Energy Conservation in Air Cooled Condenser: A Case Study

Abstract

Air cooled condensers were first introduced in the US power industry in the early 1970s, but only during the last few decades has the number of installations greatly increased, largely to mitigate the problem of available water supply. Air may be used as a cooling medium in condensers where, primarily, there is scarcity of water, or where the ambient remains significantly cold for major parts of the year. Air cooled condensers are designed considering the design ambient conditions of summer. During winter months, if the air flow rate over the heat transfer surfaces is kept constant, it leads to improved condenser vacuum, and consequently, improved heat rate. Alternatively, the fans may be run at lower speeds, by using variable frequency drives (VFD), so as to keep the condenser vacuum constant, resulting uniform heat rate. This paper compares the economics between the power saved by the use of VFD in the condenser fans, keeping constant heat rate throughout the year, vis-à-vis, the saving in fuel, effected when the fans are operated at constant speed throughout the year and thus achieving improved heat rate during colder ambient.