Towards a Technoeconomic Framework for Estimating Cost-Performance Tradeoffs for Power Plants Incorporating Transformative Dry-Cooling Technologies

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Short ◽  
Addison K. Stark ◽  
Daniel Matuszak ◽  
James F. Klausner
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Power Plant ◽  
Fresh Water ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
Cooling Systems ◽  
Natural Gas Combined Cycle ◽  
Evaporative Cooling System ◽  
Dry Cooling

Fresh water withdrawal for thermoelectric power generation in the U.S. is approximately 139 billion gallons per day (BGD), or 41% of total fresh water draw, making it the largest single use of fresh water in the U.S. Of the fresh water withdrawn for the power generation sector, 4.3 BGD is dissipated to the atmosphere by cooling towers and spray ponds. Dry-cooled power plants are attractive and sometimes necessary because they avoid significant withdrawal and consumption of freshwater resources that could otherwise be used for other purposes. This could become even more important when considering the potential effects of climate change (1). Additional benefits of dry-cooling include power plant site flexibility, reduced risk of water scarcity, and faster permitting (reducing project development time and cost). However, dry-cooling systems are known to be more costly and larger than their wet-cooling counterparts. Additionally, without the benefit of additional latent heat transfer through evaporation, the Rankine cycle condensing (cold) temperature for dry-cooling is typically higher than that for wet-cooling, affecting the efficiency of power production and the resultant levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). The Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) has developed a technoeconomic analysis (TEA) model for the development of indirect dry-cooling systems employing steam condensation within a natural gas combined cycle power plant. The TEA model has been used to inform the Advanced Research in Dry-Cooling (ARID) Program on the performance metrics needed to achieve an economical dry-cooling technology. In order to assess the relationship between air-cooled heat exchanger (ACHX) performance, including air side heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop, and power plant economics, ARPA-E has employed a modified version of the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) model of a 550 MW natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) plant employing an evaporative cooling system. The evaporative cooling system, including associated balance of system costs, was replaced with a thermodynamic model for an ACHX with the desired improved heat transfer performance and supplemental cooling and storage systems. Monte Carlo simulation determined an optimal ACHX geometry and associated ACHX cost. Allowing for an increase in LCOE of 5%, the maximum allowable additional cost of the supplemental cooling system was determined as a function of the degree of cooling of the working fluid required. This paper describes the methodologies employed in the TEA, details the results, and includes related models as supplemental material, while providing insight on how the open source tool might be used for thermal management innovation.

Economic Design of Hybrid Wet-Dry Cooling Systems

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. Card
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Net Generation ◽  
Steam Turbines ◽  
Cooling Systems ◽  
Hybrid Cooling ◽  
Seasonal Basis ◽  
Dry Cooling

A hybrid wet-dry cooling system can be designed for a large combined-cycle power plant. A well-designed hybrid cooling system will provide reasonable net generation year-round, while using substantially less water than a conventional wet cooling tower. The optimum design for the hybrid system depends upon climate at the site, the price of power, and the price of water. These factors vary on a seasonal basis. Two hypothetical power plants are modeled, using state-of-the-art steam turbines and hybrid cooling systems. The plants are designed for water-constrained sites incorporating typical weather data, power prices, and water prices. The principles for economic designs of hybrid cooling systems are demonstrated.

scholarly journals Economic Analysis of a Zero-Water Solar Power Plant for Energy Security

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (20) ◽  
pp. 9639
Author(s):  
Eduardo de la Rocha Camba ◽  
Fontina Petrakopoulou
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Energy Security ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Net Present Value ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Solar Power Plant ◽  
Levelized Cost Of Electricity ◽  
Cooling Systems ◽  
Dry Cooling

Water dependency of power plants undermines energy security by making power generation susceptible to water scarcity. This study evaluates the economic performance of a novel dry-cooling system for a water-independent solar power plant. The proposed cooling system is based on the concept of earth–air heat exchangers, approaching zero environmental impact. The viability of the proposed design is discussed based on both costs and benefits, and it is compared to both conventional dry- and wet-cooling systems. The installation costs of the plant are found to be EUR 13,728/kW, resulting in the substantial levelized cost of electricity of EUR 505.97/MWh. The net present value of the studied design assuming a water-cost saving of EUR 1/m3 is found to be MEUR –139.59. Significantly higher water prices in the future might eventually make the proposed system economically attractive when compared to water-cooling systems. However, the new system would require drastic modifications to become more attractive when compared to existing dry-cooling systems. Specific possibilities to improve it for zero-water use in thermoelectric power plants are further discussed.

