Comprehensive Comparison of Hybrid Cooling of Thermal Power Generation with Airside Serial and Parallel Heat Exchange

Qian Huang, Yifan Zhi, Rongyong Zhang, Huimin Wei () and Lei Xu
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Qian Huang: China Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd., Beijing 100840, China
Yifan Zhi: China Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd., Beijing 100840, China
Rongyong Zhang: China Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd., Beijing 100840, China
Huimin Wei: Key Laboratory of Condition Monitoring and Control for Power Plant Equipment, North China Electric Power University, Ministry of Education, Beijing 102206, China
Lei Xu: Key Laboratory of Condition Monitoring and Control for Power Plant Equipment, North China Electric Power University, Ministry of Education, Beijing 102206, China

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 17, 1-28

Abstract: Natural draft hybrid cooling (NDHC) for thermal power generating units is proposed to achieve a balance of energy and water consumption for arid areas. This study examines the two main design forms of hybrid cooling with airside in serial and parallel heat exchange based on the same tower shell and heat transfer areas. Taking full consideration of the thermal cycle of the power generating unit, simplified simulation models for different cooling systems are established to show the influences of ambient conditions and marketing factors. Results show that both the hybrid cooling designs have a better cooling efficiency than either dry cooling or wet cooling. Expanded inlet areas of hybrid cooling in the parallel heat exchange design bring high heat transfer performance. As for the serial design, the higher temperature of the air at the outlet of the dry section maintains a larger airside mass flow rate, obtaining a high-efficient cooling system. The hybrid cooling in the serial design type relies more on the heat transfer performance of the wet section and is more sensible to ambient humidity, while the performance of hybrid cooling in the parallel design mainly depends on the dry section and is more easily affected by ambient temperature. Considering the unit cost variations of coal and water treatment, hybrid cooling in the parallel design has a wider range of applications compared with the serial design. With the growth in coal cost, there exist more benefits with the serial design.

Keywords: natural draft hybrid cooling; parallel/serial heat exchange; water/energy nexus; annual performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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