Circulating Water Cooling Tower Deterioration

Circulating Water Cooling Tower Deterioration

Market

Power Generation

Challenge

The challenge was to rebuild a circulating water cooling pipe that had begun deteriorating.

Power plant smoke stack
A joint in a circulating cooling water pipe
A technician working atop a large circulating water pipe
A joint in a circulating cooling water pipe

Engineered Solution

The solution utilized the HydraWrap® Structural Composite Repair System.

Scope

A client requested a structural repair of the exterior of a deteriorating pipe to prevent further corrosion to the area and restore the existing pipe back to its original condition. The exterior of the pre-stressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP) was prepared by high pressure water blasting the surface to remove any dirt and loose debris. Once this process was completed, a cement grout was used to fill in all voids to bring the pipe back to original condition. The HydraWrap® carbon fiber system was applied to encapsulate the concrete pipe and provide assurance that the system could maintain design pressures. A UV stable top coat was applied to increase service life.

A joint in a circulating cooling water pipe
Epoxy applied to the exterior of a circulating water cooling pipe
Epoxy applied to the exterior of a circulating water cooling pipe

Solution

The crew and all materials were stationed near the project and were able to complete the system installation safely and within the work window provided by the station. The repair extended the life of the system.

HydraWrap reinforcing the exterior of a joint in a. large cooling water pipe
HydraWrap reinforcing the exterior of a joint in a. large cooling water pipe
Multiple joints of a large circulating cooling water line wrapped in HydraWrap
HydraWrap reinforcing the exterior of a joint in a. large cooling water pipe
Multiple joints of a large circulating cooling water line wrapped in HydraWrap