KSB SE & Co. KGaA, Frankenthal, Germany

Wooden packaging becomes heat

Pump manufacturer KSB is investing in a new heating plant and using the wood packaging material to generate heat energy.

Pumps and valves from KSB SE & Co. KGaA can be found in various power plants around the world. They are also used in biomass heating plants, including boiler pumps, condensate pumps and cooling water pumps.

The foundation stone of KSB was laid in 1871 with the design of an automatic boiler feeder, an apparatus that collects the steam from steam engines, condenses it and allows it to flow back into the boiler as water. This allowed the process water to be recirculated. Then as now, the company’s focus is on the efficient use of resources. As a result, the pump manufacturer invests heavily in sustainability. This is why the company invested in a new heating system at its headquarters and production site in Frankenthal.

Wood for heating and process heat – an investment for the future

Last year, KSB invested 122 million euros in sustainability, capacity expansion, digitalization and production improvements. Daniel Geiger is KSB’s energy officer. He puts his heart and soul into implementing projects for a sustainable energy supply and also planned the new energy center.

In order to be able to react flexibly to annual and daily cycles with fluctuating heat demand, heat generation is distributed across four boilers. The two Schmid furnaces with a nominal output of 700 kW and 1,200 kW can be operated in the range of 30 to 100 % modulating. The two wood-fired boilers are supported by two gas boilers with 4 MW each and two buffer storage tanks with a total storage volume of 56,000 liters.

The two wood-fired boilers supply the air conditioning technology in the plant, the production and office areas, the hot water supply and the process heat for production, such as the paint shops. The drying systems, which are still gas-fired, will be converted in the near future and also connected to the biomass heating system.

Metal company works with wood energy

“It may come as a surprise that a metalworking company like ours has opted for wood as its main source of energy. Wood is a huge issue for us,” assures Dirk Dehmelt, Head of Metalworking Shop/Boiler House.

Many pumps are custom-made products that are transported in customized wooden packaging. This results in wood waste. In addition, there is disposable packaging from supplier parts or pumps that are delivered to the factory for inspection. This results in a considerable amount of untreated and dry waste wood. Without using it ourselves, this fuel would have to be transported away and disposed of at a cost. It is therefore obvious that this material should continue to be used on site.