Thursday, October 2, 2025 at Chana Power Plant, Chana District, Songkhla Province, the National Metal and Materials Technology Center (MTEC), a division of the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), under the leadership of Dr. Yotsakorn Pratumwal and Dr. Somboon Otarawanna of the Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) Research Team within the Engineering Design and Computation Research Group, engaged in discussions with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) concerning the scaling-up of the air-cooled condenser (ACC) system employed for steam turbine forced cooling at the Chana Power Plant.
The steam turbine forced-cooling system is specially designed for maintenance work. It facilitates the rapid cooling of steam turbines—which typically run at very high temperatures of around 550°C—to approximately 150°C, a level safe for service. Without this system, the turbine relies solely on natural cooling, which is significantly slower, leading to prolonged downtime and lost power generation opportunities.
The research and development of the steam turbine forced-cooling system represents a joint effort between EGAT and MTEC. The prototype developed through this collaboration has already been proven to effectively reduce turbine cooldown time. Since early 2022, the prototype has been in continuous use at the Mae Moh Power Plant in Lampang Province, generating tens of millions of baht in economic benefits annually by improving power generation efficiency.
This discussion marks another important step forward in advancing Thailand’s energy innovation sector. It highlights the strong potential for collaboration between research institutions and the power generation sector, with a shared dedication to improving technological efficiency for economic benefits and strengthening the country’s energy security.