THE FADICLUR PROJECT COMES TO AN END

The FADICLUR project, financed in the first call for AEI of 2021 by MINCOTUR, is coordinated by the Catalan Water Partnership, with the participation of the technological center Leitat, Aigües de Manresa and Catalana de Perforacions. The project has concluded its first tasks related to the design, 3D printing and validation in a real environment of a pre-mixing tank to optimize the chlorination of water distribution networks. The project will thus provide a response to recurrent problems in these pipes, such as the appearance of chlorine concentration gradients or the generation of undesired by-products resulting from the excessive administration of hypochlorite. The coupling of pre-mixing tanks such as the one designed for the project to the network storage tanks will reduce the use of reagents and guarantee the uniformity of the optimum chlorine concentration. The innovative character of FADICLUR lies in the use of 3D printing for the creation of a pre-mixed dip that is resistant to corrosion, pressure and food-grade materials. The electrovalve system that has been attached to the 3D printed pre-mixing dip and which is self-regulating by means of an automat allows its operation to be optimized at all times, reducing the administration of hypochlorite. The benefits of the project are economic, health protection improvement and operational in relation to the operation of water distribution networks. The designed pre-mixing tank is a first prototype that has been validated at the Bufalvent plant in Manresa.