Possible use of hydropower potential of cooling water at the thermal power plant

Abstract

Possibility of using hydropower potential of cooling water at the thermal power plant with open cooling system is presented in the paper. Cooling water flows gravitationally to the recipient - the river. In the periods of low water levels additional head occurs which could be used in small hydropower plant. Such a hydropower plant will operate only in periods when thermal power plant operates, with more or less constant flow and head that significantly changes in time. Small hydropower plant that uses cooling water of Thermal Power Plant 'Nikola Tesla B' is presented in the paper. The economic benefits of the HPP are calculated. The increase of profitability is assessed, bearing in mind that the plant would be realized as the Clean Development Mechanism project according to the Kyoto protocol. The obtained results show that the project is economically attractive, and it can be carried out with standard matured solutions of hydro turbines available at the market.

U radu je prikazana mogućnost korišćenja hidroenergetskog potencijala rashladne vode termoelektrane sa otvorenim sistemom hlađenja. Rashladna voda otiče gravitaciono do recipijenta - reke, zbog čega se u periodu nižih vodostaja javlja pad koji je moguće iskoristiti u maloj hidoelektrani. Takva hidroelektrana radi sa promenljivim padom i približno konstantnim protokom, i to samo u periodima kada radi i termoelektrana. Koncepcija je prikazana na primeru male hidroelektrane koja će koristiti hidroenergetski potencijal rashladne vode TE 'Nikola Tesla B'. Određeni su ekonomski pokazatelji ove hidroelektrane i ocenjeno je povećanje profitabilnosti imajući u vidu da postrojenje može biTI ostvareno u okvira Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projekta, u skladu sa Kjoto protokolom. Dobijeni rezultati pokazuju da je projekat ekonomski prihvatljiv, a moguće ga je ostvariti sa standardnim hidroturbinama dostupnim na tržištu.