Power Plant Water Research Articles

Modeling of environmental aspects related to reverse osmosis desalination supply chain

Background: This study aimed to model optimization of strategic environmental management decisions in the operation of reverse osmosis desalination, emphasizing the costs required for the environmental protection during the production of freshwater using reverse osmosis technology. Methods: This analytical research was conducted in five cities of Hormozgan province in Iran for 18 months from February 2018 to September 2019. The research includes eight phases of defining the research problem, data collection, preliminary data analysis and decision criteria, mathematical modeling, model validation, information preparation, analysis and finally discussion, conclusions and suggestions. The main environmental issues were the carbon dioxide (CO2 ) release rate due to power demand and rejected brine water (RBW) were entered the mathematical model. Results: The desalination plants of Abu Musa, Bandar Abbas, Qeshm, Sirik, and Hormoz with water production flow rate of 2100, 89 000, 5300, 3300 and 1500 m3 /d can generate 2360.82, 100053.80, 5958.260, 3709.86 and 1686.30 tons/year of CO2 emissions respectively. This output requires 1.35, 57.47, 3.42, 2.13 and 0.97 million USD for controlling the process, respectively. For reduction of the negative effect of RBW 0.75, 22.79, 1.78, 1.15 and 0.55 million USD respectively, is needed. Conclusion: Recommendations for environmental impacts protection of RBW, for desalination capacity up to 50 000 m3 /d, are; (a) for desalination capacity up to 50 000 m3 /d; dilution the RBW using raw water before entering into the sea, (b) for capacity of 50 000-100 000 m3 /d; dispersing RBW in sea using diffuser, and (c) for capacity more than 100 000 m3 /d; hybrid water desalination plants and power plant. Application of power plant cooling water to dilute RBW may reduce cost.

A novel technical route based on wet flue gas desulfurization process for flue gas dehumidification, water and heat recovery

To recover the water and heat in industrial flue gas before discharging, a novel dehumidification system was proposed by combining the liquid-desiccant-based dehumidification (LDD) method with the existing wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD) process in a single spraying tower. Calcium chloride (CaCl2) solution was used as a liquid desiccant. A flow pattern controlling (FPC) device was designed to further enhance the mass transfer in the dehumidification process. The effects of liquid-to-gas ratio (L/G), desiccant solution temperature (Tde), desiccant concentration (ω), and superficial flue gas velocity (vg) on the dehumidification performance were investigated. The water and heat recovery process of the LDD-WFGD system were analyzed theoretically in detail. Furthermore, the application potential of the proposed LDD-WFGD system for water and heat recovery for coal-fired power plants was discussed by conducting case studies. The recovered water from flue gas could supply 47.2% and 44.8% of the water demand for the WFGD systems in 660 MW and 330 MW power plants, respectively.

Experimental evaluations on the outdoor air-based methods for water saving and plume abatement of cooling tower

Abstract Cooling towers are widely used not only for commercial and industrial purposes but also for cooling power plant. In Korea, coal-fired power plants and nuclear power plants are generally located on the coast, while most combined-power plants are located inland and use cooling towers to condense steam. The operation rate of power plants in Korea highly depends on government energy policies. In the future, it is expected that the need for cooling tower water for inland power plant will increase. Since power plant is one of the massive water-consuming facilities, methods for water saving of cooling tower should be prepared. Also, in the industrial sector, plume is constantly raising social conflicts between residents and manufactures. Basically, similar technologies can be applied to water saving and plume abatement. In this study, the performance of the condensing module (outdoor-air-condensing method) using outside air was tested first. This module has an advantage in that cooling heat source is not necessary. But an excessive increase of fan air volume is required. We tested a membrane-dehumidification method that selectively transfers water vapor by applying a membrane module. The results showed that membrane module required a large amount of energy to generate vapor pressure difference and it had a disadvantage in energy usage. Since the membrane method considered requires a high bypass airflow for higher dehumidification, it also has a disadvantage similar to that of the outdoor air module. Finally, the dehumidification/regeneration module (heat-pump method) gave the best performance in terms of water saving and plume abatement.

