Renewable energy source in a hard coal mine ‘Concordia‘, a former coal mine, which now exists as the ‘Maciej‘ Shaft, an industrial monument of mining technology and a tourist attraction, is an example of revitalisation making use of renewable energy sources. After the hard coal deposits had run out, the mining shaft was converted into a deep water well to pump water at a temperature of about 8°C, and now serves as a ground source heat pump to provide heating, domestic hot water and cooling for a bar, a restaurant, and an office.

Case story | DHP-R ground source heat pump

WATER at a temperature of about 8°C an inexhaustible energy source

heatpumps.danfoss.com

Once a mine and today... Maciej Shaft is the name of a unique complex of buildings of the former ‘Concordia‘ coal mine (later KWK ‘Pstrowski‘) that can be admired in Maciejów, one of the districts of Zabrze. After the hard coal deposits ran out, the original buildings would presumably have shared the fate of many industrial facilities and would have disappeared for ever from the Silesian landscape, had the new owner, the Mining Company DEMEX Sp. z o.o., not decided to preserve them. The Mining Company DEMEX Sp. z o.o. converted the shaft into a deep water well, whereas the buildings, non-building structures, machinery and equipment belonging to the former mine were made accessible to the public and can be visited as a part of the Industrial Monuments Route.

‘Maciej Shaft covers a complex of facilities forming the core structure of the former mine - the hoist tower, the shaft opening, the engine building with electrically powered double drum winding machines, the air handling unit, the switching station, the wood yard, and of course the newly adapted shaft,‘ says Zbigniew Barecki, the DEMEX president, and adds - ‘A major attraction for lovers of vintage technology is that most of the equipment is still operational. Through maintaining the industrial monuments, we have managed simultaneously to bring new functionalities to the facility and to adapt it to the tourist industry. That’s why apart from the exhibition centre, the main building comprises also of a gastronomic area including a restaurant and a bistro.‘

The owner decided that the facility was to be heated with heat pumps. ‘Two factors were involved in this decision - stresses Zbigniew Barecki. First, the spatial development plan for the area insisted that

only environment friendly solutions were permitted for heating purposes. Therefore, the acceptable solutions were primarily gas and heat pumps. Another reason was that the facility had a water intake that could be used as an excellent ground source.‘

The water station on the Maciej Shaft site includes two large storage reservoirs used for water storage. The energy needed for the heat pump operation is

gained from these reservoirs using intermediate exchangers. ‘In winter, the water provides heat, while in summer it provides cooling. The intake water has a constant temperature of about 8-9°C‘ - says Robert Zbierański from RO-INSTAL, the company that installed the system. In winter, when the heat pump is in operation, the water is pumped through the exchanger (water-glycol). ‘Therefore, we are able to reach temperatures necessary to heat the rooms. On hot days, a second exchanger (water - ice water) is used to cool down the rooms. It is so called passive cooling, and therefore the heat pump does not generate cooling (it makes use of the temperature of water gained from the ground), and its role is confined to controlling the processes occurring in the system.‘

Distribution of heating and cooling The heat pump is operated in combination with the floor heating system that is installed throughout the facility except for the highest floor, and with the fan coil units (in the glassed-in entrance section only). Heat produced is transported to the air handling stations. Each station has both a cooler and a heater. The air handling stations function together with active chilled beams

Yesterday Concordia mine, today Maciej Shaft, an attraction on the Industrial Monuments Route.

Renewable energy source in a hard coal mine

Zbigniew BareckiDEMEX president

Every visitor can sense here themagic of the old craft that provided the foundations for the development of the entire region and was the source of our Silesian identity. And all this supported discreetly with state-of-the-art technology in the form of, e.g., heat pumps and photovoltaic cells…

installed under the ceiling, which - depending on the actual needs - can deliver both heating and cooling. The adjective ‘active‘ means that it is possible to supply them both with air (from the air handling station with the rotation heat exchanger) and the cooling agent (chilled water). The active beams are not operated in a blow-in mode. Cold air falls slowly down from the beams, because it is heavier. Therefore, the visitors in the restaurant do not feel uncomfortable, as it is often the case with a cold ventilation from traditional air conditioning systems. In winter, the chilled water is not circulated, and the beams are supplied with heated air only. Heat for the heating is delivered from the heat pump to the air handling station only and completes the heat recovered in the recuperation process.

