Golder Associates Inc. has conducted several condition assessments of prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP) used in the cooling water systems of energy generation facilities. This paper presents observations from these condition assessment projects. A vital component to the operation of energy generation facilities is the cooling water system. The cooling water system conveys cool water from a river or basin through the plant's condensers to condense steam produced in the process of power

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... neration. The heated water is then returned to the river or basin, or sent through cooling towers to dissipate the gained heat. To work effectively, these systems typically operate with high flows (greater than 200,000 gpm) and low pressures (less than 60 psi) in large diameter pipelines (typically 54 to 120 in). These systems may provide cooling water to one or more units, and redundancy is not typical. Thus, the isolation of these systems for evaluation or repair may require the temporary shutdown of one or several units, resulting in significant costs associated with purchasing replacement power.