Environmental and Hydraulic Considerations in the Design of a Circulating Water Cooling System

by Adnan M. Alsaffar, Bechtel Corp, Gaithersburg, United States,
Jagdish K. Virmani, Bechtel Corp, Gaithersburg, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Hydraulic Engineering

Abstract:

Environmental considerations play an important part in the design of a condenser cooling system. A once-through system may require assessment of a combination of events to determine the environmental acceptability of the heated discharge on the receiving water body. Such events may dictate a complex design and operation procedure. This situation was encountered in the design of a once-through cooling water system for Rumford Cogeneration Project at Rumford, Maine. During a limited time in the summer, the discharge of the heated plant cooling water in once-through mode is not permitted. To maintain plant operation, a standby closed-cycle system with a cooling tower is provided. Switch-over from once-through to a closed-cycle, or vice versa, required an in-depth hydraulic analysis to determine pressures and flow time histories and to select a control system to prevent adverse system operation. The analysis was performed using Bechtel's PC program, 'Transient Analysis in Liquid Systems.'

Subject Headings: Temperature effects | Cooling (wastewater treatment) | Hydraulic design | Water discharge | Water circulation | Systems engineering | Control systems | Maine | United States

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