scholarly journals Investigation of Thermo-Flow Characteristics of Natural Draft Dry Cooling Systems Designed with Only One Tower in 2 × 660 MW Power Plants

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1308
Author(s):  
Mohan Liu ◽  
Lei Chen ◽  
Kaijun Jiang ◽  
Xiaohui Zhou ◽  
Zongyang Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Cooling Systems ◽  
Natural Draft ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Flow And Heat Transfer ◽  
Power Load ◽  
Dry Cooling

In recent years, natural draft dry cooling systems with only one tower have been adopted in some 2 × 660 MW power-generating units owing to the advantage of lower construction costs. The operating cases of two power-generating units and one power-generating unit will both appear based on the power load requirement, which may lead to very different flow and heat transfer performances of this typical cooling system. Therefore, this research explores the local thermo-flow characteristics of air-cooled heat exchangers and sectors, and then analyzes the overall cooling performance of the above two operating cases under various wind conditions. Using the numerical modeling method, the results indicate that the flow and heat transfer performance of this cooling system decreases significantly in the case of one unit with half sectors dismissed. At wind speeds lower than 8 m/s, the difference in turbine back pressure between two units and one unit appears obviously higher than in other wind conditions, even reaching 4.37 kPa. Furthermore, the air-cooled heat exchanger in the lower layer always has better cooling capability than that in the upper layer, especially in conditions where there is an absence of wind and under low wind speeds. The operating case of one unit is not recommended for this dry cooling system because of the highly decreased energy efficiency. In conclusion, this research could provide theoretical support for the engineering operation of this typical natural draft dry cooling system in 2 × 660 MW power plants.

scholarly journals Studying the Reduction of Water Use in Integrated Solar Combined-Cycle Plants

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 2085 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fontina Petrakopoulou ◽  
Marina Olmeda-Delgado
Keyword(s):  
Water Consumption ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Cooling Systems ◽  
Cooling Fluid ◽  
Hybrid Cooling ◽  
Dry Cooling

With vast amounts of water consumed for electricity generation and water scarcity predicted to rise in the near future, the necessity to evaluate water consumption in power plants arises. Cooling systems are the main source of water consumption in thermoelectric power plants, since water is a cooling fluid with relatively low cost and high efficiency. This study evaluates the performance of two types of power plants: a natural gas combined-cycle and an integrated solar combined-cycle. Special focus is made on the cooling system used in the plants and its characteristics, such as water consumption, related costs, and fuel requirements. Wet, dry, and hybrid cooling systems are studied for each of the power plants. While water is used as the cooling fluid to condense the steam in wet cooling, dry cooling uses air circulated by a fan. Hybrid cooling presents an alternative that combines both methods. We find that hybrid cooling has the highest investment costs as it bears the sum of the costs of both wet and dry cooling systems. However, this system produces considerable fuel savings when compared to dry cooling, and a 50% reduction in water consumption when compared to wet cooling. As expected, the wet cooling system has the highest exergetic efficiency, of 1 and 5 percentage points above that of dry cooling in the conventional combined-cycle and integrated solar combined-cycle, respectively, thus representing the lowest investment cost and highest water consumption among the three alternatives. Hybrid and dry cooling systems may be considered viable alternatives under increasing water costs, requiring better enforcement of the measures for sustainable water consumption in the energy sector.

Power Plant Output Augmentation by Evaporative Cooling Based on HRSG Blowdown Water Recycling in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Novel Approach

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Carmona
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Power Plant ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Evaporative Cooling ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽  
Evaporative Cooling System

