The Swiss District Heating Conference, co-organized by the FRANZ GYSI AG and KLINGER, is the most visible highlight of a cooperation between the two companies that has already spanned multiple generations. Held every summer since 2004, this year’s visit to Vienna’s district heating operator Fernw?rme Wien promised to be especially interesting: With a tour of the cogeneration plant in Vienna-Simmering and the large-scale heat pump installed there.

The Swiss District Heating Conference comprises experts from Swiss district heating and planning companies, who are very much interested in what the Austrian capital has to offer. And while Franz Gysi, CEO of the FRANZ GYSI AG, makes certain that there is enough opportunity for cultural appreciation as well, he knows what his attendees have primarily come to see: “With its 1,100 kilometer long transport network and three major waste incineration plants, the district heating company provides heating for more than 340,000 households and 6,500 industry customers in Vienna,” he explains, adding: “These facts, coupled with the state of the art technology utilized here, are what really attract our Swiss partners and customers.”

Up close

The success of the annual Swiss District Heating Conference has many reasons. Both organizers, Franz Gysi and KLINGER Fluid Control, agree, however, that the hands-on experience it offers its participants is at the top of the list. “Fernw?rme Wien allows us to tour all their major facilities and provides experts to answer any questions we may have,” states Franz Gysi, “due to the background of our delegates, we are also allowed into areas usually not shown to the public.”

Never seen before

The latter became very obvious in the course of the 14th Swiss District Heating Conference. As reported in the last issue of the KLINGER News, Wien Energie, the energy utility to which Fernw?rme Wien belongs, is currently erecting Central Europe’s largest heat pump at the Simmering cogeneration plant. “We were the first delegation given the opportunity to tour this facility,” Franz Gysi is proud to report, and adds: “With regard to the project, they have entered the cold commissioning phase. This means that the pipes have already been welded together and the valves installed.” What it also signifies, however, is that the individual components have not been covered up yet. “For somebody working in the field of district heating, being able to see a facility in this state is mostly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You can’t really get any closer to the interior workings of the system than this, unless you are of course part of the project yourself,” summarizes Franz Gysi, explaining why this year’s Swiss District Heating Conference was yet another success and why it will always be fondly remembered by its participants.