90-03: Operating Feedback of French Cooling Towers Civil Work and Equipment

As the owner of twenty six natural draught wet cooling towers, EDF has set up a specific organization aimed at monitoring the evolution of civil works and equipment. The subject of this presentation is to explain EDF's operating feedback and the problems encountered, and to describe the methods used and the studies carried out. The main concerns are the behavior of the shell, the availability during winter periods and the ageing of the heat exchange equipment.