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Your Position: Home - Energy - FRP Building Materials For Cooling Towers

FRP Building Materials For Cooling Towers

Author: Janey

Sep. 23, 2024

Energy

FRP Building Materials For Cooling Towers

Wood deteriorates. Steel corrodes. Our fiberglass structural shapes offer the strength of these traditional building materials without the rot, rust or corrosion. It also weighs significantly less, so it&#;s an excellent alternative for cooling tower construction. And with a life expectancy of up to 50 years, it&#;s a cost-efficient choice. You can also visit our Featured Projects page to see Bedford materials used in unique ways for a variety of industries.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit our website.

Tell why choose FRPCooling tower

An evaluation of applicable materials for an industrial cooling tower is presented in this study. 

Advantages and disadvantages of different sets of materials including reinforced concrete and FRP 

(Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites) for cooling tower structure are discussed. After evaluating 

each material characteristic, the one case study of cooling tower is considered for cost estimation. The 

results showed that the FRP is best structural material for cooling tower construction mainly due to its 

superior performance in sea water corrosive environment. From the economical point of view, although 

the construction cost FRP structure is a little higher, this can be easily balanced by less maintenance 

costs of FRP structure considering its high durability in hostile environments. 

Key words: Fiber-reinforced polymer composites (FRP) cooling tower, concrete cooling tower, polyvinyl 

chloride (PVC) fills. 

INTRODUCTION 

Current paper covers a review of applicable materials for 

an industrial cooling tower. Cooling towers are usually 

exposed to severe internal operating conditions such as 

high temperature, wet, corrosive and abrasive 

environments and sustained loading. After many years of 

utilizing redwood in cooling towers because of its natural 

tendency to inhibit decay, the quality of redwood 

diminished and Douglas fire was introduced to the 

market. However, the negative effect of Douglas fire was 

that it deteriorated rapidly in comparison to the redwood. 

Various methods of pressure treatment and incising were 

developed to offset the micro-organisms that attacked 

and eventually depleted the wood. In addition to the wood 

being supplied and utilized by the tower market, other 

materials such as galvanized steel, stainless steel, 

concrete, and in some cases asbestos cement board 

casing panels were utilized on field erected towers. 

During the l970s, the environmental movement caused 

several industries to be scrutinized. The chemicals used 

to pressure treat the wood were viewed as possible 

hazards, therefore resulting in tighter controls and new 

formulations to be applied. The end result was an 

increase in the material cost of wood. Asbestos was also 

under scrutiny and ultimately dropped from the industry 

due to the threat it posed of potential health hazards. 

Through the s and into the early l970s, various 

existing cooling tower companies as well as newly 

formed organizations were looking for alternative building 

materials that would offer comparable if not greater

strength to the materials being utilized while remaining 

competitive. 

FRP materials have been employed in cooling towers 

as secondary components (including pipes and fan 

stacks) for over 30 years, the primary structure 

traditionally being constructed from wood, concrete or 

steel. However, FRP composites are now prevailing as 

the most suitable primary structural material in view of 

their superior performance in hostile environments and 

other beneficial properties. Consequently, the cooling

tower industry has seen a rapid uptake of FRP towers in

recent years. The design flexibility of FRPs has allowed 

new types of cooling tower to be developed which are 

more efficient and cost effective than previous designs 

and materials. The modular, cellular construction systems 

provide structures of high integrity that can be rapidly 

installed. The desirable environmental properties of FRP

Boroujeni. 153 


materials also help the structures meet the increasingly 

stringent legislation imposed on them. 

In order to recognize the advantages and 

disadvantages of different applicable materials as cooling 

tower structural members, a brief review of these sets of 

materials are presented subsequently. The configuration 

of cooling tower is shown in Figure 1. 

REINFORCED CONCRETE COOLING TOWERS 

The complete structure including exterior walls, fan deck, 

partitions and windscreen are designed in order to be 

executed in reinforced concrete material with all the 

specific requirements of this particular application. The fill 

consists of modules designed with vertical flutes, 20 mm 

opening, for optimum cooling and minimum fouling 

characteristics. The fill comprises of vacuum formed PVC

(polyvinyl chloride) sheets, bonded to form modules 500 

mm high by 500 mm wide with a nominal length of

mm. Fill is supported from below by tower structural 

beams and covers the entire internal plan area of the 

tower. Hot water is introduced to the tower through 

ground headers, valves and risers provided by others. 

