Cooling Tower Sizing for 20 MW Power Plant in Weymouth, England

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the sizing and efficiency of cooling towers for a proposed 20 MW power plant in Weymouth, England. Participants explore the calculations needed for the cooling system, including heat rejection, mass flow rates, and water requirements, while also considering alternative uses for the waste heat generated.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant seeks assistance with calculating the size of the cooling tower needed, including parasitic loads and mass flow rates, based on the heat rejection of 20 MW and temperature requirements.
  • Another participant expresses concern about the waste of 20 MW and suggests exploring the possibility of using the waste heat for greenhouses or other processes.
  • A participant mentions finding a "rule of thumb" design guide from 1981 that may assist in the calculations, although it does not use SI units.
  • There are suggestions to contact companies that specialize in cooling tower design for tailored recommendations and potential calculators to aid in the sizing process.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a shared concern about the efficiency of using the waste heat, with some advocating for alternative applications. However, there is no consensus on the specific calculations or methods for sizing the cooling tower.

Contextual Notes

Participants note limitations in their familiarity with cooling tower design, and there is an acknowledgment of the need for further information and resources to accurately perform the necessary calculations.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for engineers, environmental scientists, and project managers involved in power plant design and thermal management, as well as those interested in energy efficiency and waste heat utilization.

Harkaran Singh
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Hi guys,

I have question regarding cooling towers. I have been asked to check if cooling towers would be efficient and economical to cooling system for a power plant to be installed in Weymouth, England.

As per my calculations, heat to be rejected (in the condenser) from the system is 20 MW.
I'm not familiar with cooling towers and I need help calculating (very roughly) the size of the tower required, parasitic loads, mass flow rate of water and air and quantity of make-up water?

Heat energy to be rejected= 20 MW
Temp of working fluid in the condenser has to be dropped from 30 deg C to 19 deg C
Wet bulb temperature of the area is 9 deg C
Avg temperature of area 14 - 16 deg C
Relative humidity is 85 - 90 %

Any advice would be highly appreciated.
 
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Not my field but it seems a shame to be wasting 20MW these days. Got room for some green houses?

http://www.queensu.ca/gazette/content/waste-heat-could-be-harnessed-growing-tomatoes
http://www.gfsa.com/events/greenhouse-to-utilize-co2-waste-heat-from-adjacent-ethanol-plant/
 
CWatters said:
Not my field but it seems a shame to be wasting 20MW these days. Got room for some green houses?

http://www.queensu.ca/gazette/content/waste-heat-could-be-harnessed-growing-tomatoes
http://www.gfsa.com/events/greenhouse-to-utilize-co2-waste-heat-from-adjacent-ethanol-plant/
Yes, I agree its a waste. I'm urging the people involved to use this heat in other processes at the site.
Area is a major concern here and that is the reason why I'm interested in the area the cooling tower would occupy
 
As I said it's not my field but I found a "rule of thumb" design guide from 1981 that I suppose might help. Not SI units though.

http://www.osti.gov/scitech/servlets/purl/5281927/

It also looks like there are companies producing calculators for their cooling tower products. I think I'd contact one or two that design these for a living to see what they would recommend. They would probably do most of the work for you.
 
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CWatters said:
As I said it's not my field but I found a "rule of thumb" design guide from 1981 that I suppose might help. Not SI units though.

http://www.osti.gov/scitech/servlets/purl/5281927/

It also looks like there are companies producing calculators for their cooling tower products. I think I'd contact one or two that design these for a living to see what they would recommend. They would probably do most of the work for you.
This is really helpful. Thank you :D
 
That will be smart choice to introduce Cooling Water Towers with Calculator for quick note of issues
 

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