An Electronic Newsletter
of EEA's Environmental Consulting Activities
Spring 2004
EEA, Inc.
55 Hilton Avenue
Garden City, New York
(516) 746-4400
(212) 227-3200
(800) 459-5533
with additional New York offices in:
Stony Brook
(631) 751-4600
Altamont
(518) 861-8586
New Jersey Office:
Weehawken
(201) 865-8444
e-mail addresses:
General:
mailto:eea@eeaconsultants.com
Individual:
First initial and last name
@eeaconsultants.com
EEA services include
Phase I ESAs, Haz-Mat
Testing and Remediation, Wetlands
Delineation
and Creation, Natural
Resources Inventories,
Marine Ecology Studies,
Air Quality and Noise
studies, and Environmental Management
System (ISO 14000) implementation.
Visit our web site at
http://www.eeaconsultants.com/
For information or
quotes contact:
Phase I ESAs
Richard
Fasciani
Phase II/III Haz-Mat
Testing and Remediation
Nicholas
Recchia, CPG
Dredge Management Testing
Jeffrey Shelkey
EAS/EIS Studies
Janet Collura,
CWS
Wetlands Studies and
Design
Laura Schwanof,
RLA
Marine Ecology
Teresa Rotunno
Terrestrial Ecology
Denise
Harrington, AICP
Air Quality and Noise
Victor Fahrer,
P.E.
Power Plants-Water Permitting
Glenn
Piehler, Ph.D.
Environmental Management Systems
(ISO 14000)
Robert
Clifford
EEA, Inc. -
founded in 1979
Principals
Leland M.
Hairr, Ph.D.
President
Allen Serper,
M.S., P.E.
Vice President
Roy R. Stoecker,
Ph.D.
Vice President
Historical USEPA “Guidance” for Once Through Cooling
Water Intake Systems (CWIS)
Ø
Avoid wetlands, threatened and endangered
species habitat
Ø
Avoid lagoons, coves, etc.
Ø
Keep the screen approach velocity below
0.5 feet per second (fps)
Ø
Avoid “downdrafts” into CWIS (incorporate
velocity caps)
Ø
Minimize the time organisms are pinned
against screens
Ø
Don’t put a high capacity intake in a zone
of high biological value
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EPA’s Key Milestones for Revised 316(b) Regulation since 1995
ü
1/98 – Information
Collection
Request (ICR) issued
ü
6/98 – First public
hearing (approach)
ü
9/98 – Second hearing
(cost benefits, mitigation)
ü
7/00 – Proposed Phase
I Regs (new CWIS)
ü
5/01 – “Panel of
Experts” Conference
ü
11/01 – Final Phase I
Regs
ü
2/02 – Proposed Phase
II Regs (existing power plant CWIS)
ü
5/03 – Meeting on
technologies
ü
2/04 – Final phase II
Regs issued
ü
11/04 – Proposed
Phase III Regs due (other facilities with CWIS)
ü
6/06 – Final Phase
III Regs due
See Winter 2004 edition of
INSIGHTS
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EEA’s
SIS Is Expected
to Address 316(b)
Requirements
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SUBSTRATUM INTAKE SYSTEM
An Innovative Water Intake System for
Power Generation Facilities
(printer friendly version
uses Acrobat Reader)
Overview of
the Concept
Under the
guidance and direction of Roy R. Stoecker, Ph.D., Vice President of EEA,
staff scientists and engineers conceived a substratum intake structure
technology that may have widespread beneficial ramifications upon both the
operations and environmental impacts of large thermal power plants. |
The acronym SIS stands for “Substratum Intake System.” The SIS
Concept replaces traditional surface water intake structures
with an under sea bottom (or lake bottom) well field utilizing
surface waters filtered through a natural sand bed. The
objective of the Concept is to allow facilities to operate open
cycle cooling systems without causing impacts to the indigenous
biota.
Steam electric generating stations (or other industrial
facilities) that utilize ambient surface waters for cooling the
condensers produce a variety of negative environmental impacts
to the local receiving waters. |
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Dr.
Roy Stoecker
Vice President, EEA
Inventor of the SIS Concept |
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The
massive volumes of water circulated through a large facility absorb
heat from the condensers typically raising the water temperatures 10
to 20 degrees within seconds. Additionally, facilities situated on
saline waters periodically use biocides, such as chlorine to control
the growth of algae and attaching organisms.
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Types of Environmental Impacts From
Traditional Intake Structures
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Entrainment
Entrainment is a term for the process of sweeping planktonic organisms,
including fish eggs and larval forms, through the cooling system of a
power plant. The organisms are subject to mechanical (pumping) stresses,
thermal effects and injection of biocides. Overall mortality of the
organisms varies but is usually high, sometimes approaching 100 percent.
