In reply to Jeff Fink's message of Tue, 11 Dec 2007 16:00:18 -0500: Hi, [snip] > Waste power plant heat is much cooler than geothermal. 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 is what I did during my early engineering days, and we did it >with calculators, not computers. Jeff
How about combining power plant cooling with desalination? It seems to me that this could do away with expensive cooling towers altogether, and have the added benefit of producing saleable fresh water? Of course, it would only apply to power plants relatively near the coast, and these may already be using the sea for cooling anyway (as mentioned previously by Jed?) Regards, Robin van Spaandonk The shrub is a plant.
