Water, Waler Everywhere . . .
91
units operating at comparatively low temperatures. In other words
the power generation is kept the same but the efciency of the
combined processes is improved by exploiting a general weakness of
desalination units—the inability to operate at very high tempera—
tures.
—
,
At last scientists and engineers seem to have resolved the apparent
dichotomy between eîciency and capital costs: dual purpose plants
permit the construction of large units. Combining the nuclear power
_
'
station with ash distillation has obvious attractions for countries
like Israel, which need both fresh water and energy. However, this
does not mean that the green light is necessarily showing for
_
desalination and that it is just a question of building the monster
installations._ The fact remains that so far no really large dual
purpose plant has been built and therefore much of the ‘dollars
and pounds’ talk remains an extrapolation from very much smaller
conventional installations.
…
‘
.,
Even though a convention of costing new projects has been
developed, estimates can vary considerably. The dual purpose
nuclear—power and desaltingplant proposed for California provides
an exampleof this. Scheduled for construction on an
shoreisland a few miles south of Long Beach, California, the plant
was to have provided 150 m.g.d. (enough water to meet municipal
and industrial needs of a city of 750,000 people) and generate
electric power at the rate of 1,600 ,megawatts (sufcient power
acity of almost 2 million people). However as the project progressed
to detailed analysis, the water cost of 22cents (13.10d.) originally
estimated Was found to be highly optirùistic, reecting s»thC
_
tremed0us increase of constructioncosts. ln
theproject
was cancelled. .In that year only one large dual purpose nuÇlear
plant was under
Shevchenk0 C;Ï_OSCÂÎOIÊhC
Caspian Sea.
which is located about a
’
from the shore has the capacity to generate 150 ;megawatts of
electricity and to provide about 33- 5 m.g.d.:
in comparison to other suggesteddual—purpose plant, is intended—as
a»pilQt;plant
much _largerones.
.
_
Ï
.,
—__j_
_,
In Britain, it has been estimated that water supplied
co'sts-,about Is.
1,000 Imperial gallons,
while that from new» reservoirs can cost 23…
gallonswith pumping costs. But even thoughthe, giant dual purpo_Se
plant maybring …thecosts down, to a ,fewshillings per 1,000 gallons,
91
units operating at comparatively low temperatures. In other words
the power generation is kept the same but the efciency of the
combined processes is improved by exploiting a general weakness of
desalination units—the inability to operate at very high tempera—
tures.
—
,
At last scientists and engineers seem to have resolved the apparent
dichotomy between eîciency and capital costs: dual purpose plants
permit the construction of large units. Combining the nuclear power
_
'
station with ash distillation has obvious attractions for countries
like Israel, which need both fresh water and energy. However, this
does not mean that the green light is necessarily showing for
_
desalination and that it is just a question of building the monster
installations._ The fact remains that so far no really large dual
purpose plant has been built and therefore much of the ‘dollars
and pounds’ talk remains an extrapolation from very much smaller
conventional installations.
…
‘
.,
Even though a convention of costing new projects has been
developed, estimates can vary considerably. The dual purpose
nuclear—power and desaltingplant proposed for California provides
an exampleof this. Scheduled for construction on an
shoreisland a few miles south of Long Beach, California, the plant
was to have provided 150 m.g.d. (enough water to meet municipal
and industrial needs of a city of 750,000 people) and generate
electric power at the rate of 1,600 ,megawatts (sufcient power
acity of almost 2 million people). However as the project progressed
to detailed analysis, the water cost of 22cents (13.10d.) originally
estimated Was found to be highly optirùistic, reecting s»thC
_
tremed0us increase of constructioncosts. ln
theproject
was cancelled. .In that year only one large dual purpose nuÇlear
plant was under
Shevchenk0 C;Ï_OSCÂÎOIÊhC
Caspian Sea.
which is located about a
’
from the shore has the capacity to generate 150 ;megawatts of
electricity and to provide about 33- 5 m.g.d.:
in comparison to other suggesteddual—purpose plant, is intended—as
a»pilQt;plant
much _largerones.
.
_
Ï
.,
—__j_
_,
In Britain, it has been estimated that water supplied
co'sts-,about Is.
1,000 Imperial gallons,
while that from new» reservoirs can cost 23…
gallonswith pumping costs. But even thoughthe, giant dual purpo_Se
plant maybring …thecosts down, to a ,fewshillings per 1,000 gallons,