Once-through

Other Processes. Flow sheets for typical partial-recycle process and typical once-through urea process are given in Figures 9 and 10, respectively. 

Because an excess of ammonia is fed to the reactor, and because the reactions ate reversible, ammonia and carbon dioxide exit the reactor along with the carbamate and urea. Several process variations have been developed to deal with the efficiency of the conversion and with serious corrosion problems. The three main types of ammonia handling ate once through, partial recycle, and total recycle. Urea plants having capacity up to 1800 t/d ate available. Most advances have dealt with reduction of energy requirements in the total recycle process. The economics of urea production ate most strongly influenced by the cost of the taw material ammonia. When the ammonia cost is representative of production cost in a new plant it can amount to more than 50% of urea cost. 

The Hysomer process produces an increase of about 12 octane numbers in suitable naphtha feedstocks. The process can be operated in conjunction with the Isosiv process (Union Carbide Corp.) for the separation of normal and isoparaffins, achieving complete isomerization of a C-5—C-6 stream. The combined process is trade named TIP (total isomerization process), and results in increases in octane numbers of about 20, rather than the 12 obtained with a once-through Hysomet treatment. 

Fig. 1. Pressurized water reactor (PWR) coolant system having U-tube steam generators typical of the 3—4 loops in nuclear power plants. PWR plants having once-through steam generators contain two reactor coolant pump-steam generator loops. CVCS = chemical and volume-control system.

Parameter Once-through feedwater Feedwater Blowdown water... 

Spent fuel can be stored or disposed of intact, in a once-through mode of operation, practiced by the U.S. commercial nuclear power industry. Alternatively, spent fuel can be reprocessed, ie, treated to separate the uranium, plutonium, and fission products, for re-use of the fuels (see Nuclear REACTORS, CHEMICAL reprocessing). In the United States reprocessing is carried out only for fuel from naval reactors. In the nuclear programs of some other countries, especially France and Japan, reprocessing is routine. 

Parameter Recirculating boiler Once-through boiler Once-through boiler... 

For once-through boilers, the treatment must be without soHd residues, so all-volatile treatment (AVT) is used. AVT, which is also used in some dmm boiler systems, rehes on the feedwater chemical additives, ammonia and hydrazine, to provide water appropriate to the boiler. Because the additives are volatile, they do not accumulate in the boiler and provide only minimal protection during contaminant ingress. Most plants using AVT have some form of condensate poHsher to remove impurities from the condensate. 

Fig. 1. The energy cycle of a thermal electric generating station having two alternative cooling systems (—) the open-circuit or once-through system and (-------------------------------------) a representative closed-cycle, cooling-tower system. Reproduced by permission (3).

W. Majewski and D. C. Miller, eds.. Predicting Effects of Power Plant Once-Through Cooling on Aquatic Systems, Technical Papers in Hydrology 20, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), Paris, 1979. 

Air coolers almost invariably add considerably to plant cost, but they are competitive in operating cost based on direct once-through use of water that requites no treatment. If the alternative to air coolers is the use of water that requites substantial treatment or pumping costs, the air coolers will cost less to operate. 

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