150-mgd dual-purpose plant for the metropolitan water district of Southern California

150-MGD Dual-purpose plant for the metropolitan water district of Southern California

This report is the third in a series of reports sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy Geothermal Technologies Program in which a range of water-related issues surrounding geothermal power production are evaluated. The first report made an initial attempt at quantifying the life cycle fresh water requirements of geothermal power-generating systems and explored operational and environmental concerns related to the geochemical composition of geothermal fluids. The initial analysis of life cycle fresh water consumption of geothermal power-generating systems identified that operational water requirements consumed the vast majority of water across the life cycle. However, it relied upon limited operational water consumption data and did not account for belowground operational losses for enhanced geothermal systems (EGSs). A second report presented an initial assessment of fresh water demand for future growth in utility-scale geothermal power generation. The current analysis builds upon this work to improve life cycle fresh water consumption estimates and incorporates regional water availability into the resource assessment to improve the identification of areas where future growth in geothermal electricity generation may encounter water challenges.

Generating steam with an oil field water containing high concentration of total dissolved solids (TDS as sum of total ions) and high silica was tested at 1200 psi in the Wilmington Field in Wilmington, California. This work was during 1990 and 1991. Waters with total hardness of 1000-2300 ppm as CaCO3 with 200–300 ppm silica and TDS of 10,000 and 28,000 were treated with conventional strong acid and weak acid softeners. The steam was generated in a small 1 MM Btu/hr steam generator at 75% and 70% steam quality respectively. Besides obtaining operating costs to compare with previous laboratory and field data, this pilot was to confirm on a larger scale, laboratory data that high TDS, high silica waters could be used in steam generation without silicate problems if the hardness and the iron level were controlled to low levels. Our previous experience had indicated that a low iron level was not controlled in most steam generation using recycle produced waters which resulted in silicate problems, sodium iron silicate or acmite. Other softener pretreat systems such as hot lime, caustic, and steam stripping were considered or tested and would need to be considered for a large installation with water of this high hardness. A patent on using steam stripping as a pretreatment has just been issued as the result of associated pilot testing. In water softening, TDS is usually the sum of the cations or anions as CaCO3 but in this paper TDS is the sum of all the ions except sulfides unless otherwise noted. Introduction During the time of water shortage in Southern California, Union Pacific Resources, Inc. had an 80 MW cogeneration unit which used fresh water from L.A. Metropolitan Water District. The steam from this cogeneration was injected into a 2600 foot steam drive at 1200 psi. The formation had previously been waterflood and the reservoir water was about 28,000 TDS. The return steamflood produced water dropped to about 10,000 TDS in about three months and remained relative constant throughout the steam flood. Several options were considered, including tertiary treated sewage water, fresh water from sea water, use of underlying fresh water sands which were downdip of the injection barrier of L.A. Metropolitan Water District, purchasing unused water from other water districts, and recycle of the produced water. All were pursued simultaneous as the economics clearly favored tiny of the fresh water choices. It was estimated that if 10,000 TDS water were injected, the return water TDS would increase, but still be an acceptable alternate. Recycle of produced water has been done by operators in the Bakersfield, Taft and Coalinga area as well as Canada for years. The main Bakersfield area recycle water is fairly fresh water, 2000 TDS, although it can contain high silica. Hagist etc. and Hagist provide good general summary papers on treatment of water for oil field use. In 1967 Hagist reported the injection of 300 ppm silica into a steam generator water and indicated no deposition. There has been numerous cases of silicate deposits in the various recycled waters but most of these can be traced to hardness upsets or high iron levels in the feedwater. Some recycle has also been overseas in steam floods. For example, we participated in the 1986 field tests in Oman, (Rice), where steam was injected at 2200 psi from waters between 5000–14,000 TDS and 1500 ppm hardness as CaCO3. Silica content was low in these waters but soluble iron was high and resulted in some sodium iron silicate evaporator section problems prior to installing iron removal equipment. This water was conditioned by the use of strong and weak acids softeners. Preliminary Resin Tests The resin capacities of both strong acid and weak acid for the various TDS waters are known with in various ranges based on our own previous experience plus the large amount of work published concerning recycle of steamflood and caustic flooding. P. 143^

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.

