In-service inspection of reinforced concrete cooling towers – EDF’s feedback
Résumé
Natural draft cooling towers provide the heat sink in 9 power stations of the EDF nuclear fleet in France. A standard in-service inspection program is implemented for each tower, including visual examination, topographic measurements and surface mapping of the shell. Monitoring outputs feed data bases which are used to compare, rank and build a maintenance plan over its buildings fleet. This paper focuses on monitoring techniques used by EDF for its draft cooling towers fleet and on the subsequent data analysis to support maintenance and repair strategies. Some outcomes from recent development program concerning advanced data management techniques are also presented. The conclusion deals with further needs to improve EDF’s current practices.