Cooling water systems in geothermoelectric plants present different problems than systems of conventional thermoelectric plants. For instance, the cooling system of Wairakei geothermoelectric plan uses fresh water, without recirculation, from Waikato River in a direct contact low level condenser. Some quantity of H2S present in the steam phase is dissolved in this water and no corrosion problems were reported. The Geysers plants at California, use cooling system with induced draft tower having precipitation of sulphur in the sump of the tower. The waste condensate is reinjected and the system operates without any apparent corrosion problems even to the extent that some plants use aluminum pipes. The Ahuachapan Plant, El Salvador, also uses cooling system with induced draft tower. They have not reported any problems due perhaps to the low H2S content of the gases. The situation at the Hatchobaru Plant, Japan, is the same as the one at Ahuachapan Plant. At Larderello, Italy, natural draft towers have not experienced any problems after several decades of operation. They plan to start operating two more plants this year. These two plants will have induced draft concrete towers with plastic backfilling.

Subject
Sulfur, Water, Piping, Turbines, Acidity, Condensers, Cooling systems, Bacteria, Towers, Cooling water, Cooling towers, Concrete, Oil
© 1980 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
1980
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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