The heart of the system......is engineered from two state-of-the-art DHP-R heat pumps, each with a 42 kW heating capacity. It is to be noted that 42 kW power is reached with a ground source temperature of 0°C, and when the temperature of the water from the deep well is about 8°C, the pump power is about 52 kW. The DHP-R heat pumps are state-of-the-art devices equipped with web servers allowing for online control and monitoring of the operation of the heating system. Electronic circulation pumps with continuous operation efficiency adjustment allow for the operation to be adapted to the working parameters of a given system, and the controller allows for the cascade operation of several heat pumps at once.

An important function from the owner’s point of view is the hot gas technology that enables an exceptionally efficient production of domestic hot water. Between the compressor and the condenser there is an additional ‘small‘

heat exchanger which, from one side, is supplied with the refrigerant in the form of a hot gas to the condenser, and - from the other side - with heating water. After the compressor, the gas reaches a temperature over 100°C in this ‘small‘ heat exchanger, thus allowing for exceptionally efficient and fast preparation of a large volume of domestic hot water. With the overheat function the DHP-R heat pump protects domestic hot water tanks against Legionella bacteria. The Maciej Shaft facility has two domestic hot water

tanks installed. The first 220 litre tank is operated together with the hot gas system, whereas water in the second 700 litre tank is warmed up by the heat pump in the traditional mode. Based on preliminary calculations, the owner estimates that the heating and domestic hot water costs will be by 40 % lower as compared with natural gas, and the air conditioning function provided by the passive cooling will be several times cheaper compared to traditional solutions.

Maciej Shaft – a regional attraction In 2005, by decision of the monument conservator, the ‘Maciej Shaft‘ facility was registered with the register of monuments of the Silesian Province, and now is a part of the Industrial Monument Route. ‘The Maciej Shaft in Zabrze is a facility with a great tourist potential. Every visitor can sense here the magic of the old craft that provided the foundations for the development of the entire region and was the source of our Silesian identity. And all this supported discreetly with state-of-the-art technology in the form of, e.g., heat pumps and photovoltaic cells. The installed modern solutions are aimed at improving the comfort of our guests on the Maciej Shaft site‘ - stresses Zbigniew Barecki. The tourists can visit: the engine building with a functional electrically powered double drum winding machine, the top shaft building providing access to the hoist tower. In the Maciej Shaft you can not only learn the secrets of post-industrial heritage, but also spend time in the restaurant or bistro that serves a delightful culinary experience for visitors. Each year a family entertainment festival, called Industriada, is organised here.

Welcome!

Fact box:• Location: Zabrze

• Owner: The Mining Company DEMEX Sp. z o.o.

• Contractor for system installation: Ro-Instal from Knurów

• Renewable energy sources: Ground source heat pumps DHP-R 42

• Heat receivers: floor heating, air handling station, active chilled beam

• Building type: Historic hard coal mine

AWARD WINNERof the Contest Well-Maintained Monument, organised in 2011 by the General Monument Conservator.

Danfoss can accept no responsibility for possible errors in catalogues, brochures and other printed material. Danfoss reserves the right to alter its products without notice. This also applies to products already on order provided that such alterations can be made without subsequential changes being necessary in specifications already agreed. All trademarks in this material are property of the respective companies. Danfoss and the Danfoss logotype are trademarks of Danfoss A/S. All rights reserved

VZJSO102 January 2015 / MARIO GRAPHICS

Danfoss Värmepumpar AB • 671 33 Arvika • Sweden • Tel.: + 46 570 813 00 • E-mail: heating@danfoss.com • heating.danfoss.com