A mathematical model for a dual-purpose power and desalination plant

In many parts of the world, shipping-related emissions have already exceeded or are expected to soon exceed those from land-based sources. Shipping emissions can be reduced substantially by using some of the same technologies being applied to land-based sources, including cleaner engines and fuels, exhaust control methods, and operational modifications. Various ports are testing the feasibility of these mechanisms with varying degrees of success. What is perhaps most greatly needed is expedited creation of better regulations at all levels, from the International Maritime Organization to port city authorities.

It is surprising to learn what people pay for water in Southern California. Of course, it depends on what you need the water for, when you need it, and where it comes from. Rates for the least expensive water, for agricultural use, are $15 (€12) or more per acre-foot (1,230 m). The highest-cost wholesale water is desalinated seawater at a cost of $800 to $900 per acre-foot (AF). The base treated and untreated water rates for the largest wholesale water purveyor in California, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, are $371 and $478 per AF (€232 and €300 per 1000 m). Actual rates paid by water districts for Metropolitan water vary depending on the type of service and the costs to deliver the water to the service location. Residential water rates in California, which include delivery and service charges, averaged $905 per AF in 2005 (€567/1000 m). The average residential user in 2005 required 0.4 AF (490 m) of water for the year. Residential water rates have increased over the last 15 years, from approximately $20 (€15) per month in 1991 to approximately $35 (€27) per month in 2005, representing an average annual increase of 3.8%. As the need for reliable water supplies increases so does the cost. Informal and formal water markets are increasing. Markets for permanent water rights and annual water rights have been incorporated into recent legal judgments for groundwater basins in Southern California. Water markets are helping to reduce over pumping of groundwater basins. They promote better planning for droughts, water conservation, and increased water system reliability.

The public health benefits of air pollution control

This paper is a review of the Balsa Island Project, which was a feasibility and economic study for a large seawater desalination and power facility to be located off the California coast near Bo1sa Chica State Beach in Orange County. The study was sponsored by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the United States Department of Interior and the Atomic Energy Commission. The study was divided into four phases and included considerable siting analysis, field work, model testing, and conceptual design. The facility was designed to produce 150 million gallons per day of desalted water with a gross electrical output of approximately 1800 MWe from a nuclear power source. A portion of the power plant turbine exhaust was to be used to supply steam to the desalting plant brine heaters. The island was designed as a free-standing structure situated in approximately 5 fathoms of water, with a usable surface area of approximately 36 acres, and was to be comprised of a quarry rock perimeter wave defense, an. interior dredged sand fill, and an open pile-bent causeway 2700 feet long connecting the island to the mainland. Pre cast concrete units were also considered for use in the wave defense. The wave protection system had an attack face slope of 1 on 3 and extended to an elevation 40 feet above mean lower low water. Usable island surface area was to be at a finished grade of 20 feet. Criteria established for the conceptual design were the result of numerous studies conducted during the site investigation and are unique for offshore structures in that they include provisions for stability under magnified seismic activity not generally associated with conventional use of offshore structures. Under earthquake loading, the perimeter was designed to AEC Class 1 criteria, which required stability with no-loss-of-function. Compaction of the dredged sand fill by means of techniques using explosives was considered. Alternate fill material was investigated, using blast furnace and steel-making slag as a substitute for sand and quarry run in critical areas of the perimeter and interior. Extensive offshore in-depth geophysical surveys of the ocean floor were conducted during the conceptual development as well as a model study for optimization of the wave defense and wave diffraction." Economic factors are discussed in comparison with shore-sited plants. INTRODUCTION This important project progressed through the stages of feasibility studies, detailed investigation of sites, substantial engineering and planning efforts, and contractual agreements among participants. Studies were terminated short of final design. Development of primary water supplies for the Southern California basin, which includes Los Angeles and surrounding regions is the responsibility of the Metropolitan Water District (MWD). MWD is a public corporation that was organized to deliver water to member agencies, including 13 cities, 12 municipal water districts, and one county water authority, all within six counties.

