Water Resource Alternatives for Power Generation in Arizona
Affiliation
Nuclear Engineering, University of Arizona, TucsonWater Resources Research Center, University of Arizona, Tucson
Issue Date
1974-04-20Keywords
Hydrology -- Arizona.Water resources development -- Arizona.
Hydrology -- Southwestern states.
Water resources development -- Southwestern states.
Water reuse
Water conservation
Electric power production
Nuclear powerplants
Cooling water
Water sourcesArizonaWater resourcesWater management (applied)Water supplyWater utilizationWater requirementsHydroelectric powerElectric powerEfficienciesElectric power demandIndustrial waterPotential water supply
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Copyright ©, where appropriate, is held by the author.Collection Information
This article is part of the Hydrology and Water Resources in Arizona and the Southwest collections. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science and the University of Arizona Libraries. For more information about items in this collection, contact anashydrology@gmail.com.Publisher
Arizona-Nevada Academy of ScienceAbstract
An examination of potential water sources for power plant cooling in Arizona is presented along with information pertinent to Arizona's future water needs relative to electrical usage growth. It has been projected that Arizona's peak electrical power demands in 1980 and 1990 will exceed that of 1970 by some 5000 megawatts and 16000 megawatts of electricity respectively. At present, the bulk of the electrical energy generated in the western states originates at hydroelectric installations. Utilization of nuclear reactors for power generation requires a larger amount of cooling water than is required for a comparable fossil-fueled plant. It is suggested that the utilization of reclaimed wastewater for cooling purposes is a viable and attractive alternative to groundwater pumpage from both economic and ecological standpoints. Savings arise from conservation of fuel normally required for well pumps, costs of well construction are not required, quantities of fresh water should be released for consumption by alternate users, and a previously unused resource would be effectively recycled.ISSN
0272-6106Related items
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Resource Information Applied to Water Sources and Discharges at Existing and Potential Power Plant Sites in Arizona and the Southwest: Project Completion ReportA growing demand for energy production in Arizona has increased the need for assembling and analyzing water resource information relative to energy production, especially electrical power generation. Unit water requirements for cooling of electrical plants, combined with projections of future electrical power demands in Arizona, provide a perspective on future quantities of water needed for cooling. Probabilistic estimates of storage reserves in Arizona groundwater basins indicate that some prospective plant sites can be supplied from groundwater for the 30 -year life of the plant, while others cannot. An estimate of comparative cost for supplying groundwater versus municipal wastewater for cooling electrical plants at selected sites in Arizona showed that use of wastewater would result in considerable savings over use of groundwater, at all sites considered.
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