Water is a scarce natural resource fundamental for human life. Power plant architects, engineers, and power utilities owners must do everything within their hands and technical capabilities to decrease the usage of water in power plants. This paper illustrates the research carried out by Pöyry Switzerland to reduce the water consumption on power and desalination combined cycle power plants, on which there are gas turbine evaporative cooling systems in operation. The present study analyzed the potential re-utilization and integration of the heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) blowdown into the evaporative cooling system. Relatively clean demineralized water, coming from the HRSG blowdown, is routed to a large water tank, where it is blended with distillate water to achieve the required water quality, before being used on the gas turbine evaporative cooling system. To prove the feasibility of the HRSG blowdown recycling concept, the Ras Al Khair Power and Desalination Plant owned and operated by the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC), located in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, was used as case study. Nevertheless, it is important to mention that the principles and methodology presented on this paper are applicable to every power and desalination combined cycle power plant making use of evaporative cooling. Sea water desalination is the primary source for potable water production on Saudi Arabia, with secondary sources being surface water and groundwater extracted from deep wells and aquifers. Saving water is of utmost importance for power plants located in locations where water is scarce, and as such, this paper aims to demonstrate that it is possible to decrease the water consumption of power and desalination combined cycle plants, on which evaporative cooling is used as gas turbine power booster, without having to curtail power production. The outcome of the study indicates that during the summer season, recycling the HRSG water blowdown into the gas turbine evaporative cooling systems would result on the internal water consumption for the gas turbine evaporative coolers decreasing by 545 ton/day, or 23.79%, compared with the original plant design which does not contemplate blowdown re-use. Using evaporative cooling results on an overall gain of 186 MW, or 10.27%, on gross power output, while CO2 emissions decrease by 46.8 ton CO2/h, which represents a 13.8% reduction compared with the case on which the evaporative cooling system is not in operation. A brief cost analysis demonstrated that implementation of the changes would result in a negligible increase of the operational expenses (OPEX) of the plant, i.e., implementation of the suggested modification has an unnoticeable impact on the cost of electricity (CoE). The payback of the project, due to limited operating hours on evaporative cooling every year, is of 12 years for a 30 year plant lifetime, while 2.22 M USD of extra-revenue on potable water sales are generated as a result of implementing the proposed solution. Although in principle this value is modest, the effect of government subsidies on water tariffs as well as political and strategic cost of water is not included on the calculations. In conclusion, the study results indicate that water recycling, and reduction of plant's water footprint for power and desalination combined cycle plants using evaporative cooling, is not only technically possible but commercially feasible.

Inlet Air Cooling Applied to Combined Cycle Power Plants: Influence of Site Climate and Thermal Storage Systems

2008 ◽  
Vol 130 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Palestra ◽  
Giovanna Barigozzi ◽  
Antonio Perdichizzi
Keyword(s):  
Power Output ◽  
Parametric Analysis ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Thermal Storage ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Air Cooling ◽  
Ambient Conditions ◽  
Cooling Systems

The paper presents the results of an investigation on inlet air cooling systems based on cool thermal storage, applied to combined cycle power plants. Such systems provide a significant increase of electric energy production in the peak hours; the charge of the cool thermal storage is performed instead during the night time. The inlet air cooling system also allows the plant to reduce power output dependence on ambient conditions. A 127MW combined cycle power plant operating in the Italian scenario is the object of this investigation. Two different technologies for cool thermal storage have been considered: ice harvester and stratified chilled water. To evaluate the performance of the combined cycle under different operating conditions, inlet cooling systems have been simulated with an in-house developed computational code. An economical analysis has been then performed. Different plant location sites have been considered, with the purpose to weigh up the influence of climatic conditions. Finally, a parametric analysis has been carried out in order to investigate how a variation of the thermal storage size affects the combined cycle performances and the investment profitability. It was found that both cool thermal storage technologies considered perform similarly in terms of gross extra production of energy. Despite this, the ice harvester shows higher parasitic load due to chillers consumptions. Warmer climates of the plant site resulted in a greater increase in the amount of operational hours than power output augmentation; investment profitability is different as well. Results of parametric analysis showed how important the size of inlet cooling storage may be for economical results.

Challenges in Designing and Building a 700 MW All-Air-Cooled Steam Electric Power Plant

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
John T. Langaker ◽  
Christopher Hamker ◽  
Ralph Wyndrum
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Electric Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
Air Cooling ◽  
Plant Design ◽  
Auxiliary Equipment ◽  
Turbine Generator ◽  
Plant Equipment ◽  
Dry Cooling

