(86f) Feasibility of Using Reclaimed Water for Thermoelectric Power Plant Cooling

Reclaimed water – treated effluent from municipal wastewater treatment plants – is a source of non-potable water with the opportunity to offset freshwater use for cooling thermoelectric power plants.  We performed an analysis of the geographic, technologic, and economic feasibility of using reclaimed water for power plant cooling in both retrofit and forward-looking applications, applying our methodology to the state of Texas.  This methodology employs spatial analysis, optimization, multiple linear regression, and geographic calculations to evaluate areas of suitability.  In retrofit applications, results show that use of reclaimed water for cooling was best suited for small- to medium-sized power plants near urban areas operating closed-loop cooling systems.  Estimated annual cost of retrofit was dominated by the purchase of reclaimed water in our model; however, pipeline construction cost was determined to be a significant variable in estimating power generation.  In forward-looking applications, pipeline construction cost, water scarcity, and reclaimed water flow rate were found to contribute to future suitability of reclaimed water use at power plants.  Our analysis revealed that reclaimed water can be a geographically, technologically, and economically feasible resource to cool thermoelectric power plants.