Air cooled condensers are used in the power generation industry to cool the steam exhaust from a steam turbine and convert it to water for return to the power generation cycle. The spent steam from a power generation steam turbine is typically delivered to a turbine exhaust duct which carries the steam to multiple air cooled condenser sections or “streets,” arranged in parallel. According to typical arrangements, a horizontal turbine exhaust duct approaches the center of the air cooled condenser (ACC) assembly where it meets with a large and intricate T-piece that contains guide vanes to direct the steam. The T-piece, with the help of the guide vanes, splits the exhaust flow, directing half of the steam in one direction along the ACC assembly and directing the other half of the steam in the other direction along the ACC assembly, see, e.g., FIGS. 1-3.
The horizontal turbine exhaust duct and the T-piece are each constructed of arcuate shell plates, FIG. 4. Prior to assembly into the turbine exhaust duct and T-piece, the arcuate shell plates are stacked on steel frames and shipped to the final assembly location in standard sized shipping containers. At the final assembly location, the shell plates are removed from the shipping containers, stood on their edges, and welded to one another to form annular sections. The annular sections are then stacked upon one-another vertically and welded to one-another to form a vertical stack or “can,” FIG. 5. Once fully welded, the stacks are tipped into a horizontal position and moved into their final location. FIGS. 6 and 7 show assembly of shell plates and guide vanes into the T-piece.