Technical analysis of increasing the concentration ratio and sewage reuse of circulating cooling water in power plants

Technical analysis of increasing the concentration ratio and sewage reuse of circulating cooling water in power plants

The Identification of Micro-hydro Power Plants Potential in Irrigation Areas Based on Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) Image Processing

Estimation of the energy demand in Indonesia will increase by 8.15 % annually until 2030. Indonesia is committed to preventing climate change through mix energy (new and renewable energy). One of the sources of this energy is waterpower plants with a potential of 75 091 MW have been utilized 6.4 %, mini-hydro, and micro-hydro with a potential of 19 385 MW have been utilized 1 %. In the Industrial Revolution 4.0, it is doable to identify such potential using drone. This study was conducted in the Kalibawang irrigation area, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The procedure starts with the generation of detailed Aerial Photography using Drone DJI Phantom 4. The images from aerial photography were then processed into high-resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM). DEM data represent the study area topography and can be used to identify the stream gradient potential or height difference (H). Six potential points were identified with height differences between 3 m to 8 m, resulting in the potential generated power ranging from 125 kW to 334 kW. This study demonstrates the identification of micro-hydro energy potential points, height difference, and generated power using Drone. Six points were identified with total potential energy 1 418 kW.

СИСТЕМА УПРАВЛЕНИЯ СОСТОЯНИЕМ ГИДРОТЕХНИЧЕСКИХ СООРУЖЕНИЙ И СОВЕРШЕНСТВОВАНИЕ ТЕХНОЛОГИЙ ЕГО ДИАГНОСТИКИ

The general purpose of real-time monitoring of the technical condition of hydrotechnical structures of reclamation systems is to detect the deterioration (deterioration of the condition) of the degree of physical wear and tear, the reasons that entail the deterioration of condition, a decrease in efficiency of the structure. Materials and methods. The studies carried out were based on general scientific methods: descriptions, comparisons, statistical analysis, systems approach and economic and mathematical modeling. The objects of diagnostics of the technical condition of the hydrotechnical structure of the reclamation water complex include: dams, hydroelectric power plant buildings, spillways, drainage and water outlets, tunnels, canals, locks, piezometric systems, power units, perimeters of the hydraulic system, bridges, foundations. Results. It has been determined that the control of the state indicators on most hydraulic structures is carried out visually and with the help of control and measuring equipment, mainly by destructive methods, manually. The high potential of the process of automation of operations of technical diagnostics of the structures of the reclamation water industry complex has been revealed. The modern complex information systems used in the advanced sectors of the economy of Russia and the world are characterized. Possibility of qualitative improvement and development of the system of automated technical diagnostics of hydraulic structures due to the priority use of modern achievements of information technologies is presented. Conclusions: the developed methodology makes it possible to improve information technologies for diagnostics of hydraulic structures, the reasonable use of such a system establishes the duration of the safe operation of hydraulic structures, reduces operating costs during the period of use and with a negative impact on the environment, and creates new information systems that allow managing hydraulic structures.

An experimental investigation on the evaporation of polystyrene encapsulated phase change composite material based nanofluids

The use of phase change material (PCM) based nano fluids is an attractive option for the thermal management of power plants. The objective of the present study is to investigate the evaporation characteristics of PCM based nanofluid. PCM nanofluid was prepared by dispersing nano encapsulated phase change material (nEPCM) in deionized water. The composite PCM was synthesized by mixing paraffin wax with petroleum jelly in the ratio 10:90. The nEPCM was synthesized by mini-emulsion polymerization process in which PCM is encapsulated with in polystyrene shell. The characterization of synthesized nEPCM was done by Differential scanning calorimetry, Scanning electron microscope and Dynamic light scattering. The thermophysical properties of PCM nanofluid were estimated using standard apparatus. Experiments were performed to estimate evaporation rate of different concentrations of PCM nanofluid with humidity and temperature, both in stagnant and forced circulation conditions. PCM nanofluid showed 70% and 37% lower evaporation rate than water, in stagnant and forced circulation conditions, respectively. The evaporation rate of PCM nanofluid was found to increase with increase in temperature and concentration. The lower evaporation loss of PCM based nanofluids results in reduced consumption of makeup water in thermal power plants.

Influence of Second Viscosity on Pressure Pulsation

A mathematical model of pulsating flow is proposed in the paper. The model includes more accurate description of energy dissipation, so it allows, for example, better stability analysis of water power plant control and more effective operation. Flow in a pipeline system is usually treated as a one-dimensional flow. This is also applied for more difficult cases of the Newtonian and non-Newtonian liquids simulations in the rigid or flexible pipes. Computational simulations of pressure pulsations in pipelines often predict lower damping than what the experimental results show. This discrepancy can be caused by neglecting one of the important damping mechanisms. The second viscosity describes the energy losses due to the compressibility of the liquid. Its existence and use in the computations specifies the real pulsations damping descriptions and predictions. A frequency dependent model of pressure pulsations including second viscosity is introduced. The second viscosity is determined from the system eigenvalue. The experiments were performed with water for low frequencies (from 0.1 to 1 kHz). This area is not fully covered by the current available research results.

