Overview of NSF-EPRI Power Plant Dry Cooling Science

and Technology Innovation Program

(2014-2017)

Sumanta Acharya, Ph.D. Jessica Shi, Ph.D.

NSF Program Director EPRI Sr. Technical Leader/Manager

ARPAE Dry Power Plant Cooling Workshop, May 12-13, 2014 Chicago, IL
 Eliminate Water Use in Electricity Generation-
An NSF-EPRI Partnership
• Nearly 40% of the freshwater withdrawal in the US 4%
14%
Public supply +
domestic
is for Thermal-electric power plants; 90% of this is Irrigation

used for cooling. Livestock

Aquaculture
• EPRI study suggest lack of water in many regions 36%
Industrial

that put nearly 25% of power production at risk. Mining

37%
• Goal of the NSF-EPRI Collaboration: To eliminate Source: USGS
Thermoelectric
(once-through)
Thermoelectric
or minimize the use of water for cooling in 1%
5%
(recirculating)
2%1%
Thermal-electric power plants. Likely impact will be Water Supply Sustainability Risk Index (2030)
very significant in terms of water availability for
other sectors
• Ten projects exploring novel transformational ideas
funded at universities with industry
participation/oversight; NSF & EPRI contribute
equally.
Source: EPRI
• Future aim is to explore new directions in the
energy-water security research and to extend this
to include the other major source of water
withdrawal-food (Energy-Water-Food Nexus)

Source: King, AIChE 2013

© 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 2

 How did we get here?
• MOU established between NSF and EPRI in 2012
• Joint technical workshop held in ASME IMECE 2012 to
define most favorable research opportunities for water
saving advanced cooling technology development
• $6 M joint solicitation developed and issued in 2013
• Keys to successfully attract exceptional proposals
− Strong technical guidance
 Comprehensive background info. and data provided to
potential researchers
 Well defined selection criteria
− Engagement of the thermal-science community towards
this important societal problem
© 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 3
 NSF vs. EPRI Research Interests
• NSF
Transformational ideas and gaining fundamental
understanding of the associated fundamentals involving:
– Modeling
– Lab scale testing
– Fundamental technology development

• EPRI
Applied research and development
– Game changing idea development
– Modeling, design optimization, and prototype testing
– Technical and economical feasibility study

© 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 4

Summary of Projects with $6 M Total Funding
Project Title Orgnization Funder
Direct Contact Liquid on String Heat Exchangers for Dry
UCLA NSF
Cooling of Power Plants
On-demand Sweating-Boosted Air Cooled Heat-Pipe
U of S Carolina NSF
Condensers for Green Power Plants
Ejector Cooling Systems with Evaporation/Condensation
Univ of Missouri Columbia/SPX NSF
Compact Condensers
Novel Thermosyphon/Heat Pipe Heat Exchangers with Low Univ of Kansas /Univ of
NSF
Air-Side Thermal Resistance Connecticut
GaTech/Johns Hopkins/Southern
Auto Flutter Enhanced Air Cooled Condensers NSF-EPRI
Company/SPX
Advanced Air Cooled Condensers with Vortex-Generator
UIUC NSF-EPRI
Arrays between Fins
Indirect Dry Cooling Towers with Phase-Change Materials as
Drexel/ACT/Worley Parsons NSF-EPRI
Intermediate Coolants
Novel Heat-driven Microemulsion-based Adsorption Green
UMD/Worley Parsons EPRI
Chillers for Steam Condensation
Nanostructure Enhanced Air-Cooled Steam Condensers MIT/HTRI EPRI
Porous Structures With 3D Manifolds For Ultra-Compact Air
Stanford EPRI
Side Dry Cooling

© 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 5

 Broad Themes

• Heat Pipes/Thermo-Siphons
• Alternative Working Fluids/Materials
• Innovations in Dry Air Cooling
– Air Side
– Steam Side

© 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 6

 Heat Pipes/Thermo-Siphons

• On-demand Sweating-Boosted Air Cooled Heat-Pipe Condensers for

Green Power Plants (Univ. of S. Carolina)
• Novel Thermosyphon/Heat Pipe Heat Exchangers with Low Air-Side
Thermal Resistance (KU/Uconn)
• Ejector Cooling Systems with Evaporation/Condensation Compact
Condensers (University of Missouri)

© 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 7

 On-demand Sweating-Boosted Air Cooled Heat-
Pipe Condensers for Green Power Plants

Project Scope
 Develop highly efficient alternative
dry cooling systems by optimizing
heat acquisition via long-lasting
dropwise condensation (DWC), heat
transport from steam to the air-side
through highly conductive heat pipes,
and finally heat rejection by
sweating-boosted air cooling
 Design and evaluate impacts of the
proposed air cooled heat-pipe Key Potential Benefits
condensers on power plants in a VTB
• 4X better air side heat transfer coefficient up to ~
 Develop sweating-boosted air cooling 200 W/m2K
 Achieve long-lasting DWC with Ni • 2X higher steam side heat transfer coefficient
coatings using atmospheric plasma • Reduced air side heat transfer area up to 68%
spray (APS) • Reduced footprint up to 50%
 Develop high performance heat pipes • Potentially save nearly 70% water using dripping
with microscale hybrid wicks system compared to cooling towers
 Test a lab-scale ACC prototype • Reduced capital and maintenance costs of ACC

