Since this February, three load-breaking towers of the Brine Collector of the Llobregat river basin have been transmitting data on the corrosion of their concrete structures using the Corrochip system, installed by Sorigué and developed by Witeklab.

Thanks to the joint work between Witeklab and Sorigué, the pipe network of the Brine Collector of the Catalan Water Agency (ACA) is equipped with Corrochip, a system for the detection and evaluation of corrosion processes in concrete structures.

Responsible for channelling the brine from the salt mines in the municipalities of Cardona and Sallent, the collector has three load-breaking towers that have been subject to intervention, as they suffer major corrosion due to the nature of the content transported, which is high in chlorides. During the repair and maintenance work on the structures, located in the Barcelona towns of El Papiol, Sant Joan Despí and El Prat de Llobregat, Sorigué has installed this technology to prolong their useful life, reduce maintenance costs and ensure safe operations. 

Using sensors embedded in the concrete, Corrochip acts as a lookout, detecting the moment when corrosion starts and monitoring the condition of the reinforcement in real time. The innovative system sends and processes data in the cloud, provides various physio-chemical parameters and also estimates the rate of corrosion using a very precise technique. 

With all this information, it is possible to analyse deterioration with a high degree of reliability and to anticipate situations that could compromise the integrity of the structure. A comprehensive diagnosis that eliminates the need for on-site interventions without first determining the severity of the damage.

This ground-breaking technology combines the potential of Witeklab’s advanced sensor technology with the PSV-TE technique developed by a team of researchers at the Polytechnic University of Valencia. Based on the Tafel extrapolation (TE) method for corrosion detection, this non-destructive technique avoids the polarisation of the reinforcement. Another advantage of Corrochip is its high durability, as it is estimated to have a service life of at least one hundred years in any type of structure. 

Sorigué is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the brine collector in the Llobregat river basin. The service is provided in all the facilities that form part of the infrastructure, as well as in the 130 kilometres of pipeline.