Balnéaire complex Monaco - energy from the sea

The Challenge

The inauguration of the new Larvotto beach complex in Monaco in July 2021 in the presence of Prince Albert II not only brought with it a social spectacle, but also an extremely attractive request to Aliaxis in the run-up to the event. The client SMEG, responsible for the distribution of gas, electricity and municipal networks in Monaco, was looking for a reliable partner to lay a new PE pipe in the thalassothermal system, which is used to supply buildings with hot water, air conditioning and heating. Thalassothermal energy consists of recovering thermal energy from the sea and is particularly suitable for densely populated coastal areas. The marine ecosystem remains unaffected and only electricity from renewable energy sources, such as heat pumps, is used. It is expected that 29 buildings in Monaco will be connected to the thalassothermal network by 2023. Each building connected to the network is equipped with a heating and/or cooling supply station. An exchanger is used to transfer energy from the grids to the buildings, which provide heating, hot water and cooling.

The Solution

Special challenges require the best solutions. Polyethylene (PE) as a high-quality plastic with sustainable properties - very light, flexible, robust and durable for up to 100 years - convinced the customer across the board. In close cooperation with several Aliaxis companies in France and Germany, a high-quality overall solution was created within a very short space of time that met the customer's requirements. When it came to laying a new PE pipeline, the planner opted for thermoplastic PE pipes and fittings, some of which were delivered directly from Mannheim to the construction site in Monaco, prefabricated and ready for installation. The perfect interaction between all those involved in the Aliaxis factory in Mannheim, in production and logistics and on site in Monaco was responsible for the rapid implementation. In contrast to steel pipes, PE pipes, fittings and valves are corrosion-resistant, limit heat loss in thalassothermal pipelines and are particularly suitable for transporting seawater.

The project at a glance

• Measure: New installation of a PE pipe using PE pipes, fittings and valves
• Construction site: Monaco
• Client: SMEG Monaco
• Contractor: SMEG Monaco
• Construction site support: Aliaxis France
• Products: Custom-made flanges, FIP FKOM, FRIATEC: SA XL, SA UNI, FRIAMAT, UB
• Scope of delivery: 39 custom-made products (d 315 to d 630 SDR 17), over 20 segment bends (d 500 SDR 17) as well as numerous sockets and standard parts

The Realisation

The biggest challenge of this project was the limited space on Monaco's harbor promenade. Aliaxis scored points here with its very lightweight PE pipes, which weigh just a fifth of steel pipes of a comparable size and therefore make handling extremely easy. Special attention is paid to the individually manufactured special parts from Aliaxis Manufaktur. Thanks to the ready-to-install delivery, they saved valuable installation time on site: the welding work was limited to e-socket welding with the advantages of small welding machines on the already limited construction site space. All pumps, fittings and steel pipes could be securely integrated using the welding neck and loose flange or special flange system. All PE pipes and segment bends were homogeneously connected with FRIALEN sockets and saddles using FRIAMAT 7 after proper pipe processing and cleaning of the welding surfaces. The SA XL was installed using vacuum clamping technology and the SA UNI using clamping technology.

The Conclusion

After just six months, the project was successfully completed on schedule in August 2021 - thanks to the smooth cooperation of the international Aliaxis team in France and Germany. Aliaxis thus delivered a complete pipe system from a single source directly to the Principality: the custom-made, prefabricated special parts as well as saddles and couplings were produced in-house by the world market leader Aliaxis. The engineering support provided during the entire construction phase was a particular added value for the customer: professional classification, i.e. the assessment of the operating conditions on site and the resulting dimensioning of the components, guarantees a long service life for the pipelines with low maintenance costs.