How ZRE Hamburg masters its water chemistry with process reliability

The Challenge

When establishing the Center for Resources & Energy (ZRE) in Hamburg-Bahrenfeld, the focus was not only on the sorting and energy recovery of waste, but above all on the reliable operation of the water-steam cycle for energy generation. Fluctuating water quality would have directly led to corrosion, scale buildup, efficiency losses, and increased maintenance costs. In a plant of this scale, even minor instabilities in the cycle would have been highly critical from both an economic and operational standpoint. The goal was therefore to maintain permanently stable, precisely controllable, and fail-safe water chemistry.

The sera Solution

A combined dosing solution for ammonia (low-pressure range) and caustic soda (high-pressure range) was designed for the ZRE. Ammonia handles the volatile alkalization of the feed and condensate water and protects the piping from acid-induced corrosion. Caustic soda stabilizes the pH value in the feed and boiler water and prevents deposits as well as corrosion attacks in the high-pressure components. Both media are dosed precisely and reproducibly via sera piston diaphragm pumps. Modular DAV dosing systems are used, which are designed for continuous operation, high pressures, and maximum operational reliability. This ensures that water chemistry remains stable and controllable even under varying plant load conditions.

Customer Benefits

• Stable and low-corrosion water-steam cycle in 24/7 operation
• Protection of boiler, evaporator, and piping systems against deposits and damage
• Constant process conditions for reliable energy output
• Reduced maintenance and servicing costs

Summary

The ZRE demonstrates that modern energy and resource management can only function reliably with precisely controlled water chemistry—and that dosing technology is not a secondary process here, but rather critical to operations.