Calciner Steel Tower

Calciner Steel Tower – Steel Support Structure Project

Project characteristics

The project included the creation of a detailed 3D model of the steel support tower, along with complete workshop and assembly documentation. The 59-meter-high, 750-ton steel structure was designed to support air ducts and two hot gas ducts. The tower was founded on newly constructed concrete walls with a column spacing of 22 × 8.5 m.

The structure features five intermediate platforms and one top platform, providing support for the ducts and access for maintenance works. Below the first platform, crane girders were designed to handle two 50-ton service hoists. Due to the location in a seismic zone in Romania, the tower was designed in a medium ductility class, applying dissipative behavior in accordance with Eurocode standards and the Romanian seismic code P100-1/2013.

Scope of our work

3D modeling of the structure in Tekla Structures with geometry verification,
connection design in IDEA StatiCa,
support in dynamic analysis and synchronization with the existing tower,
complete workshop and assembly documentation,
welding sequence design,
preparation of numerical files for the SBA Compact+ robot,
synchronization of the 3D model in Trimble Connect for interdisciplinary coordination.

Project execution

The structural modeling was carried out in Tekla Structures, with simultaneous geometric and dynamic analysis. Cross-shaped and box-section columns with large profiles (e.g. HEB800) were designed to withstand compression forces of up to 15,000 kN. A key stage of the project was the seismic analysis and the elimination of collision risks with the neighboring tower by introducing tie elements connecting both structures.

The project also included a step-by-step welding sequence for box-section plate girders with internal diaphragms, as well as a weld quality control plan. Due to the wide variety of connections, both standard bolts (M16–M30) and special high-grade bolts (M36–M56 10.9) were used, which required hydraulic tensioning.

Assembly was planned in two stages: the first covering 90% of the tower, carried out in the vicinity of operating industrial facilities, and the second – during a scheduled plant shutdown – involving the connection of both towers with linking beams and multi-level walkways.