Seasonal issues can chill powerplant profits
Profitable operation requires minimizing the seasonal constraints imposed by weather. This article describes how forward-thinking operators review their plans for winterization and hot-weather operation--before the thermometer darts toward either extreme. new cooling towers (CTs) are no longer oversized, leaving little room for fouling that can shoot up in hot weather. Also, powerplants are no longer being designed with surplus heat exchangers and redundant pumps--features that can help a plant get through extreme temperatures. And at a growing list of plants, the CTs are eliminated altogether, in favor of air-cooled (AC) condensers--which can have their own trouble holding condenser vacuum when the outdoor thermometer skyrockets; and, like their CT cousins, can suffer serious failures if improperly operated in winter`s freeze. Although design margins are being stretched thin, seasoned operations and maintenance (O and M) teams can minimize the constraints imposed by mother nature.
- OSTI ID:
- 417959
- Journal Information:
- Power (New York), Vol. 140, Issue 7; Other Information: PBD: Jul-Aug 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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