A case study on the design of condenser effluent outlet of thermal power plant to reduce foam emitted to surrounding seacoast

Abstract

A case study of numerical modeling and physical experiment was carried out to search for best design of the new condenser effluent outlet of a thermal power plant that minimizes the amount of foam emitted from the outlet. The generation of foam cannot be exactly simulated or reproduced in both methodologies so that the focus of study was placed on minimizing the amount of entrained air volume, which is the main source of the foam formed on the water surface around the effluent outlet. The proposed outlet structure includes a stepped drop to diminish air entrainment and multiple curtain walls to delay emission of the generated form. By comparing the air fraction in the outlet for various geometries of the drop and curtain walls, the detailed design of the outlet was determined so as to make the air fraction minimum. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.