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Alternative heat rejection methods for power plants

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  • Leffler, Robert A.
  • Bradshaw, Craig R.
  • Groll, Eckhard A.
  • Garimella, Suresh V.

Abstract

Process waste heat in large power generation plants is commonly rejected to lakes or rivers, or through the use of cooling towers. Although these waste heat rejection methods are effective, they may not be feasible in every application due to cost considerations or geographic location. Moreover, it is desirable to put some of the waste heat to good use, both from the standpoint of improved plant efficiency as well as reduced environmental impact. An analysis of alternative methods of power plant waste heat rejection is presented here as applied to a coal-fired power generation facility in the Midwestern United States. Five approaches for rejecting or recovering the waste heat are considered: cooling canals, open-water algae bioreactors, wintertime greenhouse heating, spray ponds, and modified solar updraft towers. Each of the five technologies can be sized for the needs and operating conditions of a given power plant. The quantitative analysis tools developed in this work are validated by benchmarking against published results. Three of the alternative methods generate secondary benefits: the algae bioreactor, greenhouse heating, and the modified solar updraft tower produce biodiesel, extended periods for horticulture, and electric power, respectively. The land area required to reject 1.16GW of heat (the condenser heat rejection from a 500MW plant operating at 30% thermal efficiency) using each of the alternative technologies is compared. The sensitivity of the sizing of the different technologies to changes in the environmental and geometric parameters is quantified. Finally, the net water use for each technology is estimated and compared against a typical cooling tower solution for the same 500MW plant.

Suggested Citation

  • Leffler, Robert A. & Bradshaw, Craig R. & Groll, Eckhard A. & Garimella, Suresh V., 2012. "Alternative heat rejection methods for power plants," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 17-25.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:92:y:2012:i:c:p:17-25
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2011.10.023
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    6. Vuarnoz, D. & Kitanovski, A. & Gonin, C. & Borgeaud, Y. & Delessert, M. & Meinen, M. & Egolf, P.W., 2012. "Quantitative feasibility study of magnetocaloric energy conversion utilizing industrial waste heat," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 229-237.
    7. Haotian Liu & Justin Weibel & Eckhard Groll, 2017. "Performance Analysis of an Updraft Tower System for Dry Cooling in Large-Scale Power Plants," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-23, November.
    8. Rodríguez, R. & Bello, V.G. & Díaz-Aguado, M.B., 2017. "Application of eco-efficiency in a coal-burning power plant benefitting both the environment and citizens: Design of a ‘city water heating’ system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 189(C), pages 789-799.
    9. Dosa, Ion, 2014. "Power Plant Waste Heat Recovery for Household Heating Using Heat Pumps," MPRA Paper 62961, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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