Heat supply of the Staufer-Kaserne Pfullendorf

The pilot project "Geothermal Heat Supply for the Staufer-Kaserne" in Pfullendorf is a lighthouse project of the German Federal Armed Forces, which are trying to make a significant contribution to energy saving in their properties. The Bundeswehr is striving to rely increasingly on renewable energies for the energy supply of its buildings and started with the project development of a geothermal plant in 2008.

After conducting preliminary studies, the production and injection wells were drilled in 2012 and 2013. In 2015, Geothermie Neubrandenburg GmbH (GTN) was contracted to design a geothermal heating plant. Saline brine with a temperature of 76 °C is extracted from a depth of approx. 1,450 m. The brine is then used for heating. Due to the strong mineralization of the thermal brine and the high gas content, the site has a significantly increased corrosion potential as well as the possibility of particle formation. The high gas content, which is unique in Germany, was taken into account during the planning stage and an innovative pressure maintenance system was designed to keep the gas in solution even in the injection pipeline. This significantly reduces scaling in the surface plant. In addition, suitable filtration and protective gas systems were installed.

The geothermal heating plant in Pfullendorf feeds the barracks' local heating network and supplies 95% of the property's required thermal energy all year round. This share is to be further increased in the future by lowering the network temperatures and modernizing the customer structures.