Cooling system upgrade |
ACC wind protection screen replacement improves performance at Coryton
Having been in place for almost 20 years, the original ACC wind protection screens at the Coryton combined cycle power plant in the UK, installed by Galebreaker, were determined to have reached the end of their useful life
Figure 1. Air-cooled condenser at Coryton. The plant is sited 30 miles east of London on the River Thames, next to London Gateway Port and Logistics park. It experiences winds across open land to the south-west of the site. Source: Galebreaker
The goal of the ensuing upgrade project, also carried out by Galebreaker, was to replace the wind protection screens with a more efficient design that would maintain the ACC system’s performance. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) played a key role in the upgrade project. Air-cooled condensers (ACCs) provide a sustainable dry cooling solution for power plants that doesn’t rely on water resources. However, these systems face a variety of operational challenges, particularly from wind. At Coryton power station, a key 800 MW combined cycle gas turbine power plant in the UK, the installation and subsequent upgrade and replacement of wind protection screens helped mitigate these issues. Reflecting on the project, Gary Dicker of Galebreaker explains how advanced
computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling was used to solve wind-related performance problems and ensure the plant’s continued efficiency.
Coryton power station: background and challenges Located 30 miles east of London, on the River Thames, Intergen’s Coryton power station has been in commercial operation since 2002. The plant uses a bank of A-framed air- cooled condenser systems (Figure 1) relying on large fans to draw air across finned tubes, cooling steam from the turbines and condensing it back into water. This phase change, from gas to liquid, maintains the vacuum in the system.
Over time, Coryton began facing performance issues from high winds,
26 | March 2026 |
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including back pressure and mechanical stress on the system’s fans.
According to Gary Dicker, Galebreaker’s UK and European wet and dry cooling specialist: “When high winds blow, it causes airflow imbalances that increase resistance or ‘back pressure’ on the ACC fans, making it harder for them to draw air through the system as static pressure rises.
“Fans are designed to handle a certain pressure range, but when it exceeds this, they can’t move enough air, leading to inefficiencies and ‘pumping’, where the fan spins but doesn’t move air effectively. This causes vibration, reduced cooling performance and even damage to mechanical equipment and fan blades. “These issues reduce cooling efficiency and increase maintenance costs.”
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