This report describes the results of the first phase of an investigation of the impacts of electric vehicles (EVs) in southern California. The investigation focuses on the Southern California Edison Company (SCE) which provides electric service for approximately 60% of southern California. The project is supported by the ``Air Quality Impacts of Energy Efficiency`` Program of the California Institute for Energy Efficiency (CIEE). The first phase of the research is organized around how EVs might be viewed by customers, vehicle manufacturers and electric utility companies. The vehicle manufacturers` view has been studied with special emphasis on the role of marketable permit systems. The utilities` view of EVs is the subject of this report. The review is particularly important as several case studies of EVs in southern California have been conducted in recent years. The dynamics of a growing population of EVs is explained. Chapter 5 explains a simple method of deriving the electricity demands which could result from the operation of EVs in southern California. The method is demonstrated for several simple examples and then used to find the demands associated with each of the eight EV scenarios. Chapter 6 reports the impacts on SCE operations from the new demandsmore » for electricity. Impacts are summarized in terms of system operating costs, reliability of service, and changes in the utility`s average electric rate. Chapter 7 turns to the emissions of air pollutants released by the operation of EVs, conventional vehicles (CVs) and power plants. Chapter 8 takes the air pollution analysis one step further by examining the possible reduction in ambient ozone concentration in southern California.« less

This report describes the results of the first phase of an investigation of the impacts of electric vehicles (EVs) in southern California. The investigation focuses on the Southern California Edison Company (SCE) which provides electric service for approximately 60% of southern California. The project is supported by the Air Quality Impacts of Energy Efficiency'' Program of the California Institute for Energy Efficiency (CIEE). The first phase of the research is organized around how EVs might be viewed by customers, vehicle manufacturers and electric utility companies. The vehicle manufacturers' view has been studied with special emphasis on the role of marketable permit systems. The utilities' view of EVs is the subject of this report. The review is particularly important as several case studies of EVs in southern California have been conducted in recent years. The dynamics of a growing population of EVs is explained. Chapter 5 explains a simple method of deriving the electricity demands which could result from the operation of EVs in southern California. The method is demonstrated for several simple examples and then used to find the demands associated with each of the eight EV scenarios. Chapter 6 reports the impacts on SCE operations from the new demandsmore » for electricity. Impacts are summarized in terms of system operating costs, reliability of service, and changes in the utility's average electric rate. Chapter 7 turns to the emissions of air pollutants released by the operation of EVs, conventional vehicles (CVs) and power plants. Chapter 8 takes the air pollution analysis one step further by examining the possible reduction in ambient ozone concentration in southern California.« less

Degenerate optimization problems of economy and power engineering

In view of the severe power crisis in Bangladesh, the government decided to use the quick rental power plants (QRPPs) as its important strategic technique to reduce power shortage in the shortest possible time. Under this strategy, several QRPPs were commissioned with a total capacity of more than 1000 MW. All the quick rental power plants are based on reciprocating engines. About 35.52 % of total generation capacity around 17,043 MW comes from reciprocating engine power plant. The goal of this paper is to perform a life cycle analysis of a 10.2 MW natural gas fired reciprocating engine (RE) power plant, which is being operated to supply electric power to a cement factory, Seven Circle Cement Company at Ghorasal, Narsingdi. The study reveals that the direct combustion of natural gas during the operational phase consumes maximum energy at 91.36% and the contribution of hidden processes is about 9%. Out of this 9%, the production of materials, manufacturing of equipmentand transportation is 0.50%, plant operation and maintenance 0.22%, and fuel cycle 7.91% of the total life cycle energy inputs. However, the energy consumption in decommissioning phases is negligible. This study also reveals that the major GHG emission is accounted for direct combustion of the fuel during operation of the power plant. The total GHG emissions from the 10.2 MW Reciprocating Engine (RE) power plant was estimated to be 672.22 g-CO2eq/kWh with the lifecycle efficiency of 34.21% and plant fuel efficiency of 37.45%.

