In reverse osmosis desalination plants, the materials suffer a lot of wear and tear, as they have to withstand pressure of 70 BAR when operating, and because of the elements they come into contact with during the process (sea water, brine and chemical products).

There are lots different components made out of different materials (special steels, plastics and fibres) that could deteriorate and give out, from pressure pipes and seals to flexible connectors, valves, etc.  There might be different kinds of breakages, from cracks to large scale breakages in different parts of the structure, which may on occasion compromise the safety of the people and the structure itself.

At ACCIONA, we’re looking for startups that allow us to improve the safety and efficiency of our desalination plants. How could we monitor the deterioration of the materials that are used for the different components? How can we predict if certain components of the structure will fail? How could we identify the areas where an incident may be about to occur before it actually does? How can we improve people’s safety?