Green Heating

District heating piping is under constant attack from corrosive water. Using chemicals to treat it is bad for the environment. But vacuum pumps from BUSCH solve the problem.


District heating has existed since the late 1800s. New York has it, as do Moscow, Berlin, and many more cities and towns. A pipeline network sends hot water or steam from a central power plant to whole urban areas.

Leaks eat energy

Primarily due to its ‘collective’ over ‘individual’ generation, district heating has always been considered environmentally friendly. More so since the OPEC oil crisis in the mid-1970s. Power companies changed from burning fossil fuels to generate heat to alternatives like solar energy or biogas. One plus green point for district heating. However, circuit water’s harmful properties, including gases like oxygen or salt, must be removed. If these enter the system, pipes corrode and leak. This means wasted energy. Likewise, when district heating pipes are poorly insulated. Two minus green points.

Kinder water

Membrane degassing solves the corrosion problem. After the salts are removed with reverse osmosis, degassing takes place. The demineralized circuit water is suctioned through a membrane using vacuum. Only gases can penetrate its hollow strands. This leaves behind the gas-free water. There are no toxic degassing chemicals involved. The kinder water is then fed back into the circuit. The removed gases are eventually released into the atmosphere where they exist naturally.

Hotter for longer

Vacuum plays a role in insulation, too. To prevent circuit water from being cooled by groundwater, it flows through an inner pipe. This is enclosed by a larger outer pipe. The space between serves as insulation. It is filled with rock wool and additionally placed under vacuum. Employing vacuum technology from BUSCH for degassing and insulating means no minus green points. Instead, a gold star, or a big green one.