This mortality is thought to be a factor in reduction of finfish stocks in
both fresh and saline waters
Impingement
The term impingement refers to the process whereby fish and invertebrates
are sucked against the intake screens of a power plant. The water
velocity prevents them from getting off the screens and they remain there
until the screens are backwashed. Impinged fish and invertebrates are
sometimes returned alive to ambient waters, but can be killed. |
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Northeast Coast Power Plant |
Thermal Plumes
Discharge water from power plants is usually 15 to 25 degrees higher than
the intake water. Depending on the water demands of the plant, large
thermal plumes of heated water may exist in the vicinity of the power
plant or other heat producing industrial facility. During summer months,
these plumes may be sufficiently hot to kill or stun fish and
invertebrates.
SIS Concept
While much work has been done researching the effects of power plants on
aquatic biota, and numerous intake systems tested, the impacts still
remain very much a problem. So much so that regulatory agencies usually
specify an alternate cooling system, such as cooling towers, even though
this lessens the thermal efficiently of the power plant or industrial
facility. Over the past several years, EEA scientists and engineers have
conceived of an alternate cooling system for thermal plants that retains
the advantage of ambient water cooling while completely eliminating all
adverse environmental impacts.
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Conceptual Diagram of
SIS,
the
Substratum Intake System
(full size diagram:
jpg,
pdf) |
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No Entrainment
Instead of using surface waters, the proposed SIS intake system uses
ground water from under the surface water body. Assuming a medium to
coarse sand substrate, a series of horizontal well heads is drilled from
the shore to a terminal point offshore. The well screens will be
approximately thirty feet below the sea floor bottom. Water reaching the
well screens will be filtered through this sand, which will completely
eliminate the planktonic organisms so no entrainment of these forms will
result.
No Biocides
Since the ground water reaching the plant is essentially sterile, there
will be no need for biocides for encrusting organisms. The elimination
of biocide injection is an environmental benefit for the system and a
cost-saving measure as well.
No Impingement
Additionally, assuming the well field is sufficiently large in area, the
downward velocity gradient through the sand sea floor will be so low as
to preclude any possibility of impingement of organisms on the sea floor
above the well field.
No Thermal Plume
Since the ground water underneath the surface waters is too deep to
experience seasonal thermal variations, it remains at near constant
temperature year round. For this region (Long Island, New York), that
temperature is approximately 50 degrees. Assuming a power plant
temperature rise of 20 degrees, the release temperature during summer
months will be 70 degrees, or approximately five degrees below summer
ambient for this area. Therefore, there will be no thermal plume coming
from a power plant with an SIS cooling system. Thermal plumes are not
considered detrimental during winter months.
Substantial Thermal Efficiency Gains (Fuel
Savings)
Since the summer substrate intake water will be cooler than ambient
surface waters, the SIS concept will improve the thermal efficiency of a
power plant during the peak demand months. The SIS concept, if
implemented, will impose no parasitic drag on the operations of a power
plant and, in fact, may boost thermal efficiency during summer months.
If compared to a cooling tower alternative, the SIS concept will have
even greater thermal efficiency benefits.
This
increase in thermal efficiency will result in substantial fuel savings
for the plant. Preliminary calculations by thermal power plant engineers
reveal that, for a large electric plant, fuel savings would be in the
multimillions per summer season. |
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The physical
concept is broken into three component pieces:
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Under sea
or lake bottom well field. Well screen pipes are buried by horizontal
directional drilling under the sea bottom to a depth of approximately
thirty feet. The length and diameter of the well field pipes will
depend on the water quantity required by the particular facility. A
sand substrate (as opposed to rock or clay) is a requirement for the SIS
concept.
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Manifold
and pumping station. The substrate well pipes are connected to a
collection manifold and then to a booster pump station that pumps the
water from the collection pipes to the shoreside facility.
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Water
collected by the SIS and pumped into the power plant will be fed
directly into the plant forebay where the circulating pumps will operate
normally. The forebay will be closed to surface water by stop logs, but
could quickly be reopened if needed. This gives the plant complete
redundancy for cooling supply.
Current Status
In September 2003, EEA retained a patent attorney firm. They researched
the proposal and found that no prior patent had been issued for the
Substratum Intake System concept. Based on that finding, and the opinion
of the attorneys that the proposal is patentable, an application was filed
with the United States Patent Office. The present concept is considered
patent pending.
In order to
further develop the system, EEA has assembled a team consisting of a
hydrogeological firm and an engineering firm with extensive experience in
water well technologies. EEA scientists are in negotiations with
utilities concerning feasibility projects and conceptual engineering
designs for specific power plants. EEA scientists are also presenting the
concept to regulatory agencies and electric utility trade associations.
Since the USEPA has recently issued Phase II regulations for existing
power plants (CWIS) (see previous Newsletter) that require
substantial reductions of entrainment and impingment, the SIS concept is
particulary timely. For further information email to:
rstoecker@eeaconsultants.com |
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