13-15: Experimental Characterization of Wind Effect on Natural Draft Cooling

Wind curves provided by manufacturers to describe the impact of wind on the cold water temperature of EDF’s natural draft cooling towers remain theoretical and probably include margins. Thus, it is of EDF interest to characterize the real effect of wind on its cooling towers. The paper will shortly describe EDF’s performance e-monitoring tool and explain how it can be used to build experimental wind curves. Then, examples will illustrate the way these curves can help to quantify the different kinds of wind effects like those due to the presence of obstacles close to the tower.