Prayagraj: At a time when India has recently commissioned its first supercritical coal-fired power plant equipped with an air-cooled condenser, the energy-water nexus is a critical issue for thermal power generation in India, where water availability is already limited in many regions.
In this backdrop, a team of scientists, led by prof Ravi Prakash from department of Mechanical Engineering of Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT), have suggested using seawater instead of water from reservoirs using river water. The researchers have not only detailed the technical challenges faced by the country but also point out the opportunities that exist for more sustainable energy production.
The research work, which has already been published in the Springer journal with the title ‘energy-water nexus for thermal power generation in India: challenges and opportunities’, is quoted and highly appreciated while being cited in the Power Magazine published from USA.
“We have proved that using sea water will not only solve the problem of using water from rivers but after using the sea water for cooling the steam, the same can be made potable by removing the salinity”, said prof Prakash. Moreover, the system proposed and analysed by us using cool seawater highlights many advantages such as higher thermal efficiency compared to conventional water and air cooled plants, free air-conditioning, and production of fresh water and salt as by-products after desalination of the used sea water, he added.
Throwing light on the study, JC Mohanta, the co-author of the paper and associate professor of the department said, “Using Air Cooled Condensers (ACCs) in thermal power plants is not feasible due to high cooling loads of air precooling as well as lower thermal efficiency. Instead by using seawater cooling, there are multiple advantages including a 27.7% increase in electrical equivalent efficiency, free sea water drawn from ocean depths from the large coastline of the country, provide free air conditioning from the same cool water (which is around 5-degree celsius) before going through the condenser and thereafter the same can be desalinated for fresh water and salt production for chemical industries”.
The team is also working on lifecycle assessment of thermal power plants with carbon capture to assess the impact of power generation on the environment, which will be compared with solar power plants for a rational policy decision.
“India’s push toward more sustainable energy production has prompted the country to explore alternative technologies and methods. The growing use of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies, as outlined in the cited paper, is crucial for ensuring a sustainable energy future while also managing the country’s water resources”, said prof Prakash.
Satyajit Malode, the research scholar who is also one of the authors said, “Investing in more sustainable energy production is not only essential for India’s future but also for the world’s fight against climate change. The development of the first supercritical coal-fired power plant equipped with an air-cooled condenser is a step in the right direction”. However, sea water cooling based power plants, as proposed in the cited research, can provide higher thermal efficiencies with additional advantages of free air conditioning and freshwater production, he added.
In this backdrop, a team of scientists, led by prof Ravi Prakash from department of Mechanical Engineering of Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT), have suggested using seawater instead of water from reservoirs using river water. The researchers have not only detailed the technical challenges faced by the country but also point out the opportunities that exist for more sustainable energy production.
The research work, which has already been published in the Springer journal with the title ‘energy-water nexus for thermal power generation in India: challenges and opportunities’, is quoted and highly appreciated while being cited in the Power Magazine published from USA.
“We have proved that using sea water will not only solve the problem of using water from rivers but after using the sea water for cooling the steam, the same can be made potable by removing the salinity”, said prof Prakash. Moreover, the system proposed and analysed by us using cool seawater highlights many advantages such as higher thermal efficiency compared to conventional water and air cooled plants, free air-conditioning, and production of fresh water and salt as by-products after desalination of the used sea water, he added.
Throwing light on the study, JC Mohanta, the co-author of the paper and associate professor of the department said, “Using Air Cooled Condensers (ACCs) in thermal power plants is not feasible due to high cooling loads of air precooling as well as lower thermal efficiency. Instead by using seawater cooling, there are multiple advantages including a 27.7% increase in electrical equivalent efficiency, free sea water drawn from ocean depths from the large coastline of the country, provide free air conditioning from the same cool water (which is around 5-degree celsius) before going through the condenser and thereafter the same can be desalinated for fresh water and salt production for chemical industries”.
The team is also working on lifecycle assessment of thermal power plants with carbon capture to assess the impact of power generation on the environment, which will be compared with solar power plants for a rational policy decision.
“India’s push toward more sustainable energy production has prompted the country to explore alternative technologies and methods. The growing use of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies, as outlined in the cited paper, is crucial for ensuring a sustainable energy future while also managing the country’s water resources”, said prof Prakash.
Satyajit Malode, the research scholar who is also one of the authors said, “Investing in more sustainable energy production is not only essential for India’s future but also for the world’s fight against climate change. The development of the first supercritical coal-fired power plant equipped with an air-cooled condenser is a step in the right direction”. However, sea water cooling based power plants, as proposed in the cited research, can provide higher thermal efficiencies with additional advantages of free air conditioning and freshwater production, he added.
