Finite Element Analysis of Effect of Pipe Cooling in Concrete Dams

Abstract
Pipe cooling is now widely adopted to control the temperature of concrete dams. There is no suitable method to compute the effect of simultaneous cooling of the embedded pipe and the lift surface of concrete. In this paper, the finite element method is used for calculation. This is a complicated three‐dimensional problem. The key to the question is the determining of the temperature of the cooling water. Three methods are given in this paper for analyzing the interaction between the cooling water and the concrete. The formulas required in computation are derived and a computer program for common use has been compiled. Some problems encountered in engineering practice are investigated. A practical computing method and relevant charts are presented for the convenience of engineers.