Heat Exchanger World Magazine February 2025 | Page 15

Industry News
OMV begins drilling for Vienna ’ s first deep geothermal plant
Aalberts strengthens heat treatment footprint in North America
Wien Energie , Vienna ’ s largest energy provider , operates an extensive district heating network . Last year , the company has announced a joint venture with OMV to develop a deep geothermal power plant in the city , named Deeep . This week , drilling has commenced to access a natural hot water reservoir located approximately 3,000 metres underground , known as the Aderklaaer Konglomerat . The reservoir lies within a water-bearing rock formation and maintains a temperature of around 100 degrees Celsius . The geothermal plant in Vienna ’ s 22nd district ( Aspern , part of Vienna-Donaustadt ) is expected to come online in 2028 . With a planned capacity of approximately 20 megawatts ( MW ) of thermal energy , including contributions from Wien Energie heat pumps , it
will provide emission-free heating to approximately 20,000 Viennese households . The Aspern geothermal plant will rely on three wells : a pilot well for exploration , maintenance , and system protection ; a production well to extract the hot water ; and an injection well to return the cooled water underground . Drilling is expected to conclude by mid-2025 , after which production tests will assess the formation water ’ s availability , temperature , and chemical composition . Once the evaluation is complete , construction of the surface plant can begin . When the plant is in operation , hot water is pumped to the surface , where its heat is transferred to the district heating network via a heat exchanger . The cooled water is then reinjected into the original reservoir , creating a closed-loop system .
Aalberts N . V . has reached an agreement to acquire 100 % of the shares of Paulo Products Company ( Paulo ), operating five facilities in the USA and one in Mexico , generating an annual revenue of approximately USD 105M with 522 employees . Paulo is a provider of industrial heat treatment and related services that are critical to achieving strength , hardness , and other metallurgical properties required in various industrial applications . It is the largest privately owned thermal processing platform in North America providing solutions including heat treatment , brazing , and metal finishing . Paulo serves attractive end markets like automotive , aerospace , defence , and power generation .
In line with the ‘ thrive 2030 ’ strategy , this acquisition will strengthen the geographical footprint in the USA . By combining Paulo ’ s heat treatment , brazing , and metal finishing expertise with the existing technology solutions , it is creating an even stronger business with enhanced benefits for the customers . The experienced management of Paulo will work closely with the management of Aalberts Surface Technologies in North America . The transaction , which is conditional on regulatory approvals , is expected to be finalised in the second quarter of 2025 . The results of Paulo will be consolidated immediately thereafter . The acquisition will directly contribute to the earnings per share and will be financed from existing credit facilities .
Alleima relaunches high-strength and corrosion-resistant steel
Alleima the manufacturer of high value-added products in advanced stainless steels and special alloys as well as products for industrial heating , has launched an updated version of its Alleima ® HighN50 bars to meet industry demands for materials that perform reliably under harsh conditions . Alleima ® HighN50 bar is an advanced austenitic stainless steel ( XM-19 / UNS S20910 ) known for its exceptional strength , corrosion resistance , and non-magnetic properties . Although the material has been in the market for years , Alleima has constantly refined and secured the product line and is now offering bars in two distinct variations : Alleima ® HighN50-A ( annealed ) and Alleima ® HighN50-HS ( high-strength ). These two solutions expand application possibilities to meet industry demands for materials that perform reliably under harsh conditions . Due to the bars being well suited for demanding applications , there has been interest from various industries including marine pumps and valves , fasteners , valves and fittings , hydrogen equipment , oil and gas downhole / sour service , process industry equipment , pulp and paper and sustainable energy .
DCP announces development of 30MVA Munich data center project
DCP Data Center Partners are proud to announce their latest project , which is expected to be a 30MVA data center development in Munich . The site , located in Unterschleißheim , less than 15km from the Bavarian capital city , is expected to bring additional compute power to one of the most dynamic regions in Germany .
Germany is , overall , a hot spot for data center development in Europe . Inside Germany , new data center hubs such as Düsseldorf , Berlin , and Munich , are mitigating the power shortage issues around Frankfurt and the Munich location is perfect for the most recent AI and Machine Learning applications . With a population of close to 13.4 million people of which 1.3 million in
Munich directly , Bavaria is a growing hub for all digital applications . The future data center project is ESG-focused and will be targeting a PUE of 1.2 , planning to implement energy-efficient designs combined with heat recovery schemes . The site is expected to offer some 6.300m2 of white space over 3 floors dedicated to IT operations for
a total of 17MW of planned IT load . It is designed according to the Tier 3 standards as defined by Uptime Institute and strives to achieve the EN50600 and LEED certifications . This Munich data center project will come to market with an expected RFS Ready for Service Date of mid-2027 for the first phase of construction .
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