Experimental Measurements of Wind-Resistant Support in a Circular Stack Design

Higher capacities of power plants together with increased awareness on environmental considerations have led to taller height of stacks. It is seen that strong wind can result in falling of stacks. So aerodynamic considerations of stacks is very important in order to save the falling of stacks. One stack is not enough in industries and power sectors and two or three stacks are required for proper operation of the unit. It is very important to arrange the stacks in proper way to resist their downfall. The present experimental study concentrates on the mutual effect of three nearby stacks on each other at three different arrangements, viz. linear, side-by-side and triangular. The experiments find out the directions of resultant forces acting on the stacks in different configurations so that proper arrangement of supports can be made with respect to the wind directionality obtained from local meteorological data. The other conclusions that could be drawn from these experiments are: (a) the second stack in along wind linear arrangement experiences the most drag and hence is much more susceptible to falling down with high gusts, whereas the last stack experiences the least drag and hence less prone to the downfall. (b) In side-by-side arrangement, although the middle one experiences maximum drag, the lift forces on the right and left stacks are far greater and hence the resultant force on them are much more in comparison to the middle one. (c) In the triangular arrangement also, the lift force being so pronounced on the right and left corner stacks, the resultant force on them will be much higher in comparison to that on the front stack sitting at the apex of the triangle. Thus, this study is important in studying the effect of wind force on three stacks in different arrangements and is very helpful in placing the supports in proper places in order to avoid failing of stack-like structures due to wind.