Air Cooled Condensers Indirect Cooling Systems
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Air-Cooled Condenser Design, Specification, and Operation Guidelines Technical Report Air-Cooled Condenser Design, Specification, and Operation Guidelines 1007688 Final Report, December 2005 EPRI Project Manager K. Zammit ELECTRIC POWER RESEARCH INSTITUTE 3420 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto, California 94304-1395 • PO Box 10412, Palo Alto, California 94303-0813 • USA 800.313.3774 • 650.855.2121 • [email protected] • www.epri.com DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITIES THIS DOCUMENT WAS PREPARED BY THE ORGANIZATION(S) NAMED BELOW AS AN ACCOUNT OF WORK SPONSORED OR COSPONSORED BY THE ELECTRIC POWER RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INC. (EPRI). NEITHER EPRI, ANY MEMBER OF EPRI, ANY COSPONSOR, THE ORGANIZATION(S) BELOW, NOR ANY PERSON ACTING ON BEHALF OF ANY OF THEM: (A) MAKES ANY WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION WHATSOEVER, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, (I) WITH RESPECT TO THE USE OF ANY INFORMATION, APPARATUS, METHOD, PROCESS, OR SIMILAR ITEM DISCLOSED IN THIS DOCUMENT, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR (II) THAT SUCH USE DOES NOT INFRINGE ON OR INTERFERE WITH PRIVATELY OWNED RIGHTS, INCLUDING ANY PARTY'S INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, OR (III) THAT THIS DOCUMENT IS SUITABLE TO ANY PARTICULAR USER'S CIRCUMSTANCE; OR (B) ASSUMES RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING ANY CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF EPRI OR ANY EPRI REPRESENTATIVE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES) RESULTING FROM YOUR SELECTION OR USE OF THIS DOCUMENT OR ANY INFORMATION, APPARATUS, METHOD, PROCESS, OR SIMILAR ITEM DISCLOSED IN THIS DOCUMENT. ORGANIZATION(S) THAT PREPARED THIS DOCUMENT Karl Wilber Maulbetsch Consulting ORDERING INFORMATION Requests for copies of this report should be directed to EPRI Orders and Conferences, 1355 Willow Way, Suite 278, Concord, CA 94520, (800) 313-3774, press 2 or internally x5379, (925) 609-9169, (925) 609-1310 (fax). Electric Power Research Institute and EPRI are registered service marks of the Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. Copyright © 2005 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. CITATIONS This report was prepared by Karl Wilber Consultant 2017 Turnberry Court Santa Rosa, California 95403 Principal Investigator K. Wilber Maulbetsch Consulting 770 Menlo Avenue, #211 Menlo Park, California 94025 Principal Investigator J. Maulbetsch This report describes research sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). The report is a corporate document that should be cited in the literature in the following manner: Air-Cooled Condenser Design, Specification, and Operation Guidelines. EPRI, Palo Alto, CA: 2005. 1007688. iii PRODUCT DESCRIPTION In contrast to once-through and evaporative cooling systems, use of the air-cooled condenser (ACC) for heat rejection in steam electric power plants has historically been very limited, especially in the United States. However, greater industry focus on water conservation – combined with continued concern over the environmental effects of once-through and evaporative cooling – will almost certainly increase interest in ACC applications. While operating experience and performance data are, to some extent, available from ACC suppliers, consultants, and owner/operators, there is no one repository of such information. This report provides a single resource for ACC application, design, specification, and operation guidelines. It incorporates operating experience from recently commissioned plants to provide insight into issues that confront staff in operating and maintaining ACCs and balancing ACC performance relative to plant performance and output. Results & Findings This report provides information to guide the development and specification of ACC design conditions. In doing so, it offers perspectives on economic and operational issues that factor into selecting ACC design points. It also speaks to the dynamics of a typical bid process, with the objective of forging more of a partnership between the supplier and the purchaser. While the report cautions the power plant owner/purchaser relative to performance impacts of wind on the ACC, it recognizes that wind effects are site specific and that more information regarding both impacts and remedial action is required before improved guidance can be provided. Finally, in addition to an examination of startup and commissioning issues, the report provides a test procedure to determine ACC thermal acceptance. Challenges & Objective(s) The objective of this specification is to provide engineering and purchasing personnel with information they need to specify, procure, and commission ACCs that have optimum design and