Circulating Water Systems

DEAN PAUL CUETO

2006-18308
ME 188: POWERPLANT ENGINEERING
 Definition

The circulating water system serves as a medium in

which heat is rejected from the steam cycle to the
environment.
One of the important systems that affect the
availability and operational efficiency of a thermal
power plant since heat is removed from the water
discharged exiting the condenser so that the water
can be discharged back to the source .
Brief Historical Background

In 1921, the world's largest cooling

installation at that time was erected.
The natural draft cooling towers
built by Balcke for the Golpa-
Zschornewitz power plant near
Leipzig had a cooling capacity of
43,000 cubic meters per hour.

By mid-1920’s, Balcke continues to

introduce innovations in shapes and
materials as cooling towers evolve
into more efficient designs.
Brief Historical Background

By 1935, Balcke produces the first mechanical

draft cooling tower with a 10.4-meter diameter
induced draft fan.

In 1965, the first natural-draft cooling tower

rated 300 MW built under license at the
Niederaussem power station, Germany.

By 1980, Balcke builds the first combined

wet/dry cooling tower. 8 years after,
construction of the first hybrid cooling tower
for the municipal utility of the City of
Frankfurt/Main, Germany was completed.
Brief Historical Background

The first and the largest in the world

indirect dry cooling system (6 x 672 MW)
were completed in 1984 and located at
South Africa.

The largest natural draft cooling tower

(200m height) with a flue gas discharge
system (1000MW lignite- fired power plant)
was built in 2000.

This circular mechanical draft cooling

tower was built in 2004 for a chemical
plant in Al-Jubail, Saudi Arabia.
 Functions

filter water before it is pumped

to and through the condenser

cool the condenser

Its performance is crucial to the power plant’s efficiency

since a condenser functioning at the lowest possible
temperature results in maximum turbine work and cycle
efficiency and in minimum heat rejection.
Functions

The heat rejected by the circulating-water system is

greater than that converted to useful work by the
steam cycle.

Liquid/Gas Ratio (L/G) Ratio:

- ratio between the water and the air mass flow rates
T1 = hot water temperature
T2 = cold-water temperature
h2 = enthalpy of air-water vapor mixture at

exhaust wet bulb temp.

h1 = enthalpy of air-water vapor mixture at
inlet wet bulb temp.
 Functions

Cooling Tower Efficiency:

ti = inlet temp. of water to the tower
ti  to to = outlet temp. of water from tower
 100%
ti  twb twb= wet bulb temp. of air

Driving pressure  d :
-caused by the difference in density between the cool outside air and the hot humid air
inside.
g
Pd  (  o  i ) H
gc
ρo = density of outside air, lbm/cubic feet or kg/cubic meter
ρi = density of inside air
H = height of tower above the fill, ft or m
g = Gravitational acceleration, ft/s 2 or m/s2
gc = conversion factor, 32.2 lbm ft/(lbf s2) or 1 kg m/(N s2)
 System Classification

According to Process
1. Once-through systems

2. Closed-loop systems

3. Combination Systems
 Closed-loop Systems

Cooling lakes are areas in which the water is cooled

naturally by evaporation and radiation.
Spray pond is an arrangement for cooling large
quantities of water in open reservoirs or ponds.
Spray canal is a process wherein the water is sprayed
into large droplets so that drift loss is reduced.
Cooling tower is a heat rejection device, which
extracts waste heat to the atmosphere though the
cooling of a water stream to a lower temperature.
 System Classification

According to Heat Transfer

Wet-Cooling Tower

Dry-Cooling Tower
 Wet-Cooling Tower

Wet-cooling tower dissipates heat rejected by the

plant to the environment by these mechanisms:
a) addition of sensible heat to the air and
b) evaporation of a portion of the recirculation
water itself.

Further classified according to draft:

Natural-Draft Cooling Tower
Mechanical-Draft Cooling Tower
 Wet-Cooling Tower

 Natural-Draft Cooling Tower

-also called hyperbolic cooling tower makes use of the
difference in temperature between the ambient air and the
hotter air inside the tower. As hot air moves upwards
through the tower, fresh cool air is drawn into the tower
through an air inlet at the bottom

 Mechanical-Draft Cooling Tower

-drives the air by one or more mechanically driven fans.
These fans either force or draw air through circulated water.
The water falls downwards over fill surfaces, which help
increase the contact time between the water and the air
 System Classification

According to Air-Water Flow Generation:

a) Cross flow

For mechanical-draft: air flow in

the fill is horizontal

For natural-draft: air is drawn

across the falling water and the
fill is located outside the tower
 System Classification

