Maximum throughput of 63 m³/s: new screening plant with 18 HUBER Multi-Rake Bar Screen RakeMax® units
The new screening plant for the protection of the Butarque stormwater retention basin consists of 18 HUBER Multi-Rake Bar Screen RakeMax® units size 5120 x 1775 with a bar spacing of 40 mm for a maximum water throughput of 63 m³/s. The screenings are discharged via a conveyor belt system.
HUBER Technology España, the Spanish subsidiary of HUBER, developed a customised solution to ensure reliable and smooth operation under real conditions. After being contacted by the City of Madrid in 2019, HUBER convinced with its tailor-made solution – through detailed and specific knowledge of the wastewater situation in Spain and specifically in the Madrid metropolitan area, coupled with significant practical experience from ongoing projects.
First project phase from December 2020 to April 2021: successful commissioning of the first nine HUBER RakeMax®
As the inflow into the stormwater basin could not be interrupted and the continuous availability of the system had to be ensured, the project was carried out in two phases. In phase I, the necessary adaptation of the concrete works to the new equipment was carried out from December 2020 to February 2021. The installation of the first nine HUBER Multi-Rake Bar Screen RakeMax® units, including the electrical installation, was successfully carried out in March 2021 and the commissioning of the first project phase was completed at the beginning of April 2021.
Outstanding performance of the HUBER machines: customer's expectations fully met
Shortly after commissioning, the newly installed products had to master the first test: with the onset of spring rains, the first floods hit the stormwater retention basin, filling the screenings containers with several cubic metres of screenings within a few minutes. The performance of the new HUBER plant proved to be excellent and fully met the customer's expectations.
Second project phase from July to November 2021: full upgrade and commissioning
The second project phase was carried out between July and November 2021. By the end of 2021, the Butarque stormwater retention basin was fully upgraded and commissioned with the new HUBER RakeMax® screens.
With this major project, HUBER has once again proven to be a very reliable partner for its customers.
City of Madrid had invested 90 million euros for new stormwater retention basin
As part of the infrastructure plan to improve the quality of the Manzanares, the approximately 90 km long river running through the Spanish capital, the city of Madrid had carried out the construction of one of the largest rainwater retention basins in Europe from 2005 to 2010. The city invested about 90 million euros in the construction. In total, more than 2.5 million m³ of earth was moved and over 90,000 m³ of concrete was used.
Pollution and negative environmental impacts minimised, quality of river and ecosystem guaranteed
Thanks to this measure, Madrid was equipped with a management and storage system (total capacity: 1.3 million m³) that prevents the direct discharge into the Manzanares of the large volumes of rainwater collected by the sewer network. This made it possible to stop the pollution of this water body, minimise negative environmental impacts and guarantee the quality of the river and its entire aquatic ecosystem.
Installed products from other companies had to be replaced
The originally proposed and installed solution for the inlet works comprised ten individual grab screens, and a flume channel had been built for the transport and removal of the screenings. However, already during the first storm event it became apparent that the installed equipment, screens and flume channels were not capable of handling the very large amounts of wastewater and screenings that entered the inlet structure of the stormwater basin. The inefficient and unsuitable cleaning system of these screens led to severe clogging of the bars, making it difficult to fill the rainwater basin. In addition, the operations staff had great difficulty in preventing the site from flooding and had to spend many hours manually cleaning the screens and the entire construction site after each rain event.
