OT Major fire at Didcot B

[DerbyBorn]

As I recall from when I was involved with some similar towers, the droplet size of the water is very important for the thermal efficiency. We had 3 conditions - water pumps only, then pumps with low speed fan - then pumps and higher speed fans. There was also the option of progressively bringing on more tower modules. The fan casings were GRP on the tower I was involved with. The towers sat across a large pond that received the water and took it back into the system.At low demand the water would just be diverted into the pond until the water temp of the pond got to 27degrees - then the towers were prgressively started.

[Chris J Dixon]

Reading the details on documents for a similar plant elsewhere, it seems pretty clear that it is still evaporative cooling, but force blown, rather than natural convection.

Chris

[Chris Hogg]

A question: are the three remaining hyperbolic cooling towers at Didcot part of Didcot A and soon to be demolished (like the other three earlier in the year) or are they part of Didcot B. If the former, what chance of jury rigging a connection over to B and bringing them back into service temporarily?

Anyone know?

[Andy Burns]

"A" according to BBC bloke (then again he does call them chimneys), the footage shows the wooden construction and fans pretty well.

Worth a thought, you'd think each half of the "B" plant could run with one or two of their cooling towers down for maintenance, maybe they can run the whole of "B" at slightly under full-chat?

[Chris Hogg]

Yes, I heard that. I applied my usual 'reporters are technically illiterate' filter, and it raised the question in my mind!

[Nightjar]

So far as I can see, there is little, if any, external difference between wet and dry cooling towers. Even the traditional hyperboloid towers can be dry towers. The only visible difference seems to be that if on some days it produces water vapour plumes it is a wet tower.

[Chris J Dixon]

Didcot Power Stations

Didcot B

"9 Cooling towers Warmed river water from the condenser passes to 31 low-level cooling towers. The river water passes through side radiators, cascades through plastic packing, and is cooled by a stream of cold air. The air is drawn in by low-noise fans, which are set in the top of the cooling towers.

The towers are specially designed to minimise the frequency of visible plumes of water vapour, normally associated with traditional cooling towers, and they are plume free for most of the year."

Chris

[Nightjar]

On 21/10/2014 09:57, Chris J Dixon wrote: ....

Fair enough, although it does seem to make wood an odd choice of material.

[newshound]

I would expect the plumbing to be too complicated, and as posted elsewhere I doubt if rebuilding the failed ones will take long.

[news]

Is this to prevent TV cameras focussing in on them while some voice over is telling us all about the "pollution" from fossil fuelled generation.

[bert]

In message , Chris Hogg writes

I believe they were wooden.