Nuclear Power Plant Taohuajiang

Structural planning for two natural draught cooling towers

The Hunan Taohuajiang Nuclear Power LTD was planning to build a new nuclear power plant with two units at 2x1250 MW each in the Chinese province Hunan.

ZPP has been commissioned by GEA Energietechnik, responsible for the cooling system, to provide the structural design for the two natural draught cooling towers. The cooling towers with a height of 200 m and a maximum diameter of approx. 153 m and are some of the largest ones ever planned. Considering different soil circumstances, a combined pile and shallow foundation is used. Using the FE method made it possible to optimise the formwork to a thickness of at least 25 cm for the special demands rendered by wind and earthquakes at the site.