Paris is one of the only European capitals with a district heating network that runs entirely on steam.
509 kilometers of pipelines, a third of all Parisian households, and dozens of iconic buildings, from the Notre-Dame to the Louvre, draw heat from it.
This requires technology that can withstand extreme conditions: 235°C, 20 bar pressure, and steam rushing through the pipes at at least 30 meters per second.
A stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower
When it was decided to surround the Eiffel Tower with a glass security wall, the primary district heating network had to be relocated. A new technical room was established on the Avenue de la Bourdonnais, within walking distance of the world’s most photographed monument. Today, a KLINGER BALLOSTAR ball valve stands its ground there, right in the historic heart of the city.
This is no coincidence. Bertrand Ory, Managing Director of KF Fluid, the French KLINGER partner supplying the network, explains why:
"Due to the high temperatures and steam velocities, valves with double block and bleed isolation are an absolute requirement for the safety of maintenance technicians."
Bertrand Ory, Managing Director of KF Fluid
Thirty years of service, no room for doubt
A valve in this network gets no second chance. It must operate bidirectionally, be robust and maintenance-free, easy to operate, and provide a perfect
seal on both sides throughout the entire service life of the pipeline, which is often thirty years or more. KLINGER KVN piston valves and BALLOSTAR KHA SL and KHSVWI ball valves, up to DN 700, make this possible.
KF Fluid built its position on exactly that: focus and differentiation. Exclusively KLINGER Fluid Control and KLINGER Italy for heating networks and the
steam industry—no diversions, no compromises.
With the recent BALLOSTAR KHA DBB, a double block and bleed variant of the proven KHA ball valve, the partner now also sees opportunities for
further expansion.
4,000 stations under Paris since the 1970s
Valves alone do not keep Paris warm. More than 4,000 Baelz steam heat transfer stations convert steam into usable heat for an impressive range of buildings, from ordinary apartment blocks to a major ministry. And they have been doing so since the 1970s, without interruption.
The same Baelz technology is in service in German cities such as Dortmund, Frankfurt, and Munich, always within steam networks where energy saving is central.
Four decades in operation, thousands of stations, one city that never runs out of heat: that is no coincidence; that is technology that has proven its worth.
Reliability you can't see, but can certainly feel
From a room next to the Eiffel Tower to thousands of stations spread across the city, the Paris district heating network runs on technology that rarely catches the eye, but without which a third of the city would be left in the cold.
KLINGER and Baelz ensure continuity there, quite literally.
What works on this scale in Paris also works elsewhere. KLINGER Belgium is happy to provide expert advice.
The KLINGER Belgium approach
Our engineers and technicians know their trade. They listen, contribute ideas, and deliver within budget and with a long-term view—for the process, the budget, and the climate.