Computer optimization of the MIT advanced wet/dry cooling tower concept for power plants
There is a projected water shortage problem in the electrical power industry by the end of this century. Dry and wet-dry cooling towers are going to be the solution of this problem. Our previous study on the combination of separate dry and wet cooling towers indicated that wet-dry cooling is...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Technical Report |
| Language: | en_US |
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MIT Energy Laboratory
2006
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/35200 |
| _version_ | 1826214108579495936 |
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| author | Choi, Michael Glicksman, Leon R. |
| author_facet | Choi, Michael Glicksman, Leon R. |
| author_sort | Choi, Michael |
| collection | MIT |
| description | There is a projected water shortage problem in the electrical power
industry by the end of this century. Dry and wet-dry cooling towers are
going to be the solution of this problem. Our previous study on the
combination of separate dry and wet cooling towers indicated that wet-dry
cooling is an economical choice over all-dry cooling when some water is
available but the supply is insufficient for an evaporative tower. An
advanced wet-dry cooling tower concept was experimentally studied at
MIT's Heat Transfer Laboratory and a computer model was developed for
predicting the performance of this cooling concept. This study has
determined the cost of the cross-flow type of this cooling concept in
conjunction with steam electrical power plants. Aluminum is found to be
economically preferable to galvanized steel as the cooling plate material.
In our base case study using aluminum plates for a 1094 MWe nuclear plant
at Middletown, the MIT advanced cooling concept is comparable to conventional
wet-dry towers at water makeups larger than 45% and is slightly more
economical at makeup larger than 50%. The incremental costs over the power
production cost, 32.3 mills/Kwhr, of zero condenser system are 14, 13 and
12 percent for makeups of 45, 60 and 55 percent, respectively. For an 800
MWe fossil plant at Moline, this cooling concept is more economical than
conventional wet-dry towers at water makeups larger than 27%. The incremental
costs over 20.8 mills/Kwhr of zero condenser system are 12.2 and 10.6
percent for makeups of 37 and 50 percent, respectively. For these two
makeups, going from conventional wet-dry to MIT advanced concept results in
13 and 21 percent, respectively, savings in the incremental cost. When
the water makeup exceeds 30%, the MIT advanced wet-dry concept is pre-
ferable to conventional wet-dry towers for a 1200 MWe nuclear plant at
Moline, Ill. The incremental costs over zero condenser system of 21.1 mills/
Kwhr are 12.8 and 11.5 percent for makeups of 40 and 50 percent, respectively.
Using the MIT advanced concept instead of conventional wet-dry towers
results in 28 and 33 percent reduction of incremental power production
cost for these two makeups, respectively. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T15:59:56Z |
| format | Technical Report |
| id | mit-1721.1/35200 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T15:59:56Z |
| publishDate | 2006 |
| publisher | MIT Energy Laboratory |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/352002019-04-12T08:34:55Z Computer optimization of the MIT advanced wet/dry cooling tower concept for power plants Choi, Michael Glicksman, Leon R. Electric power-plants |x Cooling. Cooling towers |x Costs. There is a projected water shortage problem in the electrical power industry by the end of this century. Dry and wet-dry cooling towers are going to be the solution of this problem. Our previous study on the combination of separate dry and wet cooling towers indicated that wet-dry cooling is an economical choice over all-dry cooling when some water is available but the supply is insufficient for an evaporative tower. An advanced wet-dry cooling tower concept was experimentally studied at MIT's Heat Transfer Laboratory and a computer model was developed for predicting the performance of this cooling concept. This study has determined the cost of the cross-flow type of this cooling concept in conjunction with steam electrical power plants. Aluminum is found to be economically preferable to galvanized steel as the cooling plate material. In our base case study using aluminum plates for a 1094 MWe nuclear plant at Middletown, the MIT advanced cooling concept is comparable to conventional wet-dry towers at water makeups larger than 45% and is slightly more economical at makeup larger than 50%. The incremental costs over the power production cost, 32.3 mills/Kwhr, of zero condenser system are 14, 13 and 12 percent for makeups of 45, 60 and 55 percent, respectively. For an 800 MWe fossil plant at Moline, this cooling concept is more economical than conventional wet-dry towers at water makeups larger than 27%. The incremental costs over 20.8 mills/Kwhr of zero condenser system are 12.2 and 10.6 percent for makeups of 37 and 50 percent, respectively. For these two makeups, going from conventional wet-dry to MIT advanced concept results in 13 and 21 percent, respectively, savings in the incremental cost. When the water makeup exceeds 30%, the MIT advanced wet-dry concept is pre- ferable to conventional wet-dry towers for a 1200 MWe nuclear plant at Moline, Ill. The incremental costs over zero condenser system of 21.1 mills/ Kwhr are 12.8 and 11.5 percent for makeups of 40 and 50 percent, respectively. Using the MIT advanced concept instead of conventional wet-dry towers results in 28 and 33 percent reduction of incremental power production cost for these two makeups, respectively. "Prepared under the support of the Environmental Control Technology Division Office of the Assistant Secretary for the Environment" 2006-12-19T16:23:47Z 2006-12-19T16:23:47Z 1979-09 Technical Report 16068048 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/35200 en_US MIT-EL 79-035 3677297 bytes application/pdf application/pdf MIT Energy Laboratory |
| spellingShingle | Electric power-plants |x Cooling. Cooling towers |x Costs. Choi, Michael Glicksman, Leon R. Computer optimization of the MIT advanced wet/dry cooling tower concept for power plants |
| title | Computer optimization of the MIT advanced wet/dry cooling tower concept for power plants |
| title_full | Computer optimization of the MIT advanced wet/dry cooling tower concept for power plants |
| title_fullStr | Computer optimization of the MIT advanced wet/dry cooling tower concept for power plants |
| title_full_unstemmed | Computer optimization of the MIT advanced wet/dry cooling tower concept for power plants |
| title_short | Computer optimization of the MIT advanced wet/dry cooling tower concept for power plants |
| title_sort | computer optimization of the mit advanced wet dry cooling tower concept for power plants |
| topic | Electric power-plants |x Cooling. Cooling towers |x Costs. |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/35200 |
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