Existing Solutions

Reduction, Consumption, Rain water, Process water, Natural ressources, University, Valorisation, People, R&D

technical

Educational

Global project of reduction of water consumption in a combine-cycle gas plant, by 3 means:

1) reduction of all our consumptions:  Educate people to operate with the best standards (to get zero leakage)

2) use of the rain wate: collect of the rain-water and re-use it throw a specific turbin grip and pomping station.

3) re-use all the process water in the process (project in partnership with the university of Rio de Janeiro)
We are working with a University of Rio de Janeiro in order to see how it is possible to improve the cooling tower heat rate (evaporation of 80% of our river intake)    

All these solutions are implemented in the Macae power plant, a eight years gas combined cycle plant  owned by EDF, situated  in Rio de Janeiro state, Brasil

Policy of the Board; all the staff of the Plant is actor of the project:

This project is fully part of our quality and sustainable strategic policy, approved and enhanced by our board. All the workers were involved in the elaboration. The project manager is our chemical engineer.
   

The global project of decrease of the water consumption  is in progress. It was launched in 2009.

How to continuously decrease our water consumption: in a first stage (educating people and Operating within the best standards) we have reached almost zero liter leakage in our process. 

Today, with the “use of rain -water” we are going to reduce our water river consumption to near than 5% ( re using of about 100  to 150 000 rain water m3/year).

At the end of this year (2012), implementing the third phase of the whole project (re-use of the process water in between 700 and 900 000 m3/year), we should reduce  our consumption up to 15%.  

Considering that almost 80% of the quantity of water that we take in the river is going back to the ecosystem throw evaporation (by a cooling tower system); at the end our real consumption for the all plant would be less than 5% of the total needed. 

The first phase of the project was only a very important organisational and human investment .

For the others phases of that project, we have considered in between 15 and 18 years as a reasonable period for the investment return (3,8 M Euros) . 

Nevertheless we consider that the best impact given by these project solutions is the ownership and the proudness  of the people working in or for the plant.

Obviously the quantity of water taken from the river is the main technical indicator. In the last three years  we have decreased by nearly 5%.

At the end of this year we should reach 15%.

But, as explained before, for sure, the main qualitative indicators of success is the proudness spirit of the people working in the company, includind all the sub contrators and the community, being aware and, for most of them, envolved in these results.

This project, above all the first phase of reduction of leakage (only people investment is needed), could be implemented in all the Electricity Plants all over the world, and also in other industries which need water for their process.

In our company we consider that sustainability is the conjuction of the three welknowned following parameters : financial results, environment, people.

Our strategy is to give the priority to the people in order to be able, with them, to do a good business, sustainable, taking care of everything that could impact our future. We are cautious that it is a long way, in which we have to do, to convince, to demonstrate………
People ( valorisation) and results are the key factors to convince and get. 

Some others industrials in the area have demonstraded some interest.

Philippe Quenet : pquenet@ute.com.br ( 55/22- 9251 0011)

Carlos Pedro : cpfneto@ute.com.br ( 55/22- 2765 9510)

Video of the solution: