1 What are some ways to use the warm cooling water exiting t

1. What are some ways to use the warm cooling water exiting the condenser of a large power plant?

2. Why can\'t the heat in the steam leaving the condenser be used to make more power?

Solution

Some ways of using warm cooling water exiting the condenser

1. Warm cooling water can be used in a heat exchanger to convert the fluids like freon into super heated steam and use them to drive a turbine.Freons have very low boiling point i.e. 40.81 degree celcius and critical temp of 98 degree hence warm water can provide this heat and freon can be used to run the turbine and produce power.

2. This warm water can also be used in Rankine cycle inlet to the boiler.This will not only decrease the amount of heat required to convert it into steam but also the emissions will be reduced which will be very beneficial for environment.

Why can\'t heat in the steam leaving the condenser can be used to make more power.

Genereally the steam leaving the condenser will be very wet steam with x=0.10 around.Hence if we use this wet steam to run the turbine the moisture in the steam will corrode the turbine blades which are very costly.Secondly the pressure in the steam leaving condenser is very low hence if use this steam the power produced will be very less.

However it is advised that the steam leaving the condenser shouldn\'t be steam at all i.e. it should be water means the condensing of steam should be in such a way that the exit of the condenser should be saturated water so that pump can be used to increase the pressure. If it is steam then compressor will be required which will consume huge amount of power and that is not advisable.