Design of a Fan Motor Lifting Mechanism for an Air-Cooled Condenser

Abstract

The Van Eck power plant is generating electricity based on the Rankine cycle in which the steam expanded in the turbine is condensed back to liquid. During this process, the plant uses the forced convection type of air-cooled condensers where the axil fans are used to maintain the air flow at a certain rated speed. The axil fan’s motors and gearboxes sometimes experience mechanical and electrical failures, thus has to be replaced or repaired. However, there are challenges of delivering the motors and gearboxes as well as safely conveying them into the condenser house. Currently, there is no proper mechanism to deliver the motors and gearboxes into the condenser house. Therefore, during motors and gearboxes repair or replacement, more time is spent, and maintenance workers are vulnerable to risks of injuries, while the equipment is vulnerable to damages. To solve these problems, several concepts were generated from which the most effective and reliable concept was selected. The manual stress analysis was conducted on the selected concept in order to determine the required sectional properties. Then, the CAD model was developed in Solidworks, and simulated to analyze the stress distribution on the model, thus verifying the manual stress analysis calculations conducted in order to ensure that the design is capable to lift the intended load safely.