Application of pulsed spark discharge for precipitation of calcium carbonate and prevention of mineral fouling in heat exchangers

One of the challenges in the production of electricity is the cooling water management because the calcium content in circulating cooling water continues to increase with time as pure water evaporates. Thus, the excessive mineral contents in water circulation systems could cause severe fouling in heat transfer equipment. To avoid the catastrophic failure in condensers, the cooling water is discharged after 3 cycles at a rate of 10 million gallons a day in a 1,000-MW thermoelectric power plant. The objective of the present study was to investigate the feasibility of using plasma discharge in water to precipitate excess calcium for the prevention of mineral fouling in condensers. The plasma discharge used in the present study utilized microsecond duration pulse spark discharge in water with a voltage up to 30,000 V and a typical peak-peak current of 100 A.