3. General network design

The distribution network links the source to the points where heat is delivered to the various users. As these sections are the vital arteries of heat distribution, their design and construction are crucial to operational safety. This is all the more true given that the network is very extensive, often buried and therefore partially inaccessible, making it difficult to monitor.

It must be borne in mind at all times that this is a hot network, resulting in expansion and heat loss: the problems that arise are therefore different from those of piping for various fluids, and cold water in particular, both in terms of layout and the nature of the materials and structures to be provided.

Heat loss from the distribution network is a handicap. Insulation is therefore a particularly important issue (§