Metropolitan Water District (Metropolitan) is a public agency charged with providing its service area with adequate and sufficient supplies of high quality water. Metropolitan was incorporated in 1928 by an Act of the California Legislature to serve its 13 original founding Member Agencies. Today, Metropolitan provides water to 26 cities and water agencies serving more than 19 million people in six counties in Southern California. On average Metropolitan delivers 1.7 billion gallons of water per day. California, the third-largest state in the U.S. by land area, has a diverse geography including foggy coastal areas, alpine mountain ranges, hot and arid deserts, and a fertile central valley. California is also the most populous state, exceeding 37 million people in 2010. California’s large population drives the interlinked demands for water and energy in the state. The water-energy nexus in California is highlighted by the fact that two-thirds of the population resides in Southern California while two-thirds of the state’s precipitation occurs in Northern California. Separating Southern California from the rest of the state is a series of east-west trending mountain ranges. Water conveyance projects have been constructed to address this north-south water imbalance and to also import supplies from the Colorado River, hundreds of miles east of Southern California population centers. The movement of water on this scale requires significant energy resources. The California Energy Commission (CEC) estimates that water-related energy use consumes 19% of the state’s electricity and 30% of its natural gas usage every year, and demand is growing. Energy management is a critical concern to Metropolitan and other California water agencies. These issues drive water and energy leaders to jointly manage energy and water use to ensure long-term mutual benefits.

Lobster (infraorder Astacidea) is perhaps the most intensively studied shellfish around the world due to its economic importance (Phillips 2006). Fishery management tools almost universally include catch reporting, but fishery-dependent data such as this often fails to adequately inform managers about the true state of the population (Erisman et al. 2011). Increasingly, fishery-independent surveys are being relied upon to provide the robust information fishery managers require, such as the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigation (CalCOFI). The CalCOFI program attempts to understand and predict variations in the Pacific Sardine (Sardinops sagax) fishery, among others, in California through quarterly sampling of fish larvae and other biological and hydrographic data. This focus on larval stages stems from Hjort’s seminal work in 1914, which hypothesized the recruitment and transition of larval forms into postlarval and juvenile life stages is a critical period in population dynamics (Houde 2008). In modern times, fishery management agencies expend significant effort towards cataloging and understanding recruitment levels and patterns which provide the foundation for most fishery management tools (e.g. stock assessments). Recruitment monitoring is at the core of many of global lobster fishery management programs (Cruz et al. 1995; Acosta et al. 1997; Cruz and Adriano 2001; Phillips et al. 2005; Phillips and Melville-Smith 2005; Phillips et al. 2006; Arteaga-Rios et al. 2007; Phillips et al. 2010). Recruitment monitoring of numerous lobster taxa globally have been well correlated with future catch-rate predictions, typically with a 4 to 5 year time lag (e.g. Gardner et al. 2002; Caputi and Brown 2011; Linnane et al. 2014). Long-term recruitment monitoring programs, such as that in Australia (Linnane et al. 2010), are vital in assessing future stock levels and setting the total allowable commercial catches. Like many lobster species, the California Spiny Lobster (Panulirus interruptus) is an economically important fishery species, supporting one of California’s most valuable fisheries with annual ex-vessel values exceeding $9 million (Porzio et al. 2012). However, unlike many of the world’s lobster fisheries, no California Spiny Lobster recruitment monitoring program exists. Recent attempts to address this data gap have been made using plankton collection (Koslow et al. 2012) and power plant entrapment records (Miller 2014). Plankton collections were unable to reliably predict recent landings while entrapment records were more successful, but both articles noted the likely effect of unknown recreational harvest levels impacting the analyses and final conclusions. While informative, neither existing program fulfills the need for targeted information on California Spiny Lobster recruitment in southern California. Furthermore, as southern California power plants shift away from once-throughcooling, lobster entrapment data may soon be unavailable, in which case no regular abundance estimates of California Spiny Lobster postlarvae will be available. Noting the clear need for lobster recruitment monitoring in California, a pilot program was initiated in Orange County, California with the hopes of establishing a model that Bull. Southern California Acad. Sci. 113(3), 2014, pp. 180–186 E Southern California Academy of Sciences, 2014