Tower headers have one outside flanged connection per

cell. The main header consists of a concrete flume. PVC

distribution pipes are fitted into the flume and uniformly 

cover the plan area of the tower; these pipes are securely 

fitted with spray nozzles. The main header consists of 

concrete flume. The fan consists of multiple, manuallyadjustable blades attached to a steel hub. The fan deck is 

accessed by a caged ladder and/or concrete stairway. 

154 J. Mech. Eng. Res. 

Hand railing is provided around the perimeter of the fan 

deck. Access to the inside of the tower is through a 

lockable hatch in the fan deck, with a ladder leading 

down to the drift eliminator level for inspection of the 

cooling tower internals. From there, removable FRP 

grating allows access to the whole plan area and to a 

second ladder leading up to the gear reducer. The fan

stacks, as standard, are constructed of heavy, ribbed 

fiberglass panels bolted together. 

FRP COOLING TOWERS 

FRP materials have many key properties which make 

them suitable for use in cooling tower applications. Their 

inherent corrosion, moisture and temperature resistance 

significantly increases the durability and service life of the 

structure, as well as reducing the need for maintenance. 

FRP structures also exhibit superior dynamic response to 

high wind loads in comparison with conventional 

structural materials. Maximizing the glass volume not

only enhances the material strength and stiffness 

properties, but reduces creep and hydrothermal effects 

due to the lower resin content. FRP parts offer more

flexibility of shape than steel or timber. Components can 

therefore be manufactured with features that enable rapid 

connection and modular construction, minimizing the 

material content whilst providing the required buckling 

strength. The modular design methods associated with 

FRP structures are quicker and easier. A standard range 

of field erected towers can be formulated efficiently from 

the initial design. Suitable limit-state design methods 

account for the variability of all the material parameters - 

allowing production of safe but efficient designs. 

Although comparable to conventional tower structure 

materials in initial cost, FRP materials offer significance 

through life cost savings. They have longer service lives, 

lower replacement frequency and require little 

maintenance. The lower replacement frequency also 

reduces the significant process downtime costs 

associated with structure replacement. Less raw material 

use in the overall structure brings associated cost 

savings and gains are made from the rapid installation, 

which is much less labor intensive due to the lightweight 

components. Transportation costs are also reduced as 

less, lighter weight material is required. 

FRP is preferable to wood in instances where 

environmental issues are a factor since it contains no 

preservatives that could leach into the water being 

cooled. FRP materials can aid compliance to legislation

regarding discharge to rivers. Greater cooling capacity 

means that the water released can closely approximate 

the temperature of the river as stipulated in regulations. It 

has also been proved that composite tower structures 

offer reduced noise emission due to their preferable

dynamic behavior. It is worth-mentioning that the 

acceptance of pultruded FRP towers has become so 

widespread that it is estimated over 70% of new and

replacement field erected towers in the USA are specified 

with pultruded FRP structures. Pultruded FRP cooling 

towers are in service today in numerous applications. 

Type II, III, IV pultruded shapes are acceptable with a 

synthetic polyester fibre-surfacing veil with a minimum 

effective thickness of 10.0 ml minimum to provide long 

term UV (ultraviolet) protection. 

Grade 1 or grade 3 resins are acceptable for the 

structure with a flame spread rating of 25 or less per 

ASTM E84 flame spread test (CTI STD 137, 94). The 

resin must be high quality and chemical resistant. The

resin shall be an isothalic polyester, vinyl ester or

urethane type resin system. 

The glass reinforcing may be continuous roving, 

continuous strand mats; woven or non-woven fabric, 

unidirectional fabric or a combination of these. The

reinforcing shall be made from type C or type E glass 

fibers. 

Additives to the resin mix may be used to improve 

performance characteristics of the final composite. 

Typical additives are UV inhibitors, antimony trioxide as 

an improved flame retardant and a minor percentage of 

fillers. Any mold release that is used must not reduce the 

long-term strength of any epoxy joint that may be used in 

the tower structure. 

