Cooling Tower in Sagunto, Valencia (Spain)
The main objective of industrial refrigeration towers is to cool water close to ambient temperature at refineries, petrochemical plants, thermal, nuclear and natural gas processing plants, amongst other installations.
Therefore, this type of precast structure, now quite standardised, is exposed to an extremely aggressive environment, which requires a thick application of concrete and involves strict quality standards in the design, manufacture and assembly.
It is composed of a series of cells, or modules, consisting of a grid of beams and columns with statically indeterminate and isostatic joints which form grids at different elevations of the structure. The building as a whole rests on a water collection basin.
A fundamental part of the project was the roof slab, upon which the ventilators to cool the water which runs through the different cells were assembled. This roof slab was made with a reinforced solid slab shaping the holds where the ventilators are positioned.
The division between cells and the exterior enclosure is made with a reinforced panel of smooth, lightweight concrete.
Project Data
- Client: SOCOIN
- Owner: U.E. Fenosa
- Year of completion: 2008
- Contract value: €3,800,000
- Precast volume: 4,750 m³