Assessment of the Use of Direct Contact Condensers with Wet Cooling Systems for Utility Steam Power Plants

Potential use of a direct contact condenser for disposing steam at the turbine exhaust of a utility power system using a wet cooling system is investigated. To maintain condensate separate from the cooling water, a bank of plate heat exchangers is used. In a case study for a nominal 130-MW steam power plant, two heat rejection systems, one using a conventional surface condenser and another usinga direct contact condenser together with a set of plate heat exchangers are compared on the basis of their performance, operation and maintenance, and system economics. Despite a higher initial cost for the direct contact system, the advantages it offers suggest that this system is viable both technically and economically.