Numerical Analysis Feasibility of Utilizing Buried Condensers in Steam Power Plants

Global warming has caused serious issues. One of the most major issues is the rising water levels. Water vapor is the main greenhouse gas. Water vapor is responsible for half of the greenhouse gases of the atmosphere. In steam power plants, the excess energy which is a by product of the plant is absorbed by condensers of the plant. The cooling media for condensers are mainly water, this water will be cooled in cooling towers. A large amount of water is vaporized daily during the process of cooling in cooling towers and this water vapor is released into the atmosphere which in turn causes more greenhouse effect. One way to alleviate this matter is to use new methods instead of cooling towers. A practical way is to use buried condensers. Since the temperature of the soil is nearly constant during the year it can be used as a heat sink and absorb the excess heat which is stored in water circulating the condensers of the plant. In this paper buried condenser design will be studied using numerical methods. The condenser pipes will be buried underground in different arrangement and analysis in order to find the optimum arrangement for better performance. The analysis will be conducted in transient and parameters such as arrangement, depth, number and material of the pipes will be considered. The results show that the staggered arrangement with ۳-meter distance between pipes with three ۲۵-centimetre diameter pipe is the best arrangement. Also based on the figures reported for Tabriz Thermal Power Plant, Located in Tabriz, Iran. the amount of water that is reserved by this method is ۲۶۵۰۰۰۰ cubic meter per year.

Keywords:

Greenhouse Gases , Steam Power Plants , Buried Condenser , Cooling Tower