Hitachi Zosen Inova has entrusted Innospin with the design and engineering of the air-cooled condenser (ACC) for the Waste to Energy Plant STV 4&5 in Teeside, UK. Along with the ACC design, Innospin will also supply key components such as the single row heat exchanger tube bundles, air moving system and evacuation system to Hitachi.

This design project is particularly challenging as the ACC will be exposed to severe and frequent cross wind. Cross wind has a significant impact on the performance of the ACC as well as on the function and life time of the air moving system components. Several ACCs in the field, exposed to high cross wind, yield low performance and fan failures because the cross winds condition were not considered sufficiently during the ACC design phase.

Innospin performed a detailed project-specific 3D CFD analysis for the STV 4&5 project to understand the impact of the cross wind on ACC performance and component lifetime. A project-specific solution to the high cross wind was developed in cooperation with Hitachi Zosen Inova and the client. This solution allows the backpressure performance requirements to be fully met while benefitting from minimal auxiliary consumption during low and high wind conditions.