what is it to prevent?
2007-03-13 12:12:10 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Environment
A theoretical engine requires both a hot source and a cold sink to deliver work, which can be used to generate electrical power. Power plants may use fossil fuel combustion or nuclear reaction as the hot source of energy, but since no engine has 100% efficiency in converting into usable work, it has to "dump" the extra energy somewhere, and that's usually done with cooling towers.
Of course this immediately suggests the question, "Well then why can't we make use of that wasted energy to make more power?" Actually, a number of high-efficiency power plants do just that, but the fundamental limit is the temperature of the ambient air. It becomes progressively harder to have an engine that has its excess energy close to the temperature of the ambient air, so it becomes a tradeoff between cost and efficiency. At some point, it's just cheaper to dump excess energy of moderately warm temperatures into the air, than it is to try to scavege further usable energy from it.
2007-03-13 12:18:09 · answer #1 · answered by Scythian1950 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They recirculate the cooling water and the towers are like big waterfalls to bring the temperature of the water back down.
2007-03-13 12:19:20 · answer #2 · answered by normy in garden city 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's either that or dump the excess heat into the nearest river. Obviously, Sythian got it right first..
2007-03-13 12:26:44 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