Study of impact sheet pile and Franki NG pile driving on weir construction

The proper quality and the safe execution of geotechnical works imposes the necessity of monitoring techniques to prevent the threats arising from the vibrations. This work presents authors experience gained during sheet piling and Franki pile driving in time of construction of water power plant. Dynamic impact of foundation works can be perceptible by humans and can affect structures and technical devices. The immediate reason for the dynamic analysis was the occurrence of clearly perceivable vibration of the weir. The measurements were performed during sheet wall installation and Franki pile driving at various measuring points. Wave parameter measurements and recording of shocks and vibrations in the close vicinity of the construction site were juxtaposed for different installation phases and measuring points. A comparison of the two technologies shows that the largest vibrations occur during formation of the cast-in-situ (over)expanded Franki pile base. Sheet pile wall installation supported by additional processes such as pre-boring turned out to be as less harmful.

Performance analysis of ocean water power plant as a renewable power plant for leading regions, outermost areas, underdeveloped region

This research for performance analysis of ocean water power plant to get design optimization based on research scenarios. The method used is experiment, by conducting a prototype analysis of the initial calculations to be included in the modeling simulation. through research scenarios to get the most optimal prototype performance. The results showed that (1) the greater the pontoon volume used, the greater the pontoon force produced, the pontoon force was not affected by the size of the pump diameter. (2) the larger the diameter of the pump used, the greater the discharge of water produced, the water discharge is not affected by the small volume of the pontoon, (3) the magnitude of the lift system to seawater is not affected by the size of the pump diameter but the size of the pontoon volume, the greater the pontoon volume used, the greater the lift power, (4) the greater the pontoon volume used, the turbine power The result will be even greater with the diameter of the pump, the larger the diameter of the pump used, the greater the turbine power produced. From the results of the study, it can be concluded that the optimal size uses 6 pontoons and 12-inch pump diameters. The implications of this research are that in addition to increasing the value of electrification in Leading Regions, Outermost Areas, Underdeveloped Region, it can also improve the economy of the community while helping the government to succeed the National Medium Term Development Plan

Application of Chemical Crystallization Circulating Pellet Fluidized Beds for Softening and Saving Circulating Water in Thermal Power Plants.

The circulating pellet fluidized bed (CPFB) softening method is a highly efficient and environmentally friendly softening technology that can be used to reduce water hardness during the pretreatment process of circulating water in thermal power plants. The performance of chemical crystallization CPFB reactors was tested for increasing the concentration ratio and softening the circulating water in a thermal power plant in Dingzhou, Hebei. The results show that usage of CPFB reactors removed water hardness and Ca2+ ions with efficiencies exceeding 60% and 90%, respectively. The size of the particles discharged from the reactors was approximately 1–3 mm, and the content of CaO in these particles was found to be greater than 50%. All the discharged particles were reused in the desulfurization system in the power plant. The operational cost of the CPFB system is US$0.074 per cubic meter of water. After adopting the proposed CPFB softening method in the Dingzhou Power Plant, the concentration ratio of the circulation cooling water was increased from 4.5 to more than 9. In addition, the amount of replenished water and sewage discharge were both reduced by 150 m3/h, and the amount of scale inhibitor used in the system was reduced by more than 30%. These improvements contribute to approximately US$200,000 in annual savings in the power plant. In summary, the CPFB softening method demonstrated a high hardness removal rate, strong economic benefits, and remarkable environmental and social benefits. Therefore, this method seems ideal for softening replenished circulating cooling water, increasing the concentration ratio of the water and achieving zero liquid discharge (ZLD) in thermal power plants.

Failure Analysis in High Pressure FeedWater Heaters and Method to Find the Defect in Tubes

The aim of this study is to analyze the causes of tube failure of the high pressure feed water heaters in thermal power plants and to find out the defective tubes in high pressure feed water heaters using simple and economical method. A feed water warmer is utilized to preheat the kettle feed water in warm power plant. The majority of the feed water radiator utilized in warm power plant is shell and cylinder type. In this kind of feed water warmer, water streaming inside the cylinder and steam consolidating in outside of the cylinder i.e., shell side. The wellspring of warmth utilized in high weight feed water warmer is steam seep from the turbine. The high weight feed water radiators are utilized to improve the thermodynamic effectiveness of the cycle and furthermore diminish the coal utilization of the warm power plant. Test of the disappointment cylinder were taken to investigate the reasons for cylinder disappointment in high weight feed water radiator by visual review, utilizing tube thickness estimation examination, Examining Mechanical properties and substance structure of the cylinder material and strategies for finding the cylinder disappointment ahead of time to counteract the breakdown of high weight feed water warmers. In light of the above investigations, it is seen that the high weight feed water warmer cylinders disappointment happened because of cylinder external distance across disintegration.

