Advances in Dry Cooling

Deployed at South African

Power Stations

Steve Lennon
Divisional Executive
Eskom

2011 Summer Seminar

August 1, 2011
 Eskoms Move to Dry-Cooling

Eskom historically utilized wet-cooled power stations

In 1966 it was decided to extend Grootvlei Power Station
3 factors had to be considered:
Growing demand for electrical power
Opportunity to exploit coal fields
Obligation to optimize the utilization of water
Eskom strategy:
Add generation capacity without increase in water
consumption
Gain experience in dry-cooling

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 Eskoms Pioneer: Grootvlei PS

Grootvlei Unit 5 and 6 added dry-cooled

Unit 5: Indirect system with spray condenser and dry cooling tower
Unit 6: Indirect system with surface condenser and dry cooling tower

Largest dry-cooling units

in the world at the time

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 Matimba Power Station (6 x 665 MW)

Design: Known turbine characteristics,

energy output was maximized over given
ambient temperature range
Average back pressure: 18.6 kPa
LP turbine protection: 65 kPa
Average steam velocity 80 m/s at 18.6 kPa
Station orientated with prevailing wind
direction towards boiler
2 x 5 m exhaust ducts
ACC details per unit
48 fans, 10 m diameter
8 streets with 6 fans per street
Street length 70.8 m
12 MW auxiliary power consumption
Total platform footprint 35 700 m2
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 Matimba Power Station Finned-Tubes

Oval tube and

rectangular fin design
2.5 and 4mm fin pitch in
2-row staggered
bundles
Carbon steel tubes with
carbon steel punched
fins, then hot dip
galvanized

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 Kendal Power Station (6 x 686 MW)

Surface condenser with SS tubes

Circulating water flow: 16.8 m3/s
Galvanised heat exchanger tubes
11 sectors which can be individually
isolated
Total of 1 980 km of finned tube/tower
Horizontal, radial arrangement
Tower dimensions
Diameter at tower base 144 m
Total height 165 m
Thermal design
Known turbine characteristics, energy
output was maximized over given
ambient temperature range
3.4 MW auxiliary power consumption/unit
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 Majuba Power Station (3 x 657 MW)

Average back pressure: 16.6 kPa

LP turbine protection: 70 kP
Station orientated with prevailing
wind direction towards boiler
2 x 5.5 m exhaust ducts
ACC details per unit
48 fans, 10 m diameter
8 streets with 6 fans per street
45 m air inlet opening
8.2 MW auxiliary power consumption
Total platform footprint 20995 m2
Finned-tube design similar to Matimba

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 Eskom Specific Water Consumption
Trend
Coal-fired power stations
2010 specific water consumption value = 1.38 l/kWh generated
12000 2.5

10000
2

8000
Total installed dry cooled capacity 1.5

Specific water consumption, l/kWh

l/kWh
MW

6000

4000

0.5
2000

0 0

1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
Year
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 Design Efficiency of Eskom Power
Stations

42%

40%

38%

36%

34%

32%

30%

Dry Cooled Wet Cooled Dry and Wet Cooled

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 Specific Water Consumption at
Power Stations

2500

2000
litres/MWh

1500

1000

500

Dry Cooled Wet Cooled Dry and Wet Cooled

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 Cost of Dry vs. Wet Cooling

Cooling system choice to be based on life cycle costing

including capital, O&M, plant output and cost of water
Relative costs for wet and dry indirect cooling systems in
1996:
Capital cost of dry system was approximately 170% of
wet system cost (surface condenser)
More than 1% reduction in average unit output for dry
system
Footprint of dry natural draft cooling towers is typically
300% of that of a wet cooling tower of comparable size
Challenge for retrofitting dry cooling systems is capital
costs
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 Medupi Power Station (6 x 794 MW)

Average back pressure: 14.1 kPa (at 9m/s wind)

LP turbine protection: 75 kPa (a)
Average steam velocity approximately 78 m/s at 14.1 kPa (a)
Station orientated with prevailing wind direction towards boiler
2 x 6.2 m exhaust ducts
ACC details per unit
64 fans, 11m diameter
8 streets with 8 fans per street
Street length 108 m
Approximately 52 m air inlet
opening
12.4 MW auxiliary power
consumption
Total platform footprint 72252 m2

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 Medupi Progress Boiler 6 and Boiler 5

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 Medupi Air-Cooled Condensers
Under Construction

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 Kusile Power Station (6 x 800 MW)

Average back pressure 11.55 kPa (at 9 m/s wind)

LP turbine protection: 75 kPa
Average steam velocity approximately 83 m/s at 11.55 kPa
Station orientated with prevailing wind direction towards boiler
2 x 6 m exhaust ducts
ACC details per unit
64 fans, 11 m diameter
8 streets with 8 fans per street
Street length 100.1 m
Approximately 58 m air inlet
opening
12.4 MW auxiliary power
consumption
Total platform footprint 66052 m2
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 Operational Experience: Majuba Unit 1
Trip During Unsteady Wind Period
Boiler Boiler Boiler
3 2 1
Turbine Majuba Unit 1 vacuum trip
Wind 13 November 2004
Air Cooled Condenser
100 direction 250
during trip
90

80 200

70
Temperature, Pressure, %

60 150
Generator Output, %

Amp
50
ACC Pressure, kPa (abs)

40 Steam temperature, C 100

30 Air Inlet Temperature, C

Fan motor current, Amp

20 50

10

0 0
2004/11/13 2004/11/13 2004/11/13 2004/11/13 2004/11/13 2004/11/13 2004/11/13 2004/11/13
14:49 14:57 15:04 15:11 15:18 15:25 15:33 15:40
Time

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 Future Role of Dry Cooling

Key technology in South Africas climate change impact

adaptation strategy
All future coal plants will be dry cooled
Application to other technologies being evaluated
especially solar thermal

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18
 TogetherShaping the Future of Electricity

Thank You

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