System design Comunicantes vessels.

Pipes scheme intake and discharge

The thermoelectric plant will provide water for industrial processes through a desalinator system, which will capture seawater through a simple system of communicating vessels. This is composed of a pit as pumping station and HDPE pipe 315 mm in diameter and 906 m length, which connects and continuously feeds the sea during pumping pit water. This design was proposed by the engineering company Vepica C.A. and was approved by the inspection company C.A INELMECA, both Venezuelan companies with great experience in the area of ​​consulting engineering.

One of the challenges presented by this project was the construction of the system of communicating vessels, which had no previous similar experience in the country. ELINSUBCA C.A being selected and a specialist in the construction of submarine pipelines systems HDPE company, presented a coherent constructive design in three stages of development:

1. 

   Fosa de bombeo para Toma de Agua de Mar

   PUMPING PIT: reinforced concrete structure built to receive and store seawater from outlet pipe with dimensions: 4.25 m x 6.50 m x 9.20 m (width x length x height). The complexity in its construction was determined by the excavations below the water table, as being just 300 meters from the shore of the beach, the sea level is 4.5 m above the floor of the pit. This structure suction pumps that carry seawater desalination system will be installed.

2. PIPELINE TAKES: Installation of 906 m of HDPE pipe Ø 315 mm, consisting of a stretch of land 250 m from the pit to the point of entry to the sea (transition zone) and 656 m of pipe weighed down with anchors reinforced concrete and buried in the seabed. This underwater pipeline built into the pump pit, keep the connection to the sea to complete the system of “Feed Comunicantes Vessels”.
3. DISCHARGE PIPING: installation of an outfall in HDPE 1124 m in total length and Ø 315 mm, consisting of a stretch of land of 384 m ranging from a pit of loading to the sea, and a submarine section 740 m anchors weighed down with concrete and buried in the seabed. Through this pipe the water already treated product of industrial processes thermoelectric plant, including the reject water from the desalination plant is returned, discharged through a diffuser built with 6 outlets 75 mm in diameter, each connected to type duck bill valves to improve the initial dilution of the effluent discharged into the sea.
   

   Launch Pipes – Stretches Submarines

The intake and discharge pipes were built in long stretches of approximately 300 m, connected to the sea through a technology developed by Elinsubca that significantly reduces execution times and the risk of industrial accidents. Thanks to this constructive proposal was possible to complete the work within a period of four months, with zero accidents and full operation of the system.

With the development of this work, Venezuela has considerable experience in building power systems seawater communicating vessels, this being evidence of ideal solution for powering desalination plants and cooling systems in power plants by employing of HDPE submarine pipelines.

Marketing Management of Elinsubca C.A

Take Seawater System by Communicating Vessels