Thursday, September 30, 2010

POWER STATION THREE?

We know there's already a gas-fired Brigg power station on part of the old sugar factory site - just over the border in Scawby Brook; we know there are controversial plans to build another straw-burning one nearby (still going through the appeals process).
Now a third scheme has been muted to our town councillors. This one will be gas-fired.
Details were somewhat sketchy, to say the least, when placed before members of Brigg Town Council's planning and environment committee. The Infrastructure Planning Commission has given notice so our councillors can consider whether they wish to comment on the environmental impact.
The actual planning application is expected to be lodged on March 1, 2011.
Coun Ann Eardley said they would need to question the amount of water being drawn from the River Ancholme for cooling purposes and what affect that might have on the waterway. She thought two stations would need twice the volume of water.
Coun Tom Glossop said the affect on the flood plain would need to be considered, while Coun Jane Kitching suggested questions about possible pollution, increased road traffic and noise.
It was agreed to look back in the records to check what questions were raised over the previous two power station applications for this area before drawing up the Town Council's response.
Whether there would be room for all three power stations on the site (subject to approval), or whether the respective applicants would wish to proceed with them all, remains to be seen.

2 comments:

Ken Harrison said...

Interesting point about the water supply....the salient feature is that water is drawn from the river for cooling purposes.....apart from some that evaporates, the water is returned after appropriate cooling to the river.
Traditional power stations use cooling towers - essentially giant shower cubicles to cool water, return it to a on-site reservoir b4reycling it back into the cooling system.
The power station at Scawby Brook uses a variation on this theme with several smaller cooling devices in which water is repeatedly recycled within a tank of water. This is an open system, unlike a cooling system on a car which is closed, or sealed - water (coolant) is pumped about the engine and pipe and thro' the radiator (help by a fan) at which the air flow cools the heated water. They all work on the simple principle of the more surface area exposed, the quicker cooling takes place - associated with other mechanical elements, such as the rate and temp of the air flow around/over such surfaces.
The steel works already extracts water from the Ancholme - I understand that it takes about 100 metric tonnes of water to make 1 tonne of steel....water has to be returned to the river at an acceptable temp.

Ken Harrison said...

ps Many boats use both a sealed and open system to cool their engines.
Outboard motors tend to use an open circulatory system - suck water in, circulate it about the engine and squirt it out (the exit squirt is called a 'trace')
In-board engines usually have a sealed marime radiator and a scondary system with a water pump sucking water in, pumping it around a heat-exchanger which is usually wrapped about the sealed radiator until pressure forces the heated water out (usually at the stern)...most boats use a combi engine exhaust/water outlet pipe - hence made from stainless steal..or in older boats, cast iron to reduce corrosion.
(the water seen being pumped out from the side of boats is probably excess bilge water - ie flood water that has settled about the keel area of the boat --- the EA stiplulates that boats on rivers have to have an oil tray under the engine to reduce the opportunity of oil filtering into the bilges and later polluting the river water)