Abstract
Power plants are designed to discharge a significant amount of energy to the ambient environment with much of this discharge occurring through the main steam condenser. When condensers operate with lower than design temperature water or air, they produce a substantially improved capacity until other factors limit their performance such as steam velocities. Instead of modulating flow, the tubes can be segregated into condenser halves. In one half, the surface is operating at full load, as a standard steam condenser heating the cooling water or air while the other half of the surface evaporates a refrigerant. This refrigerant can then be drawn through another low pressure turbine to recover energy before being condensed in a separate condenser. This Condenser for Power Recovery System (CPRs) is a bottom cycling is based on one of several optional fluids and is described by a recent US Patent US10,577,986 B2.