In general, advantages and disadvantages of the FRP

materials can be noted as follows: 

Advantages: 

 

1. High specific strength. 

2. Good in-plane mechanical properties. 

3. High fatigue and environmental resistance. 

4. Adjustable mechanical properties. 

5. Lightweight. 

6. Quick assembly/ erection. 

7. Low maintenance cost. 

8. Highly cost-effective. 

Disadvantages: 

1. Lightweight (problematic in wind resistant design). 

2. Brittle. 

3. High initial costs. 

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4. Low to moderate application temperature (-20 up to 

80°C). 

5. Low fire resistance (sometimes with unhealthy gases). 

Most structural profiles are produced in conventional 

profile shapes similar to metallic materials. Being 

somehow similar in geometry and properties, however no 

standard geometry, mechanical and physical properties 

are used by all manufacturers. 

A variety of continuous and woven reinforcement types 

are commonly used in fiberglass pultrusions. The four

major types are E-Glass, S-Glass, Aramid, and Carbon. 

Boroujeni. 155 

Table 1. Typical properties of fibers used in pultruded structural profiles. 

Property E-Glass S-Glass Aramid Carbon 

Density (lbs/in3

) 0.094 0.090 0.053 0.064 

Tensile strength (psi) 500,000 665,000 400,000 275,000 - 450,000 

Tensile modulus (106 psi) 10.5 9.0 9.0 33-35 

Elongation to break (%) 4.8 2.3 2.3 0.6-1.2 

Table 2. Typical properties of resins used in structural pultrusions.

Property Polyester Vinylester Epoxy 

Tensile strength (psi) 11,200 11,800 11,000 

Elongation (%) 4.5 5.0 6.3 

Flexural strength (psi) 17,800 20,000 16,700 

Flexural modulus (106 psi) 0.43 0.54 0.47 

Heat distortion temperature (°F) 160 220 330 

Short beam shear (psi) 4,500 5,500 8,000 

The most commonly used reinforcement is E-Glass. 

Other reinforcements are more costly, and therefore are 

used more sparingly in construction. Table 1 provides 

some physical properties of the four reinforcing fibers CTI 

(CTI STD 137, 94). 

FRPs are produced usually by pultrusion method. 

There are two types of reinforcing fibers in FRP materials 

called continuous strand mat and continuous strand 

roving 

Continuous strand mat 

Long glass fibers intertwined and bound with a small

amount of resin, called a binder. Continuous strand mat 

provides the most economical method of obtaining a high 

degree of transverse or bi-directional strength 

characteristics. These mats are layered with roving, and 

this process forms the basic composition found in most 

pultruded products. The ratio of mat to roving determines 

the relationship of transverse to longitudinal strength 

characteristics. 

Continuous strand roving 

Each strand contains from 800 to 4,000 fiber filaments. 

Many strands are used in each pultursion profile. This 

roving provides the high longitudinal strength of the 

pultruded product. The amount and location of these 

&#;rovings&#; can, and does alter the performance of the 

product. Roving also provides the tensile strength needed 

to pull the other reinforcements through the 

manufacturing die. Since pultrusion is a low-pressure 

process, fiberglass reinforcements normally appear close

to the surface of the product. This can affect appearance, 

corrosion resistance or handling of the products. Surface 

veils can be added to the laminate construction, and 

when used, displaces the reinforcement from the surface 

of the profile, creating a resin-rich surface. The two most 

commonly used veils are E-Glass and polyester. Resin 

formulations typically consist of polyesters, vinyl esters, 

and epoxies, and are either fire retardant or non-fire 

retardant. 

Resins are another important component of FRP 

materials. Polyesters and vinyl esters are the two primary 

resins used in the pultrusion process. Epoxy resins are 

typically used with carbon fiber reinforcements in 

applications where higher strength and stiffness 

characteristics are required. Epoxies can also be used 

with E-glass for improved physical properties. Typical 

physical properties of resins used in pultruded structural 

shapes are given in Table 2. 

Various fillers are also used in the pultrusion process. 

Aluminum silicate (kaolin clay) is used for improved 

chemical resistance, opacity, good surface finish and 

improved insulation properties. Calcium carbonate offers 

improved surfaces, whiteness, opacity and general 

lowering of costs. Alumina trihydrate and antimony 

trioxide are used for fire retardancy. Alumina trihydrate 

can also be used to improve insulation properties. Resin 

formulations in a pultruded fiberglass structural shape 

can be altered to achieve special characteristics as 

dictated by the environment in which the shape is 

intended for use. 

