【Haichuan Expands Horizons】Structure weighing 8,000 tons! The world’s largest steel structure intercooling tower
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On May 22, the main structure of the No. 2 steel-frame intercooling tower for the 2×660MW supercritical indirect air-cooled coal-fired generating units at the Xinjiang Xinyou Qitai Power Plant, constructed by Sanchihua Construction of China Chemical Engineering, was completed. The 2×660MW supercritical indirect air-cooled coal-fired power generation unit project at Xinjiang Xinyou Qitai Power Plant is located in the Xihei Mountain Industrial Park within Qitai County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. For the cooling of the steam exhaust from the turbines in these coal-fired generators, an external condensation-type indirect air-cooling system is used; two intercooling towers are constructed for this purpose. The towers are made of steel structures, with a height of 174.99 meters and a weight of around 8,000 tons – making them the heaviest and largest steel structure intercooling towers in the world to date. Once the Xintou Power Plant in Qitai, Xinjiang is fully completed, it will transform the region’s advantages in coal resources into economic advantages, holding significant practical importance for promoting the rapid economic and social development of Xinjiang.
The intercooling tower for Bid 4 of the Shenhua Shengli Power Plant expansion project (2×660 MW) is of the naturally ventilated hyperbolic type. It is designed with two units per tower, and the tower houses an integrated desulfurization and dust removal system, a flue gas water lifting system, a wet electrostatic precipitator system, and a flue gas exhaust system, thereby achieving the function of \"five systems in one\" – this represents the first of its kind in China for an intercooling tower with such an integrated layout of multiple systems. The zero-meter diameter of this intercooling tower is 185 meters, with an inlet height of 32.8 meters. The cylinder wall is supported by 56 pairs of X-shaped pillars; there are 112 meridional ribs on the outer surface of the wall. The maximum wall thickness is 1.95 meters, while the minimum thickness is 0.39 meters. The diameter at the throat section is 119.6 meters, and the outlet diameter is 126 meters. The total construction height is 225 meters, making it the tallest and largest intercooling tower in the world to date.
China’s first large-scale fully steel-structured intercooling tower: Huaneng Ningxia Daba Power Plant. The two 660MW thermal power units in the fourth phase of Huaneng Ningxia Daba Power Plant are equipped with fully steel-structured intercooling towers, which represent China’s first large-scale fully steel-structured intercooling towers to date. These towers have the highest power generation capacity, as well as the largest volume, diameter, and height among such structures in the world. The air-cooling tower is 170 meters tall and consists of a lower conical section and an upper cylindrical section. The conical section is 55 meters high with a diameter of 129.44 meters at the bottom, while the cylindrical section is 115 meters high and has a diameter of 84 meters. This project marks a new milestone in the development of intercooling towers in China, as they have evolved from being made of reinforced concrete to being constructed entirely of steel. It represents a breakthrough of zero in China’s history regarding the construction of large-scale intercooling steel towers for thermal power plants. Experts in the industry consider it a high-tech project, one that promotes resource conservation, and a model project for circular economy practices in the thermal power sector.
On May 27, the topping-out ceremony for the steel structure tower of the world’s first \"tower and chimney integrated\" indirect air cooling system project, which was EPC-general contracted by Shuangliang Energy Saving, was held at the construction site of the 2×350MW low-calorific-value coal power generation project at Shaanxi Energy Linbei Power Generation Co., Ltd. in Baoji City, Shaanxi Province. Amidst the festive sounds of firecrackers, enthusiastic applause, and cheers from everyone present, the last triangular unit was slowly raised and precisely placed in its designated position, thus completing the construction of the cold steel towers for the Linyou project. The Linyou steel tower project commenced successfully on May 28, 2017. The tower is 170.5 meters tall and consists of a conical section and a straight section; the bottom conical section has a diameter of 147.5 meters and a height of 55 meters, while the upper straight section has a diameter of 98.5 meters and a height of 115.5 meters. The entire tower has 18 levels and is constructed from 828 lattice-shaped steel triangles as well as aluminum alloy cladding. Compared to traditional concrete inter-cooling towers, steel inter-cooling towers offer advantages such as lower costs, better seismic resistance, shorter construction times, and superior environmental benefits. Moreover, once these steel towers reach the end of their useful life, all the steel and aluminum materials can be recycled, thereby avoiding the pollution caused by discarded concrete and fully supporting the environmental industry policies aimed at **recycling.
This tower adopts a skin-with-inward-structure design, meaning the steel components are on the outside while the skin is on the inside; this approach is also used for the first time in the world. This structural design allows for complete separation of smoke from the steel components, preventing corrosion of the steel elements by smoke and ensuring the safety and stability of the steel tower throughout its service life. This tower adopts a skin-with-inward-structure design, meaning the steel components are on the outside while the skin is on the inside; this approach is also used for the first time in the world. This structural design allows for complete separation of smoke from the steel components, preventing corrosion of the steel elements by smoke and ensuring the safety and stability of the steel tower throughout its service life.
Compared to ordinary concrete towers, its structural weight is significantly reduced, and the amount of rebar (steel) used is only half; just in this regard, it is more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly
I don’t have much experience; it’s my first time seeing a cooling tower with a steel structure.
Two styles: one with the skinning on the inside, the other with it on the outside. Which do you prefer?