The Hindu : Work on cooling towers apace

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 28, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Work on cooling towers apace

By M. Malleswara Rao

Vijayawada April 27. The lifespan of major dams usually get cut short due to negligence. But, in the case of the Krishna barrage here that serves 13.5 lakh acres of the Krishna delta, the accusing finger is pointed at the super thermal station at the nearby Ibrahimpatnam.

No check-up or repairs were done for the barrage ever since it was commissioned as an irrigation project in 1958 and by the time authorities woke up to such a necessity, it became a daunting task. By a compulsion, it was to maintain a minimum storage up to 17.39 metres for feeding the Bhavanipuram canal serving the `cooling purposes' of the thermal station. The Irrigation Department wanted to subject the barrage, especially its ageing spans, to a check-up at last recently by emptying the reservoir down up to 13.73 metres. But, the thermal station officials raised a hue and cry, pointing out the likely power shortage if the 1,260 MW capacity station was to be shut due to closure of the canal following reservoir depletion. The problem has now been finally solved with the thermal station taking up three cooling towers for its six units (each with 210 MW), at the instance of the Government, as an alternative at a cost of Rs. 100 crores. The towers will facilitate depletion of the barrage for 60 days in a year during April-May-June for execution of repairs, if any.

The work on the alternative system was launched only recently but the first tower will be ready by October, the second in December and the third in February next. From then on, the barrage can be emptied to the required level for `inspection of the foundations in dry conditions' as wanted by the irrigation officials. It is assumed that major repairs to the spans/foundations, if any, will be undertaken during the next summer.

The alternative system consists of five components--intake structure, cool water pumphouse which squeezes 1,100 cusecs of the Krishna water through six 1,300 HP pumpset using 6 MW of power, dumping the same in the canal, the `hot water' pumphouse at the station which lifts the hot and used water for recycling, the towers which cool this water with fans and various connected electrical installations.

A team of Hyderabad-based journalists, during a visit on Saturday, found the sites abuzz with activity.

The APGenco, which owns the thermal station, is certain to meet the deadline. Under the alternative system, the reservoir water will be drawn by pumps even when it sinks to 13.73 metres and conveyed to the station by the canal. The requirement by the six units is 1,800-2,200 cusecs but the pumps will be able to give only 1,100. The balance will be obtained by way of recycling. The `hot water' let out by the station after use is presently discharged into the Budameru which, in turn, carries back into the river. But under the new systen, the hot water is redrawn by another set of pumps into the cooling towers.

According to the APGenco CMD, J. Parthasarathy, the Central Water Commission observed that the barrage was safe with all its health parameters being within the specified limits. The CWC, however, insisted on repairs.

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