Santander, October 2026.
AVANCEM Engineering, an advanced engineering company belonging to MADEMAN GROUP, has been selected by the Consortium for the Construction, Equipping and Operation of the Synchrotron Light Laboratory (CELLS) to develop a new cooling system for the storage ring at ALBA Synchrotron, one of Spain’s main scientific infrastructures.
The contract, awarded in 2026, covers detailed engineering, the supply of equipment and components, manufacture, installation and commissioning of a cooling water distribution system for the accelerator’s vacuum chambers.
This project represents a further step in AVANCEM’s specialisation in the engineering and integration of demanding auxiliary systems for large scientific facilities.
Precision cooling for a leading scientific facility
ALBA Synchrotron, located in Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona), is a scientific infrastructure dedicated to generating synchrotron light for research in materials, biomedicine, chemistry, physics and other disciplines.
The storage ring, approximately 268 metres in circumference, maintains electron beams that generate the synchrotron radiation used in its experimental beamlines.
Thermal control of certain accelerator components is essential to maintaining stable and reproducible operating conditions.
In this context, the project awarded to AVANCEM includes the development of new cooling infrastructure that will distribute water at controlled temperature and pressure to different consumption points associated with the ring’s vacuum chambers.
An integrated engineering, manufacturing and installation project
AVANCEM’s scope includes developing the detailed engineering and defining the equipment and components required for the system.
The solution includes a pumping and regulation unit, hydraulic distribution networks, valves, instrumentation, control systems and the auxiliary elements required to ensure reliable operation.
The project also includes the design and implementation of hydraulic connections, supports and interfaces with existing equipment, as well as adapting the installation to the accelerator’s physical and operational constraints.
The work is structured in several phases:
- Detailed engineering: hydraulic calculations, equipment definition, process diagrams, routing, interfaces and technical documentation.
- Manufacture and integration: component supply, assembly preparation and assembly of the pumping and distribution systems.
- Verification and testing: inspections and factory acceptance tests (FAT).
- Installation and commissioning: installation at ALBA, connection to existing infrastructure and site acceptance tests (SAT).
Execution requires particularly careful coordination with ALBA’s technical staff to ensure that the work is compatible with the facility’s access, safety and operating conditions.
Engineering connected to industrial capability
One of the distinguishing features of this contract is its integrated scope.
AVANCEM takes responsibility for turning the facility’s functional requirements into a technical solution that can be manufactured, installed and verified, coordinating the different engineering and execution disciplines.
As part of MADEMAN GROUP, the company is supported by industrial capabilities in metal fabrication, machining, welding, assembly, dimensional inspection and quality assurance.
This integration makes it possible to develop projects in which design engineering and industrial execution must work in coordination, particularly when work takes place at existing scientific facilities.
Strengthening its position in the large scientific facilities sector
The contract with ALBA Synchrotron joins AVANCEM’s growing portfolio of technological projects for national and international scientific infrastructures.
During 2026, the company has also secured three direct contracts with ITER Organization, relating to components for different systems within the international fusion energy project.
These awards reflect AVANCEM’s progression towards more complex projects, combining mechanical engineering, vacuum technologies, advanced manufacturing, systems integration and quality control.
With this new project for ALBA Synchrotron, AVANCEM strengthens its position as a technological and industrial partner for the development, manufacture and integration of systems for large scientific infrastructures.
