Project-specific solution for concrete hardening used in the Puskás Aréna
Curetec Energietechnik GmbH, founded in 2010, is a leading supplier for the development, installation and maintenance of special systems for concrete hardening. Most recently, the company has been involved in the completion of the ultra-modern Puskás Aréna in Budapest, which was in the public eye as a venue of the 2021 UEFA European Football Championship some weeks ago. The implementation of a total of 64 concrete beam elements beneath the stadium roof turned out to be a special challenge on the construction site. In order to ensure a completion on schedule, Curetec developed a project-specific solution for accelerating the hardening process of the 9 m high elements with a weight of 60 tons.
More than 320 systems set into operation
Since its foundation in 2010, Curetec Energietechnik GmbH & Co. KG based in Vrees in the Emsland region of Germany has set more than 320 systems into operation all over the world. One of the most important references of the curing specialist is the new Puskás Aréna in Budapest. The €550 million stadium was completed in 2019 as replacement of the legendary Ferenc Puskás Stadium built in 1953 and has a capacity of more than 67,000 seats.
Some 700 people had been working on the construction site every day for realizing the completion of the new building designed by György Skardelli of the Budapest-based architecture firm Közti. The completion of the overall 64 reinforced-concrete elements, jointly supporting the stadium roof, were one of the most important sub-section. Since the transport of the 9m long and 2.5m wide beams with a weight of 60 tons would have been difficult to realize, the elements were completely manufactured on site.
The curing specialist Curetec was commissioned in order to get swiftly a mobile solution for accelerating the hardening process of the elements: „Within two weeks, just in time, we had then developed a project-specific system using an efficient low-pressure steam generator, exactly adjusted to the specified formwork,“ reported Talahat Akcay, project manager of Curetec. „Following the assembly of the boiler and installation of the entire piping and pressure valves as well as in-depth training of the staff of Bayer Construct, our customer could start immediately and was able to manufacture the 64 elements within less than four weeks. As a result, it was possible to implement the project significantly more cost-effective and more energy-efficient and, what is more, to deliver even seven weeks before the deadline agreed!“
Efficiency of 98% achieved
The advantage of the technology used is obvious: Whereas traditional steam generators require large amounts of energy during the heating-up period and in operation for evaporating water, the steam generators used by Curetec supply steam within a few seconds. And they are only in operation if humidity is needed actually. For maximum efficiency, the process water utilized for the generation of steam is supplied to the combustion chamber directly, passing into the steaming phase immediately. „Prior to this, the process water is already used for cooling of all components involved in the combustion process, thus being pre-heated,“ added Talahat Akcay. „The exhaust gases are likewise utilized for the generation of steam. In combination, this results in an efficiency of 98 %.“
Within the implementation process, at first, the concrete was poured into the formwork which had been developed previously and then steam was applied at specified spots for six to seven hours – the amount of steam was calculated according to the selected concrete and the prevailing weather conditions. The surrounding tent construction provided an enclosed space with optimized climate for controlled concrete hardening: „Everything worked perfectly after the in-depth training,“ Akcay said retrospectively. It is therefore hardly surprising that Curetec has already realized some other systems for Bayer Construct in Hungary and in Eastern Europe meanwhile.
