Optimal use of waste heat of condenser of thermal power plant

The current thermal power plants have an efficiency of about 35%. Presently, in thermal power plants, the steam used to run the turbine to generate power is condensed in the condenser, where water is used as the condensing fluid. The heat transferred to the cooling water in the condenser is hence then wasted to ambient. This paper proposes a modified cycle for the operation of thermal power plants. It incorporates a secondary cycle based on a conventional OTEC plant which utilizes this rejected heat by using R717 in the secondary cycle. The efficiency for varying temperatures was computed and the results obtained are presented. Thus, the technology proposed has the capacity to increase the current efficiency of power plants and optimize the use of fossil fuels.