© 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 8

 Novel Thermosyphon/Heat Pipe Heat Exchangers
with Low Air-Side Thermal Resistance (KU/UConn)

Project Scope
 Integrate high capacity thermosyphons/heat
pipes with air-side metal foil/foam to Key Potential Benefits
minimize overall thermal resistances of heat • Develop the knowledge base that will enable
exchangers. the design of a economical, high-performance,
 Perform experiments and develop multi- completely-dry cooling towers or condensers.
phase physical models • Estimated improved performance at half the
 To measure and predict thermal cost of conventional dry cooling towers or
performance condensers.
 To enable a simulation capability for • Specifically, integrate high capacity heat
full-scale design. pipes/thermosyphons with air-side metal
 Assess the economic viability of a scaled-up foil/foam .
design (500 MWe).
© 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 9
 Ejector Cooling Systems with Evaporation/Condensation
Compact Condensers (University of Missouri)
Project Scope steam
• Demonstrate a new generation of ejector-based
cooling technology resulting in significant
reduction or elimination of the use of water for
Ejector
cooling power plants
To be completed soon .
• Develop mathematical model predicting the heat
system
transfer performance
• Demonstrate a 5 kW prototype
Compact steam
Key Potential Benefits m&e Condenser to boiler
• Effective utilization of low grade thermal
energy of steam for cooling
• Significant cost reduction of the ACC system
• Significant reduction (35% for wet cooling) or Conventional
elimination (100% for dry cooling) of the use of Steam Condensate
Condenser
water
• Condensation temperature decrease from 50
°C to 35 °C at an ambient temperature of 30 °C
Steam Ejector Based Condensate
• Easy integration of ongoing cooling systems
Condenser
• Simple, reliable and compact cooling system
Producing Size 
• SPX assessment ensuring satisfaction in real TSCT 
world needs additional cooling

© 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 10

 Alternative Working Fluids/Materials
• Indirect Dry Cooling Towers with Phase-Change Materials as
Intermediate Coolants (Drexel University/ACT)
• Novel Heat-driven Microemulsion-based Adsorption Green Chillers for
Steam Condensation (UMD)
• Direct Contact Liquid on String Heat Exchangers for Dry Cooling of
Power Plants (UCLA)

© 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 11

 Indirect Dry Cooling Towers with Phase-Change
Materials as Intermediate Coolants (Drexel University/ACT)

Project Scope
• Develop air-cooled PCM spray-freezing
technology with enhanced thermal and
fluidic performance.
• Perform technical & economic feasibility
evaluation including environmental impact
study.
• Perform testing and characterization of
components and scaled prototype.

Key Potential Benefits

Compared to traditional ACCs
• Improved air-side heat transfer coefficient due
to use of sprayed droplets.
• Reduced steam condensation temperature
in hot weather would lead to significant
production gain
• Reduced primary steam tubing and pressure
drop.
• Significantly reduced system cost and size

© 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 12

 Novel Heat-driven Microemulsion-based Adsorption
Green Chillers for Steam Condensation (UMD)
Qd (~200MW, 90oC, waste heat from
flue gas and other low grade heat)

Desorber
Joint UMD-EPRI
Patent Pending Solution Heat
Exchanger
(No Refrigerant Condenser)

W Expansion Valve
Expansion Valve
Pump

Liquid refrigerant
Adsorber
Vapor refrigerant

Evaporative cooling
Qa=913 MW 10oC below ambient
(rejection to air)
Novel Microemulsion-based Adsorption Chiller

Project Scope Key Potential Benefits

• Develop advanced microemulsion adsorbents Compared to the currently used ACCs
• Develop advanced microemulsion-based adsorption • More efficient evaporative cooling
chillers for power plant steam condensation • Reduced condensation temperature
Compared to the conventional green chillers
• Perform system integration energy and mass flow • No refrigerant condenser needed -Smaller size
balance analysis for 500 MWe coal plant • Reduced waste heat requirement (10X
• Perform prototype testing predicted)
• Perform technical and economic feasibility • 4X higher COP and lower cost
evaluation

© 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 13

Direct Contact Liquid on String Heat
Exchangers for Dry Cooling of Power Plants
NVL string Potential Integration
Thin liquid films Array of top reservoir ducts
flowing down on
Schemes
arrays of strings
DILSHE DILSHE

Array of bottom Cooling

collector ducts Cooling
air air
40 C
55 C
Single DILSHE unit NVL loop

Non-volatile Liquid-Liquid
liquid (NVL) HEX
loop

< 44 C Water coolant loop

Existing
Surface surface
60 C condenser 60 C condenser
condensate steam condensate steam

DISLHE module assembly with a central cooling air fan (a) Direct Connection (b) Indirect Connection

Project Scope
Key Potential Benefits
 Develop DIrect-contact Liquid-on-String Heat
• The DILSHE uses inexpensive polymer strings to
Exchangers (DILSHE) for indirect dry cooling of a
create very large heat transfer areas.
steam power plant.
• By reducing the use of heavy metals, highly economic
 Perform fundamental studies of the fluid mechanics
and light-weight dry cooling heat exchangers with zero
of thin liquid film flows on high-curvature surfaces and
water consumption can be achieved.
associated heat/mass transfer phenomena.
• Each DILSHE unit is also readily field serviceable
 Perform design, construction, and testing of a scaled-
and/or replaceable without disrupting plant operation.
down DILSHE prototype.

