{"id":7446,"date":"2012-03-16T10:41:05","date_gmt":"2012-03-16T15:41:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/?p=7446"},"modified":"2012-10-10T15:57:20","modified_gmt":"2012-10-10T20:57:20","slug":"how-to-cool-down-texas-power-plants-with-less-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/2012\/03\/16\/how-to-cool-down-texas-power-plants-with-less-water\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Cool Down Texas Power Plants With Less Water"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo courtesy of Webber Energy Group\/University of Texas at Austin<\/p>

Ashlynn Stillwell's research looks at how to reduce water use by power plants.<\/p><\/div>\n

During the current Texas drought<\/a> lakes have dried up<\/a>, towns have run out of water<\/a>, water pipes have burst<\/a> and wildfires have raged<\/a>. The use of water is a major concern of all Texans, and water use by steam-electric power plants in Texas is projected to go up over 120 percent by 2060<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Technology that can reduce the amount of water a power plant needs to create energy and cool down has never been more important. Ashlynn Stillwell<\/a>, a civil and architectural engineering PhD candidate at the University of Texas at Austin with the Webber Energy Group<\/a>, sat down to speak with us recently about her research into water use by power plants and how it will affect Texas\u2019 water supply.<\/p>\n

Q: <\/span>Can you give us a brief description of how thermoelectric power plants use water?<\/p>\n

A: <\/span>So, thermoelectric power plants use some sort of fuel to create steam and then that steam turns a turbine. Usually, the water that is used is very high-purity, so we don\u2019t want to lose that water. We want to condense it and recycle it and reuse it. The way that we condense it is to use some method of cooling. So, that is either using a river or a lake for cooling directly, or using cooling towers.<\/p>\n

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