The DH Oradea – Water Lily project (Nufărul) was a significant initiative aimed at enhancing the district heating (DH) infrastructure in the Nufărul residential district. The project focused on two main areas: integrating and controlling primary heating sources, and distributing and managing district heating substations.
Nufărul, meaning “water lily,” is a southern residential district in the city of Oradea. It is named for its proximity to one of the largest natural water lily reservations in western Romania. Spanning over 25.6 hectares (250,000 sqm), Nufarul underwent extensive urban rehabilitation, supported by substantial investments from the EU and the local municipality. The district includes nearly 6,000 apartments, home to approximately 17,000 residents.
Hydronic Challenges – Sources
The first challenge involved integrating and controlling three primary heating sources: geothermal at 80°C, high temperature heat pumps at 80°C, and classic DH production at 120°C, with a total power output of around 16 MW. IMI experts, working closely with the system integration company, identified and implemented several efficient and versatile solutions to address these challenges.
Products delivered included two-way control valves, STAF balancing valves, and three cascaded Transfero 6.2 modules with four large 5,000-liter vessels. Integrating the three supply sources required an intelligent controller and high-end field equipment to regulate and adjust parameters according to SMART system requirements. Water pressure maintenance was crucial, and the IMI Pneumatex solution was chosen because it offered all three mandatory functions: pressurization, vacuum degassing, and degassed water makeup.
Hydronic Challenges – Distribution
The second challenge involved balancing and controlling over 300 substations spread across 250,000 sqm, with a total power supply of 16 MW. The substations were built by one of our oldest and most trustworthy OEM customers, Eco Therm Services s.r.l., with constant advice and technical and commercial support from our Technical Manager, Stefan Gaspar.
The Solution
Despite multiple requirements from the DH utility company, Eco Therm, together with IMI’s technical and sales staff, delivered a robust and reliable solution that met performance requests and space constraints. Primary supply balancing and precise flow control for the two heat exchangers of the substation were critical success factors. The products that enabled this outcome were the TA-Modulator DN15-DN50 and TA-Slider 160 and 500.
- Marian Vasile
General Manager, Eco Therm Services SRL
