Rackam successfully accomplishes the installation of a solar thermal project in Portugal

19 August 2014

Rackam officially announces the completion of its first project in Portugal. This is the company’s second project on European soil, and the first industrial project in the country to use solar thermal technology.

The research project, dubbed PRODUTECH PSI, will demonstrate the possibility of effectively combining a solar thermal technology with an industrial process in hopes of developing a sustainable manufacturing industry. In this instance, the captured heat is used to preheat the air and the water used to clean metal tanks.

Being a small-scale project with a collecting area of 112 m2, the project nevertheless required the coordination of multiple stakeholders, and a strong international collaboration. The consortium behind the project consists of four organizations including SILAMPOS, the Portuguese manufacturing company that will benefit from the installation, INEGI, a research center attached to the University of Porto, as well as A Control, a company specializing in industrial controls, and TEGOPI, a company specializing in the construction of metal structures.

As part of this project, Rackam has provided several rows the first generation of its S10 parabolic collectors, in addition to working with INEGI, A Control and TEGOPI to provide the engineering for the pumping module of the installation and integrate the processes used at SILAMPOS.

“We are very proud of this project, it is certainly a great achievement for our company” reflects Raphaël Lavabre, Project Manager. “We hope it will create a great showcase and generate other projects in the region. We have greatly enjoyed working with our Portuguese partners. “

The culmination of the project embodies several months of effort and work, and once again demonstrates the skill and expertise of Rackam regarding projects involving industrial processes.