Located in El Prat de Llobregat, on the outskirts of Barcelona, the Llobregat desalination plant plays a vital role in the region's drinking water supply. With a production capacity of up to 200,000 m³ per day, it provides approximately 24% of the metropolitan area's water consumption, serving more than 4.5 million people.
With an estimated consumption of 2.9 kWh per cubic metre of water produced, electricity is essential to the operation of the desalination plant. It powers the pumping, treatment, and control systems. The plant uses a reverse osmosis process, drawing seawater from 2.2 km off the coast at a depth of 30 metres. High-efficiency pumps and membranes operating under high pressure are employed to convert seawater into drinking water, making the plant heavily reliant on electrical energy.
Furthermore, the innovative reverse osmosis process, which removes salts and contaminants to convert seawater into drinking water, demands installations that can withstand high salinity, constant humidity, and aggressive chemical agents.
In this challenging environment, we provided an effective solution for water treatment plants: our Insulating cable tray 66 made from U23X. Manufactured from our proprietary non-metallic insulating material, this system effectively supports the management of several kilometres of electrical cabling. It has ensured electrical safety, corrosion resistance, and exceptional durability at the Prat desalination plant since 2009.
But how can we be so confident? In September 2024, we revisited the facility to assess the performance of our trays after 15 years of continuous operation in such a demanding environment. In this article, we share the results of our inspection and explain why our solutions continue to stand out.
Installing cable trays in critical areas
Since the project's completion, our trays have been installed in several key areas of the Llobregat desalination plant. In the intake structure, where seawater passes through systems that remove large solids and sand, our insulating cable trays 66 safeguard the wiring essential for continuous operation. They provide reliable protection against corrosion and constant humidity.
During the flotation stage, water passes through microbubble systems that separate smaller particles. In this phase, our trays organise and protect the wiring, which is exposed to a chemical and humid environment, ensuring the reliability of this critical process. This function continues in the open and closed filtration areas, where the water is further treated to remove finer materials.
In the impressive osmosis hall, where water is subjected to high pressure to pass through membranes and is transformed into drinking water, our product protects the electrical systems in an environment marked by intense vibrations and high salinity. In the post-treatment and pumping reservoir, the trays play a vital role in organising the wiring in areas where treated water is adjusted to meet drinking standards before distribution.
Finally, in the electrical substation and control building, the Insulating cable trays 66 manage the wiring that powers all the plant's processes. Even in the compressed air station, which supports membrane cleaning and operates pneumatic valves, our product guarantees continuous and reliable performance. Each of these areas poses a technical challenge, but Unex solutions, backed by sixty years of expertise, are expertly designed to meet them with ease.
Innovation that lasts
In September 2024, 15 years after their installation, we returned to the desalination plant to evaluate the performance of our solutions – reflecting our unwavering commitment to our clients. The results confirmed that our Insulating cable trays 66 remain technically unaltered, both in structure and functionality, continuing to perform reliably under extreme conditions. This is yet another successful project that demonstrates the durability and reliability of our solutions.
The use of proprietary insulating materials has been crucial in resisting corrosion, even in the most exposed outdoor areas. This exceptional performance not only improves electrical safety and ensures the plant's operational continuity but also reduces maintenance costs and extends the service life of the installation.
Our involvement in this project is a clear demonstration of how our solutions meet the most demanding requirements. At the same time, it represents another success story in challenging industrial projects, where reliability is essential to maintaining the operation of critical infrastructure.
For six decades, Unex has been refining the use of insulating materials by combining innovation with research to create durable solutions that meet the most demanding requirements. Choosing our cable management systems, therefore, means choosing the reliability that only decades of experience can deliver.
Don't leave your projects to chance.
Choose the experts. Choose Unex.
On the Unex blog, we cover a wide range of topics of interest and share experiences from our clients. We remind you that all legal information and information regarding compliance with applicable regulations can be found on our official website. We invite you to consult it for a more comprehensive and accurate understanding.
