A Combined Cost Model to Evaluate the Economic Impact of Degraded Water Use in Thermoelectric Cooling Loops

The thermoelectric power industry in the U.S. uses a large amount of freshwater.  The large water demand is increasingly a problem, especially for new power plant development, as the availability of freshwater diminishes in the United States.  Reusing non-traditional water sources, such as treated municipal wastewater, provides one option to mitigate freshwater usage in the thermoelectric power industry.  This paper presents the development of an integrated costing model to assess the implications of degraded water use, including treatment requirements and the impact of increased tube scaling in the main condenser.  A case study of various treatment scenarios is provided for three plants in regions of differing water availability, to provide insight into the ramifications and benefits of degraded water use as makeup to thermoelectric recirculating cooling loops.