© 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 14

 Innovations in Dry Air-Cooling

• Auto Flutter Enhanced Air Cooled Condensers (Georgia Tech/Johns

Hopkins)
• Advanced Air Cooled Condensers with Vortex-Generator Arrays
between Fins (University of Illinois)
• Nanostructure Enhanced Air-Cooled Steam Condensers
(MIT and HTRI)
• Porous Structures With 3D Manifolds For Ultra-Compact Air Side Dry
Cooling (Stanford)

© 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 15

 Auto Flutter Enhanced Air Cooled Condensers
(Georgia Tech/Johns Hopkins)
ACC ACC Thermal Resistance

Baseline AFR Enhanced

0.45 oK kW-1 0.22 oK kW-1 0.14 oK kW-1

Key Potential Benefits

Project Scope
• Objective: Harness interactions between the • Significantly increased heat transfer
cooling air flow and miniature, autonomously- • Power plant efficiency increased
fluttering reeds (AFRs) in innovative • Inexpensive, off-the-shelf construction
condensers. materials
• Development of design principles using • Retrofitable
laboratory experiments • Clear commercialization pathway through
• Performance evaluation in laboratory-scale collaborations with Southern and SPX
condenser configurations.

© 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 16

Advanced Air Cooled Condensers with Vortex-Generator
Arrays between Fins (University of Illinois)

Project Scope
• Develop enhanced fin design for air-cooled
condensers (ACC) based on vortex-generator
arrays
• Using model experiments, validate CFD and
achieve a near-optimal vortex-generator array Key Potential Benefits
• Develop steam-side condensate management Compared to currently used ACCs
strategies to further enhance ACC performance • 3X higher air-side heat transfer coefficient with
• Use system modeling to investigate integration no net fan power increase
• Prototype fins to fine-tune design; prototype • Improved steam-side heat transfer coefficient
heat exchanger segment to validate predictions with decrease in steam pressure drop
of performance improvements
• Significant cost reduction of ACC systems
• Conduct technical and economic feasibility
evaluation
© 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 17
Nanostructure Enhanced Air-Cooled Steam Condensers
(MIT and HTRI)

Project Scope
• Develop nanostructure enhanced air-cooled A- Key Potential Benefits
frame design that maintains same overall Compared to the currently used ACCs
dimensions, but with increased number of • Order of magnitude higher condensation heat
smaller tube diameters, and enhanced air-side transfer coefficient
fin surface areas.
• Comparable steam side pressure drop to state-
• Develop and investigate scalable and robust of-the art systems with smaller diameter tubes
superhydrophobic nanostructure surfaces that
• Lower condensation temperature resulting in
promote jumping droplets with enhanced heat
net production gain
transfer in internal flows
• Similar to state-of-the-art A-frame design to
• Optimize the proposed A-frame design and to
facilitate use in existing plants
demonstrate performance enhancements in
industrial steam condenser conditions
© 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 18
Porous Structures With 3D Manifolds For Ultra-Compact
Air Side Dry Cooling (Stanford)
A-A’ View
Condenser Surface
Porous Al or Cu structures
Project Scope
• Develop a
Duocel Copper
breakthrough 3D (C10100) or Al Foam
Cold fluid in Hot fluid out
manifold that delivers (6101-T6), 8% Density.

high velocity air to a B B’ view

porous metal
800 nm
structured I/O
distributed inlets and
Copper Cold fluid in Hot fluid out
outlets to porous
Manifolding layer
Flow path
revolutionize the structures
design and
performance of A- Key Potential Benefits
framed air cooled • Dry Cooling - No cooling water used
condensers.
• More advanced than conventional air cooled condensers
• Validate pressure  > 20 X higher air side cooling rate
drop effects through  Lower condensation temperature (10 - 20 °C reduction ) resulting
prototype testing. in ~5% net production gain (~$11 M annual credit)
 Minimal air side pressure drop or fan power consumption gain
 10x size/footprint reduction

© 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 19

 Moving Forward at NSF
X
IS
Requires break-
THE NE US
water through,
NEW
transformative
Modulated by… cross-disciplinary
action in…
Water • Engineering &
• Quality science
• Quantity • Education
• Global economics
Energy • Global politics
• Sustainability • Policy & regulation
Food / Biomass
• Security • Risk analysis and
• Abundance management
• Distribution • Social / behavioral
sciences

© 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 20