According to Air-Water Flow Generation:

b) Counter flow
For mechanical draft: hot water
enters at the top while air enters
bottom and exits at the top;
vertical air flow
For natural-draft: air is drawn up
through the falling water and the
fill is therefore located inside the
tower
 Circulation System

Intake Structure
-houses the necessary equipment for screening debris from
the source
Circulating-water pumps
-allow the entry of cooling water for transport
Circulating-water conduits
-which direct the water to each side of the condenser divided
inlet water box
Vacuum Systems
-prohibit the backflow through the pump and intake structure
 Water-Distribution System

-this system is responsible for dispensing hot

condenser water evenly over the fill.
Types:
Gravity distribution- water flows by gravity through
orifices to the fill below
Spray distribution- makes the use of spray-
downward nozzles
Rotary distribution- results in a curtain of water at
an angle
 Cooling Tower Components

Frame and Casing

Fill
Splash Fill-water falls over successive
layers of horizontal splash bars,
continuously breaking into smaller
droplets, while also wetting the fill
surface

Film Fill-consists of thin, closely

spaced plastic surfaces over which
the water spreads, forming a thin
film in contact with the air
 Cooling Tower Components

Cold-water basin
Drift Eliminators
Drift is water entrained by
and carried with the water as
unevaporated drizzle or fine
droplets. This water is thus lost
to the circulating-water system
and does not contribute to heat
removal by evaporation
Air Inlet
Nozzles
 Cooling Tower Components

Louvers
Equalize air flow into the fill and retain
the water within the tower
Fans
Essential for the airflow within the tower
 Cooling Tower Assessment

Parameters to be considered:
Range. This is the difference
between cooling tower inlet
and outlet temperature.
CT Range (C) = [CW inlet temp (C) – CW outlet temp (C)]
Approach. This is the difference between the cooling
tower outlet cold-water temperature and ambient
wet bulb temperature.
CT Approach (C) = [CW outlet temp (C) – Wet bulb temp (C)]
Efficiency and L/G ratio
Hybrid Cooling Tower

A hybrid tower or fan-assisted

hyperbolic tower combines
the best features of natural-
and mechanical-draft towers.
Hybrid cooling towers can be built either multi-cell
or circular form, with either forced-draft or induced-
draft fans.  The hybrid cooling technique allows us to
utilize the advantage of wet-cooling within the limits
of local water resources.
 Dry-Cooling Tower

the circulating water is passed through finned tubes

over which the cooling air is passed
heat rejected from the circulating water is thus in the
form of sensible heat to the cooling air
a cooling tower for the closed-circuit cooling of water
with no direct contact between the water to be cooled
and the coolant air
System Classification

According to draft:
Mechanical-Draft
Natural-Draft
According to type:
Direct Dry-Cooling Tower
System Classification

Indirect Dry-Cooling Tower

-this system couples a dry cooling tower with a
steam surface condenser

Further classified according to three general designs with:

Conventional Surface Condenser
Open- or Direct-Contact Condenser
Use of Circulating Vaporizing Coolant
 Specifications

American Cooling Tower Systems Model 400-1000

Dimensions and
Pipe Connections
 Specifications

Physical Dimensions and Weights

 Specifications
 Sound Levels, Capacities and Sizing
Bill of Materials:
 State-of-the-art Power plant

Kendal Power Plant:

Kendal power station is a
coal-fired power station in 
Mpumalanga, South Africa
Technical details
Six 686MW units
Installed capacity: 4 116MW
2001 capacity: 3 840MW
Design efficiency at rated turbine MCR (%): 35.30%
Ramp rate: 16.67% per hour
Average availability over last 3 years: 93.69%
Average production over last 3 years: 24 691GWh
 State-of-the-art Power plant

Brief History  
Construction of Kendal began in July 1982 with its last unit
coming into operation in 1993. Kendal is currently the
largest coal-fired power station in the world and holds
several Eskom performance records.
Cooling System
Kendal has an indirect dry-cooling system, which means
that it uses significantly less water in its cooling processes
than the conventional wet cooled power stations. The
station's cooling towers are the largest structures of their
kind in the world with a height and base diameter of 165m.
 Local Power plant
Makiling-Banahaw Geothermal Power Plant:
Specifications:
Units 1 and 2 Units 3 and 4
Capacity (gross, original) 55 MW x 2 units

