On Dec 11, 2007, at 12:00 PM, Jeff Fink wrote:
Waste power plant heat is much cooler than geothermal.
That's interesting. Do you know what temperature is available post
turbine, prior to cooling? I do know the waste heat is of sufficient
grade to be of use for algae production for biofuel, and the waste
CO2 is of use for that as well.
That is what
makes this heat low grade, and nearly worthless.
Meticulous iterative calculations are done for each plant design to
optimize the performance of both the condenser and the cooling tower
based on the incremental costs of upsizing these expensive components
verses the projected fuel costs. Getting these calculations right
for the
projected life of the plant is what gets the customers their lowest
possible rates.
That just about guarantees there is some opportunity in this niche.
The cost of fuel is about to go through the roof, and a carbon tax/
credit scheme will even add to that. Sterling generators have made
recent physical and economic gains as well. It is a changing
picture. ANy idea what proportion of plants are approaching the end
of their economic life?
Horace Heffner
http://www.mtaonline.net/~hheffner/