performance characteristics for the application at hand. In order to accomplish this, they will need information to assist them in answering the following questions: What are the primary ACC operating and performance problems? What information should be provided to bidders in a specification and request for proposal? How should developers evaluate and compare bids for ACC supply? What are the most important considerations in conducting performance and acceptance testing? What are some key ACC commissioning and startup issues? v Applications, Values & Use This specification provides much-needed industry insights while alerting the purchaser to issues that impact ACC application, specification, and design. Key drivers for increased application of ACCs include the Scarcity of water and the attendant elimination of evaporative water loss realized by the use of ACCs from both once-through and evaporative cooling systems Reduction or elimination of thermal pollution and entrainment and impingement issues typically associated with once-through and evaporative cooling Elimination of the visible plume and drift from the operating cooling system EPRI Perspective As a result of the increased interest in water conservation and ACCs in particular, a number of programs are have been commissioned to further examine operational and performance issues. Several such programs – funded by EPRI, the California Energy Commission (CEC), and the U.S. Department of Energy/National Energy Technology Laboratory (U.S. DOE/NETL) – are summarized in the proceedings of the Advanced Cooling Strategies/Technologies Conference, held June 1-2, 2005, in Sacramento, California, and jointly sponsored by EPRI and the CEC. EPRI anticipates that the results of such studies, which include more detailed assessments of wind effects on ACCs and performance enhancement strategies via inlet air cooling, will complement and supplement this specification. Accordingly, aspects of this specification may be considered a work in progress, as ongoing projects will shed light on key areas that will ultimately improve the specification and operational understanding of ACCs. Approach Numerous specifications have been developed for ACCs, both internationally and in the United States. In many cases, such specifications do not ensure the optimum economic selection of an ACC for the plant, its environment, and the economic situations in which the plant must compete. Further, in most cases, these specifications have not addressed areas that might be problematic in terms of ACC performance, operation, and maintenance. As a result of site visits and interviews with both plant personnel and suppliers, a number of areas surfaced that deserved additional attention beyond the historical level that they have received. These included wind effects on ACC performance, reliable ACC performance over a range of operating conditions, fouling and cleaning of ACC finned tubes, and inlet air cooling/conditioning systems. Keywords Cooling System Air-Cooled Condenser Steam Electric Power Plant Thermal Acceptance Test Water Conservation ACC Specification ACC Performance and Acceptance Testing vi ABSTRACT In contrast to once-through and evaporative cooling systems, use of the air-cooled condenser (ACC) in steam electric power plants has historically been very limited, especially in the United States. However, greater industry focus on water conservation – combined with continued concern over the environmental effects of once-through and evaporative cooling – will almost certainly increase interest in ACC applications. Indeed, in the southwestern United States, this has already occurred. As a result of limited ACC operating experience and the nature of proprietary and evolving dry- cooling technologies, there is no single repository of performance, operations, and maintenance experience. Recognizing the increased industry interest in ACCs and the aforementioned limitations in available data, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has commissioned this project to develop ACC procurement guidelines. This study covers a number of key elements of ACC specifications, including the following: Assessment of ACC operating and performance issues, including the effects of wind on ACC performance Development of information that should be included in and solicited via ACC procurement specifications, with emphasis on language that might be incorporated into such specifications An example procedure for evaluation and comparison of bids Guidelines for ACC performance and acceptance testing Issues associated with ACC startup and commissioning This report’s summary of a proposed ACC test guideline is particularly important, as codes for various ACC tests are under development by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the Cooling Technology Institute (CTI) and are not expected to be published in the foreseeable future. vii