QHeat and Exel Composites have created composite pipes that improve the energy efficiency of the Lounavoima waste-to-energy plant. The tailored composite collector pipes were developed to meet the plant’s specific needs, with a focus on durability, sustainability, and recyclability.
QHeat has completed its co-created product innovation together with Exel Composites, a publicly listed Finnish company serving global industries with advanced composite solutions. The partners developed and installed custom-made composite collector pipes in one of QHeat’s geothermal wells at the Lounavoima site.
“The composite collector pipes improved the energy production and storage capacity of Lounavoima’s borehole by nearly 10 percent compared to the previous solution,” says QHeat CEO Erika Salmenvaara.
Having previously worked with Lounavoima, QHeat was familiar with the plant’s requirements. It needed a cost-effective and sustainable solution to improve energy efficiency while meeting regulations.
Exel designed and manufactured the collector pipes, which QHeat installed using specialized tools. As a pioneer in bespoke composite solutions and with a growing focus on energy applications and circularity, Exel was a natural fit for the collaboration.
“We got to work ambitiously and openly on a product that has the potential to launch us into new business areas and markets. We could demonstrate that the composite pipes have an estimated 50-year lifecycle and can be responsibly disposed of at the end of it,” says Pertti Kainu, Product Business Owner at Exel Composites.
“I think we all take our hats off to QHeat for developing their technology and a functional system, as well as having excellent references and diverse expertise. It’s not self-evident to be able to drill two kilometers into the bedrock.” - Pertti Kainu, Product Business Owner, Exel Composites
While QHeat owns the solution and patent for the geothermal well technology, Exel’s R&D team and decades of composites expertise played a crucial part in the co-creation project. Both parties were equally impressed by each other’s expertise.
“I think we all take our hats off to QHeat for developing their technology and a functional system, as well as having excellent references and diverse expertise. It’s not self-evident to be able to drill two kilometers into the bedrock,” Kainu says.
The collector pipes needed to withstand their own weight two kilometers underground, while also insulating heat to ensure energy isn’t lost during transfer. Exel’s composite solution rose to the occasion, being metal-free, light-weight, optimized for flow and insulation, and recyclable.
"We focus on identifying what’s required in each unique case and solving those needs with the right combination.”
- Tiina Uotila, Technical Sales Manager, Exel Composites
The pipes are made of fiberglass utilizing a continuous manufacturing process called pultrusion. This material might seem unconventional compared to acid-resistant steel or plastics. However, traditional materials weren’t a good fit for this case: metals conduct heat, and plastic lacks the mechanical strength required at such depths.
Composite materials can be applied well beyond geothermal energy, in areas such as wind and solar power, where their performance characteristics – lightness, insulation, corrosion resistance and long lifetime – deliver major benefits. This supports, among others, industries driving the green transition.
“Our core expertise is in understanding what composites can enable. While they offer general benefits like durability and lightness, we focus on identifying what’s required in each unique case and solving those needs with the right combination,” says Tiina Uotila, Technical Sales Manager at Exel.
The collector pipe project showcases how Finnish engineering and collaboration can accelerate the green transition. It received funding from Business Finland to support the development and testing phases.
"We’re taking QHeat’s thermal wells abroad, and Exel can bring their product development professionals into our international projects.” - Erika Salmenvaara, CEO, QHeat
“It’s great to see the government supporting joint innovation aimed at export. We’re taking QHeat’s thermal wells abroad, and Exel can bring their product development professionals into our international projects,” Erika Salmenvaara says. Projects are already underway in Norway and Sweden, where the two companies will deliver a similar solution.
Designed, tested, and manufactured entirely in Finland, the Lounavoima collector pipes reflect both companies’ roots, but their sights are set firmly on international growth. QHeat is expanding in the Nordics and EU, while Exel’s international factories support smooth collaboration across markets.
