Follow the Drop – Power Plant Cooling

You’ve arrived at the thermal generation power plant, but you may not yet know what you are doing there! Just so you understand, a thermal power station is a power station in which heat energy is converted to electric power. In most places, the turbine is steam-driven: the water can either be heated, generally with gas, to provide steam that drives the turbines, or it can be used to cool machinery and prevent overheating.  If you are interested in learning more about power plant cooling, go to the Nexus Energy page 

When water is to be used for cooling, it first has to be heated up. If the water released back to the river is warmer than the river water, it can cause stress or harm to animal and plant species adapted to cold water. You’ll be relieved to hear that because the Bow River is a cold water river, none of the power generation plants in the watershed discharge into the river until the water has been cooled.

Water quality can also be impacted by power plant cooling because of the solids and minerals that are left behind when evaporated water becomes concentrated. This left behind water, called blowdown water, can contain high levels of dissolved solids, heavy metals and organics. Blowdown water must be treated before it is returned to the river.