Knapsack combined-cycle power plant

To expand the Knapsack power plant, in operation since 2007, a second unit was to be built. Design work with Siemens AG Österreich began at BCI in March 2011. The design contract covered the optimisation of the steel structures of the boiler house and the boiler support structure, to ensure the most economical use of the steel sections and to keep costs for the owner as low as possible.

This goal was achieved through precise and complex 3D modelling of the load-bearing structures for both the analysis and the fabrication drawings.

A second work package for the Knapsack site covered the design and optimisation of the thin-walled stacks, together with possible improvements to the Siemens standard stack.

The challenges for the stacks arose from their geometry: tall, slender structures made of thin steel plate require very detailed investigation of buckling panels and stiffeners and of wind effects, in particular wind-induced vibration. Here too, the most advanced 3D design software was used to complete the project on time and within budget.