Estudio patológico de los floculadores, sedimentadores y filtros de la PTAP El Roble, Santa Marta

Abstract

For approximately 30 years, the Potable Water Treatment Plant (PWTP) El Roble, located in the city of Santa Marta, in the department of Magdalena, Colombia, has functioned as one of the structures used for the water purification processes distributed to a great part of the Samarian population. In recent years, there has been a gradual deterioration of the reinforced concrete structures that make up the PWTP, evidencing phenomena of erosion, cracking, biological attack, among others, which require measures that counteract the different effects of environmental conditions and load to which they are subjected daily. In this context, the objective of this work is to analyze the pathological lesions of the hydraulic structures of flocculation, filtration, and sedimentation of the PWTP El Roble. The work is carried out in three stages: (i) clinical history, which consists of the collection of antecedents and visual inspection of the patient; (ii) diagnosis, made from the classification of injuries and the application of destructive and non-destructive tests; and (iii) intervention proposal. The results of the study indicate that the main cause of the injuries found lies in deficiencies in design, construction, and material specifications exacerbated by the effect of the environment and use. The main intervention alternative is the application of a coating with a cementitious mortar modified with a high specification and adhesion polymer to protect the concrete surface.