A new, more economical design for power plant chimneys

A leading designer of power plant chimneys, FaAA from Dsseldorf, Germany, has developed a new basic design for FGD chimneys in power stations. By using the technical properties of Pennguard linings, the new chimney design offers a combination of technical and economical benefits. Dr. Piotr Noakowski of FaAA, an authority in the field of concrete chimney design, has been in charge of the development work. As he explains: More and more new power stations worldwide use flue gas desulphurisation and so

New chimney design

new design, we have started from a clean sheet of paper, using as a basis the typical flue gas data for a 600 MW coal fired power plant with wet FGD. The new design is a concrete chimney in which the traditional internal liner has been eliminated. Instead, the inside of the concrete shell is protected directly by a Pennguard lining, which insulates the shell not only from the acidic flue gas, but also from high temperatures and temperature shock. The result is a light and slender FGD chimney, which is suitable for operation with both wet and reheated scrubbed flue gas. Dr. Noakowski comments: This combination of a durable lining and relative simplicity of design will meet the high demands of power plant owners for operational reliability. The FaAA study also points out strong economical advantages for the new design: when compared with more traditional designs featuring internal brick or steel liners, the investment cost is around 20 % lower for the new type. The estimated construction time is 5 months shorter than for traditional designs. x

Dr.Noakowski(l) and Mr.Rauscher.

the flue gases emitted through the chimney are relatively cool and strongly acidic. The common response has been to use improved, corrosion resistant materials, while sticking basically to the same, traditional chimney design. For the

Duct & Chimney Linings

Special advantages of the new chimney design

Concrete Shell

The new chimney developed by FaAA has a number of specific advantages when compared with traditional designs.

(thickness: 25 cm)

Lower construction cost

Pennguard Lining
(thickness: 5 cm)

The exact cost of any chimney depends on many variables, including location, local conditions and labor rates. However, it is safe to say that the new design is more economical to build because two expensive items, the internal liner and its supports, have been eliminated. FaAA reports that in many cases, the new design will be up to 20 % less expensive to build.

Figure 1. The Pennguard lining protects the concrete shell directly.

Shorter construction time

In its study, FaAA has determined that the construction period for the new chimney design will be

strongly reduced in comparison with traditional designs. Using the example of a 200 m chimney with an 8 m internal diameter, the new design would require an all-in construction period of 6 months. Building the same chimney with an acid resistant brick liner will take 11 months.

Greater suitability for seismic regions

The elimination of an internal liner leads to a great reduction in mass, which is favourable when designing a chimney for seismic conditions. For a 200 m chimney with an 8 m internal diameter (at the top), the weight of the Pennguard lining will be a modest 80 tons. When using acid resistant brick, the internal liner alone would weigh 1.250 tons. An 8 mm thick steel liner would weigh an estimated 500 tons.

Concrete Shell

Flue Gas Stream

4
53C 28C 20C

Lower maintenance requirement

The key word for the new design is simplicity. Together with the chimney liner, other items such as liner supports, thermal insulation and expansion joints are also eliminated. More than just lowering the investment cost for a new chimney, this will also reduce the future requirement for maintenance.

60C

Pennguard

Lining

Figure 2. The Pennguard lining insulates the shell from high temperatures.

NEW DESIGN

CONVENTIONAL DESIGN

Blow-up: Figure 1.

Figure 3. Comparison of the main dimensions of the new design with those of a conventional chimney design (brick liner).

Higher resistance to acidic flue gas

A major advantage of any chimney design, that incorporates a Pennguard lining is chemical resistance. Borosilicate glass, the basic material of Pennguard Blocks is one of very few materials

that are resistant to sulfuric and hydrochloric acid without any limitation for temperature or concentration. This means, that the new design can be used in power stations firing high sulfur fuels or using unscrubbed flue gas for reheating the scrubbed gas stream.

Greater suitability for wet stack operation

Another feature of Pennguard linings is their excellent long term resistance to unreheated, wet scrubbed flue gas. This means that the new design is highly suitable for wet stack operation. x

Some information about FaAA

FaAA stands for Failure Analysis Associates, a unique company that offers technical and scientific expertise to many industries including not only the construction, but also the automotive, aerospace and process industries. FaAA has more than 650 people and is headquartered near San Francisco, California. By the way: FaAA is in the process of changing its name into Exponent. Under the management of Dr. Piotr Noakowski, FaAA Dsseldorf has developed a great expertise in power plant and industrial chimneys, not only as a designer, but also as a consultant for maintenance and repair. To support its engineering work, FaAA has developed close to reality computer programs, which

Michael Stegemann, FaAA Dsseldorf, performing an inspection on a 300 m chimney in Secunda, South Africa.

are frequently used for the design of chimneys and other concrete towers that combine a high degree of safety with superior economics. Talking about the new chimney design, FaAAs Thomas Rauscher explains: Although the design looks simple, it really is not. In the new chimney design, the shape of the shell directly impacts not only the load bearing capacity, but also the flue gas draft. In order to determine the optimal chimney shape, an iterative computational design process must be used. FaAAs Michael Stegemann adds: Based on our experience and software tools, we are in the position to quickly develop complete

chimneys for specific projects. By the way, the new chimney design is not limited to single flue chimneys; if a customer would prefer a multi-flue chimney, we are ready to provide a suitable design. x

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