Author(s):
1. Jovan Škundrić, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract:
Air-cooled condensers have become increasingly prevalent in large thermal power plants in recent years. The primary advantage of such a system for water vapor condensation is the absence of the need for water (such as a river or lake) at the power plant site, which is typically necessary for conventional water-cooled condensers. Consequently, a thermal power plant employing an air-based condensation system can be located near a mine site regardless of the terrain. However, using ambient air as a cooling medium presents numerous challenges including low density, low specific heat capacity, relatively high temperatures, and often unpredictable meteorological parameters, particularly wind speed and direction, as well as ambient air temperature that can significantly impact the operation of this type of condenser. Moreover, as air-cooled condensers have been implemented in large power plants relatively recently, there exists a range of physical phenomena and dependencies that remain insufficiently explored but substantially affect plant operational stability. Hence, this study conducts an analysis of how changes in the air velocity entering the condenser cell affect the amount of heat removed from the condensing steam and the temperature gradient in the vicinity of the heat exchange surface of the condenser. The research was conducted at the "Stanari" Thermal Power Plant in the Republic of Srpska, currently the only large thermal power plant in Eastern Europe utilizing this type of condensation system at the time of writing.

Key words:
Air-cooled condenser, Thermal Power Plant, Power Generation Facility, condensation, heat exchange

Date of abstract submission:
02.07.2024.

Conference:
Contemporary Materials 2024 - Savremeni Materijali

Applied paper from author