Large natural gas fired combined cycle electric power plants, while being an increasingly efficient and cost effective technology, are traditionally large consumers of water resources, while also discharging cooling tower blowdown at a similar rate. Water use is mostly attributed to the heat rejection needs of the gas turbine generator, the steam turbine generator, and the steam cycle condenser. Cooling with air, i.e. dry cooling, instead of water can virtually eliminate the environmental impact associated with water usage. Commissioned in the fall of 2010 with this in mind, the Halton Hills Generating Station located in the Greater Toronto West Area, Ontario, Canada, is a nominally-rated 700 Megawatt combined cycle electric generating station that is 100 percent cooled using various air-cooled heat exchangers. The resulting water consumption and wastewater discharge of this power plant is significantly less than comparably sized electric generating plants that derive cooling from wet methods (i.e, evaporative cooling towers). To incorporate dry cooling into such a power plant, it is necessary to consider several factors that play important roles both during plant design as well as construction and commissioning of the plant equipment, including the dry cooling systems. From the beginning a power plant general arrangement and space must account for dry cooling’s increase plot area requirements; constraints therein may render air cooling an impossible solution. Second, air cooling dictates specific parameters of major and auxiliary equipment operation that must be understood and coordinated upon purchase of such equipment. Until recently traditional wet cooling has driven standard designs, which now, in light of dry cooling’s increase in use, must be re-evaluated in full prior to purchase. Lastly, the construction and commissioning of air-cooling plant equipment is a significant effort which demands good planning and execution.

Hybrid Cooling for Thermal-Electric Power Generation

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
John S. Maulbetsch
Keyword(s):  
Cooling System ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Water Requirements ◽  
Cooling Systems ◽  
Capital Costs ◽  
Hybrid Cooling ◽  
Dry Cooling

Water use by power plant cooling systems has become a critical siting issue for new plants and the object of increasing pressure for modification or retrofit at existing plants. Wet cooling typically costs less and results in more efficient plant performance. Dry cooling, while costing more and imposing heat rate and capacity penalties on the plant, conserves significant amounts of water and eliminates any concerns regarding thermal discharge to or intake losses on local water bodies. Hybrid cooling systems have the potential of combining the advantages of both systems by reducing, although not eliminating, water requirements while incurring performance penalties that are less than those from all-dry systems. The costs, while greater than those for wet cooling, can be less than those for dry. This paper addresses parallel wet/dry systems combining direct dry cooling using a forced-draft air-cooled condenser (ACC) with closed-cycle wet cooling using a surface (shell-and-tube) steam condenser and a mechanical-draft, counterflow wet cooling tower as applied to coal-fired steam plants, gas-fired combined-cycle plants and nuclear plants. A brief summary of criteria used to identify situations where hybrid systems should be considered is given. A methodology for specifying and selecting a hybrid system is described along with the information and data requirements for sizing and estimating the capital costs and water requirements a specified plant at a specified site. The methodology incorporates critical plant and operating parameters into the analysis, such as plant monthly load profile, plant equipment design parameters for equipment related to the cooling system, e.g. steam turbine, condenser, wet or dry cooling system, wastewater treatment system. Site characteristics include a water budget or constraints, e.g. acre feet of water available for cooling on an annual basis as well as any monthly or seasonal “draw rate” constraints and meteorological data. The effect of economic parameters including cost of capital, power, water and chemicals for wastewater treating are reviewed. Finally some examples of selected systems at sites of varying meteorological characteristics are presented.

Development of Next Generation Gas Turbine Combined Cycle System

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Yamazaki ◽  
Yoshiaki Nishimura ◽  
Masahiro Abe ◽  
Kazumasa Takata ◽  
Satoshi Hada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
Air Cooling ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Air Cooling System ◽  
Forced Air ◽  
Cooling Air

Tohoku Electric Power Company, Inc. (Tohoku-EPCO) has been adopting cutting-edge gas turbines for gas turbine combined cycle (GTCC) power plants to contribute for reduction of energy consumption, and making a continuous effort to study the next generation gas turbines to further improve GTCC power plants efficiency and flexibility. Tohoku-EPCO and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd (MHPS) developed “forced air cooling system” as a brand-new combustor cooling system for the next generation GTCC system in a collaborative project. The forced air cooling system can be applied to gas turbines with a turbine inlet temperature (TIT) of 1600deg.C or more by controlling the cooling air temperature and the amount of cooling air. Recently, the forced air cooling system verification test has been completed successfully at a demonstration power plant located within MHPS Takasago Works (T-point). Since the forced air cooling system has been verified, the 1650deg.C class next generation GTCC power plant with the forced air cooling system is now being developed. Final confirmation test of 1650deg.C class next generation GTCC system will be carried out in 2020.

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