TY - JOUR
TI - Risk of thermal pollution of the Danube passing through Serbia due to thermal power plants
AU - Laković Mirjana S
AU - Banjac Miloš J
AU - Bogdanović-Jovanović Jasmina
AU - Jović Milica M
AU - Milovanović Zdravko N
JN - Thermal Science
PY - 2018
VL - 22
IS - 15
SP - 1323
EP - 1336
PT - Article
AB - A thermal power plant (TPP) uses large amounts of fresh water, mostly for  cooling purposes. Among different types of cooling systems, once-through  cooling is the most water-intensive and has the greatest environmental  impacts. From the view-point of the steam cycle efficiency, this type of  cooling still provides the most efficient electricity production, and  therefore is widely used. Water is withdrawn from nearby water bodies,  absorbs heat from the steam in a condenser, and then discharged back to its  original source at higher temperatures causing severe environmental impacts,  including fish killing, disturbing ecosystems, and heating-up natural water  bodies. The total installed capacity of almost 1100 MW on the right bank of  the Danube in Serbia threatens the ecosystem of this large international  river due to thermal pollution. This problem will be even more pronounced in  the near future, due to an inevitable increase in production capacity for new  350 MW, currently under construction. Herein, analysis of the legal framework  for the protection of water from thermal pollution as well as analysis of the  actual situation on the site of the TPP "Kostolac" in Serbia are presented.  Based on meteorological and hydrological parameters, configuration and  operation parameters of the plant, the numerical simulation of the condenser  was carried on. The temperature of the water leaving condenser and amount of  heat discharged back to the river are obtained. According to those results,  the analysis of the existing thermal pollution of the Danube River in the  flow through Serbia is given by numerical simulation using software ANSYS  CFX. Analysis of thermal discharge into the Danube for the five-year period  has been carried out. The cooling water effluent causes a temperature  increase in the area of the right bank of the Danube, and this thermal  disturbance extends along the right river bank for kilometers. Note that the  flow rate of the Danube is currently large enough to compensate this thermal  disturbance, but for a smaller river and/or larger electricity production  capacities, this influence would have even more significant consequences on  the ecosystem, making those results even more useful for further analysis.