Determination of tritium levels in tap waters collected from various regions in Thailand using liquid scintillation counting

Tritium can replace a hydrogen atom in water molecules since oxygen atom can react with tritium atoms to form water molecules the same way as for hydrogen atoms, potentially posing hazardous to consumers. This study aims to measure tritium activity concentrations in tap water samples collected from different regions in Thailand, (Phayao, Srisaket, Chanthaburi, Trang and Bangkok) in November 2018. The measurements of tritium activity concentrations were carried out by using electrolytic enrichment and low background liquid scintillation counting (AccuFLEX LSC-LB7), which had a sensitivity of less than 1 Bq/L. The data results of regional distribution of a tendency were discussed according to latitudes and longitudes of the collecting location. The measured tritium concentrations in tap water were in the range of 0.41 – 0.75 Bq/L. Specifically, the results showed that the tritium activity concentrations depended on location, with the highest value obtained from a tap water sample collected from the northern part of Thailand (Phayao). The results could be used as the baseline of tritium levels in tap water in each region of Thailand before building or operating the nuclear facilities such as the first nuclear power plant, fuel reprocessing or heavy water production facilities in the future.

Energy Saving Analysis of Circulating Water Waste Heat Recovery from Water Source Heat Pump

By analyzing the way of circulating water-water source heat pump heating and direct pumping heat supply, the water source heat pump recovers low-grade power plant circulating water waste heat, which has significant energy saving potential. The water source heat pump technology is used to recover the residual heat of circulating water in low-temperature power plants, realizing the conversion of energy from low grade to high grade, in line with the principle of energy cascade utilization. The critical parameters of water source heat pump heating are better than conventional heating by calculation and analysis. The actual example shows that when the pumping temperature reaches 188 °C, the water source heat pump is more energy efficient than the pumping heat.

Energy, mass-exchange and hydrodynamic efficiency of degassers at low-temperature deaeration of water for thermal power plants

A new technology for low-temperature degassing of the make-up water was developed using natural gas as a desorbing agent. The calculation of the energy efficiency of the developed technology for a typical power unit of the heat power plants (HPPs) is performed. Theoretically necessary and actual specific costs of natural gas are estimated to ensure the normative quality of the deaeration. The calculation of the hydrodynamic characteristics of the atmospheric deaerator at work on natural gas is presented.

Creation of trout farms on the basis of power plant water cooler reservoirs

Increase of production of fish by traditional methods, based primarily on the extensive use of natural resources, has certain natural limitations.The limiting factors are land, water and the environment. Considering this fact, the perspective expansion of industrial farms, provided with superintensive technologies, is actual. The role of abiotic environmental factors in the life of fish is enormous. For example, the water temperature determines the intensity of metabolism and is a natural stimulus determining the begining of spawning migration of fish. Water temperature has a very important influence on the life of the organism, particularly on the metabolic processes, the behavior and dispersion of organisms. Water quality is one of the most important factors stimulating the development of water biotechnology. In this regard, we explored the physical and-chemical features of the Volga water from the viewpoint of the trout-breeding. The analysis revealed that the water does not fully meet the required water quality for trout ponds. Characteristics as pH, absence of hydrogen sulfide meet the requirements; such indicators as permanganate and bichromate oxidation, BPK5, ammonium ion, nitrates and nitrites, oxygen content are noted exceeding the standard values for trout farms. Power engineering and fish farming are connected closely – power plants contribute to the creation of favorable conditions for the cultivation of commercial fish, including valuable and fish-breeding complexes based on water coolers help to improve their environmental condition. At the same time in Russia in recent years, this industry is beginning to receive attention it deserves. The experience of Western countries shows a new direction of the industry development: in the previous period the favorable conditions for growing and breeding fish were created on the basis of the warm water for increasing production capacity of energy enterprises due to energy production and fish production, nowadays the power plants are built at fish-breeding enterprises in order to optimize costs and increase profitability of fish production.

