Sicherheitsanalyse und statisch konstruktive Ertüchtigung des Naturzugkühlturms Block E im Kraftwerk Niederaußem der RWE-Power AG

Safety analysis and rehabilitation of the natural draft cooling tower Block E at the power plant of Niederaußem

From the moment of their erection, buildings are exposed to weather and loading. They constantly deteriorate.Buildings that have been erected in compliance with the relevant codes are all of a sudden "weak" compared to current codes and regulations.
New and more "close to reality" methods of calculation and better knowledge of the loading situation shows that not all buildings that are built within the regulations of the old codes have the ability to fulfil the actual demands. This applies in particular to the serviceability limit state of the DIN 1045-1.
The report at hand deals with a natural draft cooling tower from 1968 at the power plant of Niederaußem, which has been damaged as a cause of the operation of a subsequently built flue gas discharge unit.
It deals with the surveying of the cooling tower, the estimation of the ultimate limit state with nonlinear methods of calculation and the necessary rehabilitation to guarantee a safe operation during the remaining life time.