June 2023
Employee grants announcement
A cooling tower, like any machine or structure, requires maintenance and regular servicing to make operation more efficient, reliable and safe. Correcting any faults in a timely manner not only prevents major equipment breakdowns, but also ensures that the life of the cooling system is extended for future operation.
The cooling towers, which have served Tameh Czech s.r.o. since its commissioning in 1952, are designed to cool water that warms up due to the cooling of machinery and equipment in the context of energy production. These are mainly turbochargers, turbocompressors, turbogenerators, pumps, fans, etc. Without chilled water, these devices cannot be operated.
Adjusting winter wipers
A total of five massive cooling towers, each measuring 60 metres in length and 44.2 metres wide, are currently used to cool equipment on the power plant site. According to the extent of wear and weather damage, cooling tower No. 5, which may have been out of service at the time, required repair. As it is not necessary to operate all cooling towers at the same time during the winter period from 1 November 2021 to 31 March 2022, staff may have spared this tower to achieve the required cooling water parameters.
The detailed restoration, which lasted 5 months, included the complete replacement of the cooling system and nozzles in the inner part of the tower, including the partial replacement of the damaged cladding, as well as the complete treatment (rehabilitation) of the external and internal steel and concrete structure, revisions and repairs of valves and adjustments to the winter washers. In particular, the winter washers underwent a major modification, where the original three parts were made into one unit by connecting the fibreglass pipework with the new supply installed outside the tower. The cooling tower required repairs to an area of approximately 1,100 square metres.
Over fifty experts of various professions, from masons, climbers, armature workers and painters to electricians and plumbers, worked on the restoration of cooling tower No. 5, which was last reconstructed in 2001. The work was particularly challenging for the climbers, who had to deal with adverse weather conditions at the time, where climbing equipment froze and work had to be interrupted several times.
The repair of the cooling tower was carried out by BETOCHEM, which has several years of experience with similar commissions and has long been successfully established in the field of cooling tower repairs. "We have a successful long-term cooperation with BETOCHEM. In the past, they have already carried out repairs of cooling towers and reinforced concrete chimneys for ArcelorMittal Ostrava a.s., and its employees have also participated in service activities in the field of refractory engineering. We are glad that we have found a suitable partner who helped us to increase cooling of the warmed water and at the same time safety in the vicinity of the tower," said Kristina Červenková, CEO and Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the Czech-Polish energy holding TAMEH.
The cost of the total repair of cooling tower No. 5 amounted to almost CZK 44 million excluding VAT.