Amirkabir University of Technology Amirkabir Journal of Civil Engineering 2588-297X 51 4 2019 10 23 Investigating The Effect of Thermal Loading on Cooling Tower Shells Investigating The Effect of Thermal Loading on Cooling Tower Shells 631 644 2916 10.22060/ceej.2018.13858.5493 FA Salman Rahimian MSc Graduate, Yazd University Reza Morshed Yazd University / member of Scientific Board 0000-0002-0811-6409 Journal Article 2017 12 23 Thermal load is one of important loads on the cooling towers, which reduce the final resistance of the cooling towers by creating micro Cracks at the end of the wind load. In the past, the impact of these loads has been less considered. Due to the progress of the finite element methods, nowadays it is possible to model cooling towers under thermal loads. In this research, the cooling tower of Shahid Rajaee power plant was modeled using ABAQUS finite element software. Damage plasticity model was used to model the crust of this tower. Behavior of cooling tower shell under two loading was compared. In the first loading, gravity, wind and heat, and in the second loading, the gravity and wind load were applied. The difference in shell displacement, tensile and compression cracking and ultimate strength in the shell was compared in both loading. Based on this study, the difference in the displacement of the shell in two loading was 6.4%. The difference in compression damage was about 3%, and the difference in tensile damage was about 10%. The pressure damage and tensile damage was developed in the presence of thermal loading. The difference in the bending moments in two loading was about 40% at the back side of the wind. Finally, the tower shell was reached to its ultimate strength in the presence of thermal load at a lower wind pressure. Thermal load is one of important loads on the cooling towers, which reduce the final resistance of the cooling towers by creating micro Cracks at the end of the wind load. In the past, the impact of these loads has been less considered. Due to the progress of the finite element methods, nowadays it is possible to model cooling towers under thermal loads. In this research, the cooling tower of Shahid Rajaee power plant was modeled using ABAQUS finite element software. Damage plasticity model was used to model the crust of this tower. Behavior of cooling tower shell under two loading was compared. In the first loading, gravity, wind and heat, and in the second loading, the gravity and wind load were applied. The difference in shell displacement, tensile and compression cracking and ultimate strength in the shell was compared in both loading. Based on this study, the difference in the displacement of the shell in two loading was 6.4%. The difference in compression damage was about 3%, and the difference in tensile damage was about 10%. The pressure damage and tensile damage was developed in the presence of thermal loading. The difference in the bending moments in two loading was about 40% at the back side of the wind. Finally, the tower shell was reached to its ultimate strength in the presence of thermal load at a lower wind pressure. https://ceej.aut.ac.ir/article_2916_340a39045c40d50dda207bcfdece883a.pdf