2026 – DIN Forsyning achieves industrial improvement/savings by using cleaning pigs – must protect the environment due to its location by the Wadden Sea.

DIN Forsyning’s facility is located by the Wadden Sea, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Therefore, DIN Forsyning knew from the start, when they designed the pipeline route – a DN 1200 pipeline of approximately 2 km. – that they are  constrained in terms of both the water they take in and what they discharge. Chemical cleaning in NOT an option.
Consequently, DIN Forsyning currently uses cleaning pigs to keep the pipeline free of deposits from mussel shells and barnacles.

But how do you calculate what happens when deposits such as mussels and barnacles attach themselves to the inside of the pipeline? How does this affect flow and economics, and what are the savings in this task with and without pipe cleaning?

In a simplified model, Mickel Verman from DIN Forsyning has taken normal operation per heating season as a starting point and calculated how many kW are required and what this costs.
He then increased the pump capacity by +10%, as the deposits slow down the flow in the pipeline, and repeated the calculation with +20% pump capacity.

The additional cost of not carrying out pipeline cleaning, in DIN Forsyning´s case, would be an increase in annual costs from DKK 3 million to DKK 3.6 million.