(after rehabilitation) 63.2 MW x 2 units

Turbine/Condenser
Manufacturer Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI), Japan
Type Single cylinder, double flow, impulse and reaction,
condensing
Steam Pressure at MSV 8

Generator
Manufacturer Mitsubishi Electric (MELCO), Japan
Capacity 68.75 MVA
Voltage 13.8 kV
Frequency 60 Hz
Power factor 0.919 0.83
Noncondensable Gas Removal System
Type 2 stage ejector system
Gas content design value 1.0 wt%

Cooling Tower
Manufacturer MARLEY
Type Induced draft, double cross flow
Control and Instrumentation

Control:
optimal control of cooling fans
-sequencing of cooling tower fans
-adding tower capacity: the tower fan operating at
the lowest speed (including fans that are off) should
be increased first
-removing tower capacity, the highest fan speeds
are the first to be reduced
Control and Instrumentation

optimizing the control of the water temperature

-temperature and the relative humidity of the air
outside the cooling tower are measured and are
selectively utilized as inputs to a plurality of modules
containing function blocks in a logic arrangement
-function blocks produce an output signal indicative of
the wet bulb temperature of the outside air which is
compared to the cooling tower water temperature
causing the speed of the cooling tower fans to be
adjusted in response to the temperature difference
there between.
Control and Instrumentation

Instrumentation:
Air flow switch- desirable when loss of airflow will
have an adverse affect on system operation
Antifreeze Package- provide protection against
freezing of standing water in the cooling tower sump
due to shutdown during winter operation
Pump
Speed Reducers- optimum speed of a cooling tower
fan seldom coincides with the most efficient speed of
the driver (motor)
Operation and Maintenance

For efficient operation:

1. implement a preventive-maintenance program
2. reduce the temperature of water leaving the tower
3. operate cooling towers simultaneously
4. balance water distribution between multiple towers
5. consider a condenser water reset strategy
6. cooling towers must be cleaned on a regular basis
to minimize the growth of bacteria, including
Legionella Pneumophila
 Operation and Maintenance
Description Comments Maintenance Frequency
Cooling tower use/ sequencing Turn on/sequence unnecessary Daily
cooling towers
Overall visual inspection Complete overall visual inspection to Daily
be sure all equipment is operating and
safety systems are in place

Fan motor condition Check the condition of the fan motor Weekly
through temperature or vibration
analysis and compare to baseline
values
Clean suction screen Physically clean screen of all debris Weekly

Operate make-up water float switch Operate switch manually to ensure Weekly
proper operation
Vibration Check for excessive vibration in Weekly
motors, fans, and pumps
Check tower structure Check for loose fill, connections, leaks, Weekly
etc.
Check belts and pulleys Adjust all belts and pulleys Weekly

Test water samples Test for proper concentrations of Weekly (Open)

dissolved solids, and chemistry. Adjust Monthly (Closed)
blowdown and chemicals as
necessary. Perform weekly for open
towers and monthly for closed
systems.

Check lubrication Assure that all bearings are lubricated Monthly

per the manufacture's
recommendation
 Operation and Maintenance

Description Comments Maintenance Frequency

Check motor supports and fan blades Check for excessive wear and secure fastening Monthly

Motor alignment Aligning the motor coupling allows for Monthly

efficient torque transfer
Check drift eliminators, louvers, and fill Look for proper positioning and scale build up Monthly

Inspect nozzles for clogging Make sure water is flowing through nozzles in Annually
the hot well
Clean tower Remove all dust, scale, and algae from tower Annually
basin, fill, and spray nozzles
Check bearings Inspect bearings and drive belts for wear. Annually
Adjust, repair, or replace as necessary.
Motor condition Checking the condition of the motor through Annually
temperature or vibration analysis assures long
life
Improvement

Consider the driving pressure, Pd, given by the

formula:
g
Pd  (  o   i ) H
gc
It can be deduced that difference between two
pressures (o - i) is relatively small; thus in order to
acquire the desired Pd, H must be large.
 References

El-Wakil, M. M., Power Plant Technology, McGraw-Hill Company, 1984

FEMP 2004. O&M Best Practices Guide 2.0.
FEMP 2002. Continuous Commissioning Guidebook for Federal Energy Managers
ASHRAE Journal 2005. Maintaining Cooling Towers
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http://community.webshots.com/
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http://www.scribd.com/doc/6811465/Cooling-Tower-Fundamentals
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http://www.americancoolingtowersolutions.com/pdfs/Cooling%20Tower%20Parts%20Price%20
List.pdf
http://www.betterbricks.com/*