Cooling down a nuclear facility
Cooling things down in nuclear facility
- The challenge
Record temperatures create unsafe workplace conditions
- The solution
A flexible fix for a vast building
- The impact
Maintenance teams can get back to work in cooler conditions
Client:Nuclear power station
Location:Michigan, USA
Sectors:Utilities
The Challenge
Cool a turbine building during a heatwave
With record-high temperatures outside and the shutdown of air conditioning systems inside, the situation in a turbine building at a nuclear power station in Michigan was dire. It was too hot to work. Yet the workers had to get planned modifications done, or the air conditioning could not get switched back on. It was a classic catch-22.
To bring the inside temperatures down to a level that safety managers would be happy with, the project team called our cooling specialists.
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The Solution
Temporary cooling meets unique needs of turbine facility
Cooling down a turbine facility at a nuclear plant is no easy task. In Michigan, space was limited inside the three-storey building. We were dealing with about 60 feet of elevation change and 300 feet of horizontal movement of air and water.
To fix the space problem, we put the chillers and pumps outside. Then, to move the cold air around the vast building, we used more than half a mile of hose and ducting plus air handlers and booster blowers on each floor. It was an efficient system that brought temperatures down to safe working levels.