Design of an alternative cleaning system for screw pump suction grids for Colombian thermoelectric power plants Diseño de un sistema alterno de limpieza para las rejas de succión de las bombas tornillo para las centrales termoeléctricas colombianas

Abstract

The rainy season in Colombia is the main reason for the increase in river flows, carrying with them materials such as branches, trunks, and garbage in general. When this type of waste reaches the grids of the intakes of the thermoelectric plants, it obstructs the passage of water for the cooling of the thermoelectric plants. In response to this problem, an alternate cleaning system was designed and simulated, serving as support for the rakes already attached to the thermoelectric grids. Through the characterization of different thermoelectric plants worldwide, the cleaning system was designed to determine a reference safety factor, in addition to calculating the maximum permissible loads. With the help of computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided engineering (CAE) tools, such as SolidWorks and ANSYS, the alternate cleaning system was designed and simulated based on the geometric constraints found in the characterization, which saves time in the design process.