TPS Runcorn

A combination of Hot-dip Galvanising and Film Galvanising

The Service:
The £185 million Runcorn Thermal Power Station was designed using a unique combination of hot-dip galvanised beams and film-galvanised beams (zinganised beams) as the 66 box-section beams could not be placed into a HDG tank because:

  • 1. The box-beams would require large holes to be drilled every linear metre for de-gassing
  • 2. The potential for distortion when being dipped at 450°C was extremely high, and each beam has 22 mounting holes drilled either end. Even distortion of 2mm would cause tremendous problems during erection.
  • 3. If the molten zinc did not drain out of the degassing holes it would have added a great deal of weight.


As the upright HDG beams and the vertical film-galvanised box-beams are both zinc coated with both identical "open-circuit" electrical potentials of 1040mV, there was no danger of any galvanic reactions on any part of the structure.

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