VTI Software Becomes a Digital Foundation for Cooling Towers at Nuclear and Thermal Power Plants
Engineers at the All-Russian Thermal Engineering Institute (VTI JSC) have deployed a unique software platform for calculating cooling-tower performance characteristics.
The development has strong potential to become a core software tool for the design and modernization of thermal power plants and nuclear generating units. It enables engineers to determine cooling-tower performance with a high degree of accuracy, a capability that is critical to efficient power-plant operation.
Development and Testing
The first version of the specialized software was built around a mathematical model based on the Merkel criterion. The model accounts for changes in water, water-vapor, and air parameters, helping deliver highly accurate calculations.
Unlike standard industry methodologies, VTI's mathematical model also incorporates the effects of transient wind loads and structural icing during winter operation. That allows designers to prevent aerodynamic imbalances and maintain cooling capacity even under extreme climatic conditions, reducing risks to the stable operation of generating units.
Before its first commercial deployment, the software underwent a series of internal comparative tests that confirmed sufficient convergence of results for engineering calculations. The exercise validated both the reliability and accuracy of the product.
First Commercial Success
The software's first commercial application involved calculating the performance parameters of a BG-1800 frame-and-cladding cooling tower for one of Russia's leading manufacturers of high-efficiency cooling-tower fill materials and drift eliminators, components whose geometry and materials directly affect the overall efficiency of the cooling system.
The VTI team conducted a detailed multi-stage analysis, evaluating how the number of fill layers and a range of technological and meteorological parameters influence cooling performance. The results supported informed decisions on selecting an optimal cooling-tower configuration that delivers the best balance between performance and economic efficiency.
Economic Efficiency and Environmental Benefits
The accuracy of outlet-water temperature calculations has a direct impact on the vacuum level achieved in steam-turbine condensers. The more precise the calculations, the less fuel - whether natural gas or coal - a power plant needs to generate the same amount of electricity. That translates into significant cost savings and lower emissions, creating long-term benefits through improved environmental performance and reduced electricity production costs.
Flexibility and Adaptability
VTI's software enables operators and designers to perform cooling-tower process calculations quickly and receive thoroughly analyzed recommendations tailored to specific climatic conditions and equipment configurations.
Another promising development path involves integrating VTI's calculation engine into DigitalTwin architectures for technical water-supply systems. This would allow nuclear and thermal power-plant operators to forecast potential declines in generating capacity during periods of extreme summer heat and proactively adjust circulating-pump operating modes in real time.
The software is evolving into a universal tool for both new-build projects and the modernization of existing thermal power plants and nuclear generating units.
The development team plans to optimize the software's functionality, create a more user-friendly interface, and expand its database of fill materials. Those final refinement stages are expected to make the platform even more practical for end users.
This software marks an important step toward strengthening the technological independence of Russia's power sector.
