ELCEN adds 1,860 tonnes of hot water an hour to offset heating network losses in Bucharest

The make-up water demand

In a communiqué issued on Sunday, 8 November, ELCEN, the Bucharest power and heat company (Electrocentrale București), said it must add 1,860 tonnes of hot water per hour (1,860,000 litres) to the system to compensate for losses in the heating network operated by the municipal utility Termoenergetica. The company said the figure points to numerous breakdowns and open heating works in the capital. Water that ELCEN has already treated and brought to the required parameters is lost in the transport and distribution network before it reaches consumers, so the company must keep topping up the system continuously.

Effects on heat supply

ELCEN explained that the make-up water is cold, and that when it mixes with the return water coming back from the Termoenergetica network, the temperature of the heating agent drops. Leaks also lower the pressure in the network, so the heating agent that reaches consumers no longer meets the optimal pressure and temperature parameters, which results in deficient supply to homes. The company stressed that it has not interrupted the supply of heating agent at any moment.

CET București Sud as the example

At the CET București Sud plant, the make-up water flow constantly exceeds 900 tonnes per hour, which ELCEN puts at more than 900,000 litres every hour, or roughly 15,000 litres per minute. According to the company, that volume is needed only to offset losses in the Termoenergetica network linked to that area. The contract sets a normal make-up flow of 400 tonnes per hour and an emergency flow of 600 tonnes per hour. ELCEN says the recorded flow is twice the contractual figure and about 50% above the emergency flow.

“ELCEN installations are obliged to manage a volume of make-up water that even exceeds the capacity foreseen for exceptional situations.”

Risks beyond heating

ELCEN said the effects go beyond heat supply because its plants are cogeneration units that produce heat and electricity at the same time, with the electricity delivered to the National Energy System. The company listed several negative consequences: water treatment facilities must prepare far larger volumes than they are sized for in emergency operation, treatment consumes more energy and chemical reagents, and pumps and other make-up circuit equipment operate under excessive stress. ELCEN also warned that if the losses continue, the installations could reach a point where they can no longer cover the system's water needs. The company added that the energy in the lost hot water equals the output of a 100 Gcal/h hot water boiler.

What the statement does not say

The communiqué does not give a timetable for repairing the leaks or closing the open heating works. It also does not say how the 1,860 tonnes per hour figure is split between plants beyond the CET București Sud example.