From Old Steel to Smart Heating: District heating upgrade in Albertslund, Denmark

Upgrading a district heating network is rarely simple. Aging infrastructure, higher efficiency standards and risks of interruptions make the process expensive, noisy and time-consuming.

The Albertslund region has lowered the temperature and made a major restructuring of its heating supply. Better insulation of buildings and greater demands on standards and the environment, result in a much lower heat demand than before.

Therefore, the challenge was to prepare the system for a low-temperature heating future. The old steel pipe was no longer suitable, and smaller pipe dimensions were needed to meet modern energy efficiency targets.

The obvious solution could have been to dig over 100 meters up. However, this would have meant major interruptions, high costs and unnecessary waste.

A smarter installation with minimal interruption was preferable and Albertslund supply saw the opportunity in Flexalen® PU and Flexalen 600, a flexible, pre-insulated pipe system designed for fast and efficient connections.

Flexalen® itself offers a welded solution with high pressure resistance, strong insulation and the unique characteristic of being the only pre-insulated pipe that is Cradle to Cradle Certified®.

Flexibility in the pipe allows it to navigate existing pipelines, making it ideal for pipe renovation projects like this.

In this project, 140 meters of trace were made with Flexalen® PU in 90/180 jacket pipe and 120 meters of trace with ø75/160 mm Flexalen® 600 as return pipe. The roll lengths were pulled directly into the old steel pipes, which had been cleaned beforehand to minimize damage to the new pipe jacket. Since the steel pipe was no longer to be used, it now functions perfectly as an additional protective layer.

Thanks to smart planning and innovative technology, Albertslund now has a future-proof and energy-efficient heating connection, achieved without digging the entire length of the road, but with a single assembly point at the branch.

This project demonstrates that with the right solution, major district heating renovations can be carried out faster, cleaner and more sustainably.

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