KSB ITUR is supplying Synchrotron Alba with process pumps designed for flow rates of up to 646 m³ and a maximum discharge head of 134 metres. The pump motors have a total power of 1,600 kW. The pump sets transport primarily treated water for cooling electric components. The particle accelerator, which is 20 km away from Barcelona, is the most important medical, scientific and industrial research facility of its kind in Southern Europe. Underneath the exterior, electrons race at speeds approaching that of light in a circular tunnel with a circumference of 270 metres.
Synchrotron Alba is designed to be used by scientists to investigate the internal molecular structures of certain materials. The € 200 million facility will operate at full capacity from mid-2011. Construction of Synchrotron Alba was financed in equal shares by the governments of Catalonia and Spain and will be operated by the CELLS cosortium.