Power Generation
Cooling towers are essential to the operation of thermal power plants and their performance is critical to the steam turbine efficiency. Small changes in the temperature of cold water generated by the cooling tower have an outsized effect on heat rate. Infinite Cooling technologies allow power plants to increase their efficiency and uptime while reducing their water usage.
POWER PLANT MANAGER, EASTERN USA
“We would not have identified all these improvement opportunities without TowerPulse™"
Power generation efficiency
Steam turbine efficiency is directly linked to the backpressure in the steam condenser, which in turn is set by the cooling tower efficiency. A myriad of maintenance issues or inefficient settings can decrease cooling efficiency and reduce the amount of power generated. Infinite Cooling can monitor towers, diagnose inefficiencies, and enhance performance with actionable recommendations.
1-3%+
POWER
PRODUCTION
Water consumption
Cooling towers are responsible for the vast majority of water consumption at power plants through evaporation and wastewater blowdown. Makeup water needs to be procured to replace losses, and wastewater needs to be disposed of in a safe way. Infinite Cooling enables plants to safely operate at higher cycles by continuously tracking thermal performance and ensuring that scaling, fouling and corrosion do not occur. Infinite Cooling also detects leaks and basin overflow for immediate intervention. This allows facilities to reduce freshwater intake and wastewater discharge while protecting critical assets and maintaining reliable operation.
1-20%
LESS WATER
Energy savings
Cooling tower fans represent a significant auxiliary load in thermal power plants, and towers are often over-utilized. TowerPulse analyzes ambient conditions, plant load, and tower performance to determine the minimum airflow required to meet condenser targets, enabling optimized cell staging and fan operation. By running only the fans needed under given conditions, plants can lower auxiliary energy consumption, improve net plant efficiency, and increase overall revenue without compromising cooling performance.
20-50%
LESS ENERGY
