KSB pumps for particle accelerator
25 Nov 2010
Frankenthal, Germany – KSB Group’s Spanish company KSB ITUR is to supply 57 cooling pumps for use in a particle accelerator known as “Synchrotron Alba” which is currently under construction.
The pumps are process pumps designed for flow rates of up to 646 cubic metres and a maximum discharge head of 134 metres, and the pump motors have a total power of 1,600 kilowatts.
The pump sets transport primarily treated water for cooling electric components. The particle accelerator, which is 20km from Barcelona, is the most important medical, scientific and industrial research facility of its kind in southern Europe.
Underneath the exterior, electrons race at speeds approaching that of light in a circular tunnel with a circumference of 270 metres.
Scientists view “Synchrotron Alba” as a means with which to investigate the internal molecular structures of certain materials.
Over recent years, particle accelerators helped provide the information that was needed to develop better medicines for fighting diseases such as AIDS and to engineer more effective filters for reducing CO2 emissions of motor vehicles.
Although the project was settled back in 1994, actual construction work did not begin until 2003. The facility will operate at full capacity from mid-2011.
The Euro200m investment required for construction was financed in equal shares by the governments of Catalonia and Spain. The CELLS consortium operates the facility.