FRP CASE STUDIES 

A case study design of FRP cooling tower is considered 

156 J. Mech. Eng. Res. 

here. The tower is a FRP structure with PVC fills. The 

scope of the project was to furnish and install a multi-cell 

induced draft counter flow FRP structure cooling tower,

custom designed to be field erected within a contractorsupplied reinforced concrete basin. The tower structure

was field erected from pultruded FRP structural members 

that were designed specifically for cooling tower 

application. 

The FRP members were constructed of a fire-retardant,

self-extinguishing resin system with a flame spread rating 

of 25 or less. The FRP members were also protected 

from UV degradation by the use of surfacing veils and UV 

stabilizers incorporated in the resin system. The tower 

structure was designed in accordance with CTI STD 137 

(94) to withstand the following dead and live loads as per 

the following: 

1. Wind load: Per applicable building code. Wind load is 

to be applied to tower walls and fan stack. Tower casing 

shall not be considered as sacrificial when calculating 

tower structure loads. 

2. Seismic load: Per applicable building code, to be 

applied to total operating weight of the tower. 

3. Deck dead load: Weight of deck materials. 

4. Deck live load: 60 PSF (280 kg/m2

) equally distributed 

load over entire usable roof deck. 

5. Fill support dead load: Dry weight of fill material plus 

water hold up weight plus 15% additional allowance for fill 

clogging. 

6. Fill support live loads: 300 lbs (140 kg) of concentrated 

load for temporary maintenance foot traffic. 

7. Eliminator dead and live load: Dry weight of drift 

eliminators. 

The strength of the FRP members was de-rated for long 

term temperature exposure. The maximum operating 

temperature exposure for design purposes was 40°C. 

When designing connections, the minimum service 

factor for dead loads allowed for a connection is 4.0. The 

service factor for connections with temporary loads due

to wind, seismic, etc. may be reduced to 2.5. Either a 

mechanically bolted joint or combination of mechanical 

and adhesive (epoxy) joints may connect the union of two

or more FRP components. Either joint is acceptable when 

properly designed and installed. When connecting hollow 

type structural members by the use of bolted joint, the 

service factor for bearing dead loads must be 4.0 

minimum and 2.5 minimum for live and dead loads. 

Bearing hole elongation of 4% or greater is considered 

failure when stress is applied to any joint. On bolted joints 

of hollow tube members, 304 stainless washers are 

required to keep the connections tight as well as protect 

the FRP members from over tightening and cracking the

FRP (CTI STD 137, 94). 

REINFORCED CONCRETE CASE STUDIES 

A case study design of concrete cooling tower is 

considered here. The concrete tower structure was 

designed in accordance with ACI codes (ACI 318, ) 

to withstand the ASCE 7 dead and live loads (ASCE 7, 

). Earthquake load in this study is calculated based 

on ASCE 7 (Ultimate level) therefore earthquake load

used in the load combinations should be divided by 1.4 to 

decrease it to service level. 

COST ESTIMATION 

In order to compare construction costs of concrete and 

FRP structure cooling towers, cost estimation is 

conducted based on structural analysis and design for 

the cooling tower under study. The construction cost of 

FRP structure is about 10% higher than the reinforced 

concrete one, which is due to the fact that FRP products

are more expensive than common structural materials 

like structural steel and reinforced concrete. But 

considering less maintenance costs of FRP structures 

due to the high durability in corrosive environments, this 

increased construction cost of 10% appears to be 

nothing, making FRP a suitable material for cooling tower 

structures. 

CONCLUSION 

An evaluation of applicable materials for an industrial 

cooling tower located was presented in this study. 

Advantages and disadvantages of different sets of 

materials including reinforced concrete and FRP for 

cooling tower structure were discussed. After evaluating 

each material characteristic, FRP was selected as the 

best structural material for cooling tower construction

mainly due to its superior performance in sea water 

corrosive environment. From the economical point of 

view, though the construction cost FRP structure is a little 

higher, this can be easily balanced by less maintenance 

costs of FRP structure considering its high durability in 

hostile environments. 

REFERENCES 

CTI STD 137 (). Fiberglass Pultruded Structural Products for Use 

in Cooling Towers, pp. 4-8. 

ACI 318 (). Building code requirements for Reinforced Concrete, 

pp. 69-169. 

ASCE 7 (). Minimum Design Loads for buildings a

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