Evaluation of oxidation behavior of two potential coating alloys T14 and T19 for superheated steam and supercritical water power plant application

In this study, the oxidation behavior of alloy CoCrMoSi (T14) and alloy CoCrNiMoSi (T19) was evaluated in superheated steam (SHS, 0.1 MPa) and supercritical water (SCW, 26 MPa), at temperature of 625 °C for 500 h. After exposure to both conditions, the as-exposed surfaces and cross sections were evaluated using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). The identification of phases was carried out based on combined EDS and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analyses. The results showed that both T14 and T19 formed very complex oxides on the surface after exposure. And they experienced weight gain under SHS condition, and weight loss under SCW condition. However, T19 had much smaller weight changes after both tests. Weight loss was due to the oxide scale spallation and possibly volatilization of MoO3 and Cr2O3, in addition to preferential attack and subsequent degradation of Laves phase in both alloys. Due to Ni addition acting as FCC stabilizer, the possible SiO2 formation as a subscale, and smaller Laves phase, alloy T19 was found to be superior to T14 as potential coating material for steam power generation system at temperatures up to 625 °C, under SHS and SCW conditions.

The influence of disposed fly ash on Ca2+ leaching and physico-mechanical properties of mortars

Fly ash of some thermal power plants is rejected when their chemical compositions do not satisfy the limit values in related standards and consequentially conveyed to landfills. In this study, a rejected fly ash, which has high sulphite, free lime, and magnesium oxide contents and does not comply with the classification standards of fly ashes, having cementing properties, has been examined. This rejected fly ash is moistened with water in the thermal power plant and then transported to landfills. This humidified fly ash that has been in contact with snow and rain for a long time turns to hydrated fly ash. The analysis of this hydrated fly ash showed that the sulphite, free lime, and magnesium oxide content levels of the hydrated fly ash had decreased compared to the original rejected fly ash. After the hydrated fly ash in the landfill was ground and sieved, self-compacting mortars (SCMs) were produced by replacing PC with 10, 20, and 30% hydrated fly ash. At various pH levels, leaching of Ca2+ in SCMs was investigated. Hydrated fly ash is found to be excellent powder material to increase the leaching resistance of Ca2+ in an SCM when used to replace PC with 20% hydrated fly ash.

Effect of Film Forming Amine on Flow Accelerated Corrosion of Carbon Steel in Boiler Feed Water of Power Plants

Effect of Film Forming Amine on Flow Accelerated Corrosion of Carbon Steel in Boiler Feed Water of Power Plants

Adaptive Pressure Management and Plume Control in Geological Co2 Storage: Designing a Brine Extraction Field Experiment

Industrial scale injection of CO2 into the subsurface can result in significant fluid pressure increases, which can lead to potential environmental impacts such as caprock fracturing, fault activation and leakage into underground fresh water aquifers. Pressure management through brine extraction is an approach for managing formation pressure, effective stress, and plume movement in response to CO2 injection. However, the handling and management of the extracted brine has a cost that is added to carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) operations; therefore minimizing the extracted volume of brine can be of great importance. At the same time, economics of pressure management via brine extraction can be improved by treating the extracted high-salinity water and making it available for beneficial uses, for example as cooling water for power plants. In this paper, we introduce and demonstrate application of an adaptive reservoir management approach that optimizes extraction rates of reservoir brines for pressure control in an integrated optimization framework. Our approach will be tested during a brine extraction field experiment located in the southern United States, which is currently in the design and planning stages. The objective of the experiment is to evaluate the technical feasibility of managing subsurface pressures associated with large-scale CO2 injection volumes and to assess the cost and effectiveness of desalination technologies for saline waters containing high total dissolved solids (TDS). Our integrated adaptive management approach involves monitoring, model calibration, and optimization of brine extraction for pressure control. Based on measurements obtained during the injection phase and utilizing improved predictive models from repeated calibration, initial optimization calculations will be revised in regular intervals and the operating decisions for controlling and managing subsurface pressurization will be updated. In this paper, in preparation of the actual field demonstration, we investigate use of borehole measurements (i.e., pressure changes) and electromagnetic (EM) geophysical methods (i.e. salinity changes) in the adaptive management of the injection and brine extraction project. We also present a numerical exercise to investigate how the optimization performance is affected by the quality of initial site characterization data and by the frequency of dynamic model updates with newly acquired data during the injection. Our numerical study shows that more accurate initial reservoir characterization data reduce the risk of pressure buildup above a given maximum pressure because the optimization algorithm arrives at better estimates of initial extraction rates, which in turn results in better control of pressure during the overall injection times. Results also show that low frequencies of model calibration and optimization with the new data, especially at early injection periods, may lead to optimization problems, either because pressure buildup constraints are violated or excessively high extraction rates are proposed. These optimization problems can be eliminated if more frequent data collection and model calibration are conducted, especially at early injection times. Approaches such as adaptive pressure management may constitute an effective tool to manage pressure buildup under uncertain reservoir conditions by minimizing the brine extraction volumes while controlling pressure buildups. This will be demonstrated in the actual field study, with injection planned to start in early 2019.