Because the steam network on the premises of chemical company Evonik Antwerp was obsolete, an alternative was sought.

Ingenium evaluated various scenarios and proposed a heat network fed by residual heat. Consumption that is at least 30 percent lower, less maintenance and fewer risks: enough plus points, according to Evonik Antwerp, to actually realize this plan.

Evonik Antwerp is a world player in the production of specialty chemicals and chemical raw materials and employs 1,000 people in the port of Antwerp. The steam network that heated the office buildings with residual steam from the production process appeared to be in need of replacement. Ingenium proposed several options in a preliminary study, with a new steam network as a replacement or a heat network as an alternative.

The best option appeared to be a heat network that uses heat from the residual steam to heat the water via a heat exchanger. That water, via an 800-meter-long underground pipe network, heats 8 buildings - offices, restaurant, warehouses - with a total floor area of 11,000 m². Existing radiators can continue to be used for heat output. Domestic hot water is also produced through this grid with a total capacity of some 2 MW. Future expansion plans were also taken into account in the scenarios. After choosing the most optimal scenario, Ingenium took care of an implantation plan and the recording of the technical provisions and implementation modalities in a specification. Evonik Antwerp is now responsible for further tendering and execution of the works.

Over the past decades, Ingenium has built up considerable expertise with regard to heat networks on care campuses, residential sites and on public domains. The Evonik Antwerp heat network is the first application of this know-how in an industrial context.