The University of Valladolid's biomass-fueled district heating network is now operational

The Heat Network built by Rebi is a thermal energy distribution system, powered by forest biomass, that runs through urban roads, and currently provides domestic hot water and heating to 22 buildings of the University of Valladolid and 4 of the Junta de Castilla y León.

The rector of the University of Valladolid, Daniel Miguel San José, and the Minister of Development and Environment of the Junta de Castilla y León, Juan Carlos Suárez-Quiñones y Fernández, inaugurated this Tuesday, November 3, the Urban Heat Network with forest biomass of the UVa.

The inauguration was part of a technical conference held at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Valladolid throughout the morning, entitled "Current Status of Biomass-Fed District Heating Networks." The Vice-Rector for Heritage and Infrastructure of the University of Valladolid, Luis Manuel Navas Gracia, opened the conference. Participants included representatives from SOMACYL, AVEBIOM, IDEA, and EREN, who presented their perspectives on these types of networks. Specifically, and due to its characteristics, the University of Valladolid's district heating network stands out as one of the most important in the country.

The guided tour of the Biomass Heating Plant at the University of Valladolid was conducted by the company REBI. Technician Virginia Borondo Molpeceres presented the plant and all its equipment and systems to the students, giving them a more technical understanding of the facilities.

The visit began with an exploration of the natural process biomass undergoes to become heat and energy for the University buildings. They first examined the forest biomass unloading area, “which consists of a large loading chute where the trucks unload. From this chute, a conveyor belt transports the forest material to a screen, which separates the excessively large and fine material. Two centrifugal fans then propel the optimal material into the silo. The loading capacity is 20 tons of wood chips per hour, and the silo's storage capacity is 1,800 m³,” Borondo explained.

Once inside the silo, the wood chips are transported through a system of mobile rakes into the power plant, where a system of programmed screw conveyors takes care of carrying the material into the boilers; there, the combustion of the biomass takes place and the energy is transferred to the water of the Network, which is responsible for providing heating and domestic hot water (DHW) to all university students in Valladolid.

To meet the full heating demand, the plant has three CVT Ventil boilers, each with a capacity of 4,700 kW, for a total of 14,100 kW. Each boiler includes a sophisticated flue gas purification and filtration system that ensures emissions are well below the levels required by the strictest eurregulations. “This reduces CO2 emissions on campus by 6,800 tons per year compared to the current gas and oil systems used in the university buildings,” the Rebi technician emphasized.

To improve boiler performance, the boilers are connected to two large buffer tanks, each with a capacity of 40,000 liters. These tanks supply heat to the 12-km-long, 600,000-liter network that runs through the university campuses. The piping used for this network is specifically designed and manufactured for district heating systems and features special insulation. Diameters range from DN 350 to DN 32.

Once all the equipment and systems that make up the plant, pressure groups, pumps, filters, energy meters, etc., had been analyzed, the visit ended in the Plant Control Room where the students were able to observe a photographic compilation of the evolution of the works over this last year and a large cartographic map of the route of the entire network. 

Similarly, in this room they were able to see the complex Control System that regulates all the components of both the Power Plant and the connected buildings, verifying that all parameters are recorded and graphed with the aim of improving the efficiency and operation of the Heat Network every day.

The infrastructure project was promoted by the Regional Government of Castile and León, through SOMACYL (the Public Infrastructure and Environment Company of Castile and León), and the University of Valladolid. Funding was provided by the EurInvestment Bank and the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund).