Question

A battle has erupted over a local power plant owner's decision to raise the power delivered by the plant from 2.10 x 102 MW to 599 MW (The delivered power accounts for energy losses). The local population is increasing, so the area needs more power. However, the plant expends its heated waste water into the Frustration River, local citizens are concerned that the heated water will raise water temperatures to the point where the endangered river smelt will die from oxygen depletion. Local biologists called into the fray report that the smelt can only withstand an average increase of 3.44°C. The river is 204 ft wide at the point where the waste water is dumped, but the depth and cross section is not well known. Farther downstream, however, the water flows through a narrow man-made concrete channel of rectangular cross-section, which has a width of 81.7 ft and depth of 43.2 ft. The water flows through this channel at 12.4 mph The power plant claims a planned efficiency of 33.70% for its new power plant design. Based on this information, what is the maximum power that the power plant can output without endangering the river smelt? Number Based on your results, which advice would you offer city planners about the proposed upgrade? The power plant should be able to deliver 599 MW of power without endangering the smelt. The smelt population will be endangered if the power plant increases its delivered power to 599 MW Although termed "waste water," the water in this case is not sewage; rather, the water is no longer usable to create power

Answer 1