IMPACT OF COOLING WATER TEMPERATURE ON PLANT PERFORMANCE

摘要

Cooling water plays a vital role in the performance of a plant in terms of the energy utilisation/optimisation, production and financial earnings of the business. The water temperature sets the temperature levels of a water-cooled plant, process or system which determine its energy utilisation, operating costs and/or savings. It is therefore, important to get the cooling water at the right temperature to ensure optimal performance and efficiency of a plant. This paper uses a real-life problem that occurred at the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas plant in Bonny as a case study to show how the performance of a cooling tower impacts the cooling water temperature and hence the overall performance of a water-cooled plant. This problem, which lasted for about six months, resulted in the loss of production daily and an associated revenue loss.