between these two operating modes is quite a delicate procedure. If pumps are started up or stopped abruptly, pressure surges may occur. Such loads are problematic for the valves and piping. This is why the system was programmed with the pumps adjusting their speed using so-called dynamic start and stop ramps to be optimally matched to the system requirements.
The project was completed in March 2025. It demonstrates that climate-friendly heat not only depends on new energy sources. It also depends on smart technical solutions that make use of existing potentials and allow integration in existing systems. Herne illustrates what the transition towards sustainable heat solutions can look like: technically demanding, yet invisible in day-to-day life – and all the more important for meeting tomorrow’s climate targets.

Used products and solutions

A KSB SupremeServ automation specialist commissioning an engineered pump control system

Engineered pump control systems

For applications that require more than a standard solution: Engineered pump control systems from KSB SupremeServ control and monitor your system automatically and ensure demand-driven operation.
View service
Monitoring service for your pumps with KSB SupremeServ

Monitoring Service

With KSB Guard, the smart monitoring service from KSB SupremeServ, you can reduce unscheduled downtimes of your system by up to 70 %. Our experienced diagnostics specialists will keep an eye on your system around the clock, analyse irregularities and provide you with advice and assistance.
View service

Etanorm/Etanorm MyFlow/Etanorm Pro

Etanorm/Etanorm MyFlow/Etanorm Pro
Documents

Single-stage volute casing pump in back pull-out design, with ratings and main dimensions to EN 733, with IEC-compatible power drive system comprising PumpDrive 2 and KSB SuPremE® motor or PumpDrive 3 (efficiency class IE4/IE5 to IEC TS 60034-2-3:2016) and motor-integrated frequency inverter. The pump is designed with replaceable casing wear rings, closed radial impeller with multiply curved vanes, single mechanical seal or double mechanical seals to EN 12756, shaft equipped with replaceable shaft protecting sleeve in the shaft seal area. The back pull-out design allows the coupling, bearing brackets and impeller to be dismantled without the need to disconnect the pump casing from the piping. Motor mounting points in accordance with IEC 60072, envelope dimensions in accordance with DIN V 42673 (07-2011). ATEX-compliant version available. Well ahead of the ErP Directive's efficiency requirements.

Details

PumpDrive R (KSB202)

PumpDrive R (KSB202)
Documents

Modular self-cooling frequency inverter that enables continuously variable speed control of asynchronous and synchronous reluctance motors by means of analog standard signals, a field bus or the control panel. As PumpDrive R is self-cooling, it can be mounted on the wall or in a control cabinet. Up to six pumps can be controlled without needing an additional controller. PumpDrive R extends the power range of PumpDrive 2 up to a rated power of 315 kW (mains voltage 3~ 380 - 480 VAC) or 400 kW (on request, mains voltage 3~ 525 - 690 VAC).

Details

KSB Guard

KSB Guard
Documents

The smart and comprehensive monitoring service for pumps and other rotating machinery, available 24/7 and also for non-KSB pumps. Benefit from predictive maintenance with KSB: comprehensive transparency, increased availability, enhanced operating reliability and efficient operation (of fixed-speed pumps). Important operating data such as vibrations, temperature, operating hours and load condition (of fixed-speed pumps) can be accessed via KSB Guard, anytime and from anywhere. In addition, deviations from normal operation trigger immediate notifications via the KSB Guard web portal and/or app. The experts at the KSB Monitoring Centre also provide support in analysing causes.

Details

Don’t hesitate to contact us.

Would you like further information on KSB? Or have you got any questions surrounding our pumps, valves, services and spare parts? Just contact us. We would love to talk to you.
Find your contact

Stay up to date with the KSB Newsletter.

Want to make sure you never miss the latest news? With the KSB Newsletter you will receive information on our products and solutions, current promotions and events as well as fascinating insights into the world of KSB.
Sign up for the KSB Newsletter