Energy-Water NexusVincent Tidwell and Mike Hightower

Sandia National LaboratoriesAlbuquerque, New Mexico

Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company,for the United States Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration

under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Water for Energy

Water production, processing, distribution, and end-use requires energy

Energy for Water

• Thermoelectric Cooling

• Energy Minerals Extraction/Mining

• Fuel Processing (fossil fuels, H2,biofuels)

• Emission Control

Energy and power production requires water

• Pumping• Conveyance• Treatment• Distribution• Use

Conditioning

Estimated Freshwater Withdrawals by Sector: 320 BGD

Livestock2%

Thermoelectric39%

Irrigation39%

Public Supply14%

Industrial6%

Note: Hydropower and saline water uses are not included here!

Source: USGS Circular 1268, March, 2004

48% of total daily water withdrawals

U.S. Freshwater Consumption, 100 Bgal/day

Livestock3.3%

Thermoelectric3.3%

Commercial1.2%

Domestic7.1%

Industrial3.3%

Mining1.2%Irrigation

80.6%Source: Solley et al., 1998

U.S. Freshwater Consumption:100 BGD

Thermoelectric Water Consumption in the Continental United States: 2004

MGD

Total Water Consumption in the United States: 2004

MGD

Energy for Water Today

• 27% of non-agricultural water is consumed by the energy sector.

• 3% of energy consumption is to lift, move and treat water.

• At this level of demand energy-water nexus issues are realized.

Energy and Water Tomorrow

70 million more people by 2030

Projected Population Growth

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

Year

Ele

ctr

icit

y C

on

su

mp

tio

n

( b

illi

on

kW

h)

Projected Growth in Electric Power Generation

Source: EIA 2004

Projected Growth in non-Ag Water Consumption

Electric Power Generation Cooling Options

Condenser

Pump

Steam

Condensate

FreshwaterSupply

Blowdown

CoolingTower

WaterVapor

500-600 gal/MWh

~480 gal/MWh

Condenser

River

Steam

Condensate

20,000-50,000 gal/MWh

~300 gal/MWh

Increased River Evaporation

Once-Through Cooling Closed-Loop (Evaporative) Cooling

Dry-Cooled Power Plant

National Withdrawals/ConsumptionThermoelectric Water Use

150000

170000

190000

210000

230000

250000

Year

MG

D

Base

No New Once Through

No New or Retro OnceThrough

Thermoelectric Water Consumption

3000

3500

4000

4500

5000

5500

Year

MD

G

Base

No New Once Through

No New or Retro OnceThrough

Current Mix

Current Mix

• Current mix has the highest water use, 236.1 BGD in 2030 and lowest water consumption, 4.3 BGD.

• Recirculating cooling towers in all new construction and recommissioned plants has the lowest water use, 184.8 BGD but highest

consumption,5.0BGD.

Electric Power Water Demand

Plant-type Cooling Process

Water Use Intensity (gal/MWhe)

Steam Condensinga Other Usesb

Withdrawal Consumption Consumption

Fossil/ biomass steam turbinec

Open-loop 20,000–50,000 ~200-300

~30-90d,iClosed-loop 300–600 300–480

Dry 0 0

Nuclear steam turbinec

Open-loop 25,000–60,000 ~400

~30dClosed-loop 500–1,100 400–720

Dry 0 0

Natural Gas Combined-Cyclec

Open-loop 7,500–20,000 100

10eClosed-loop ~230 ~180

Dry 0 0

Coal Integrated Gasification

Combined-Cyclec

Closed-loop 200 170 150c,e

Dry 0 0 150c,e

Geothermal Steamf Closed-loop 2000 1350 NA

Concentrating Solarg,h

Closed-loop 900 900 10

Dry 10 10 10

Wind and Solar Photovoltaicsj N/A 0 0 1-2

Carbon sequestration for fossil energy generation

Fossil or biomassk All ~90% increase in water withdrawal and consumption

National Withdrawals/ConsumptionThermoelectric Water Use

175000

200000

2004

2007

2010

2013

2016

2019

2022

2025

2028

Year

MG

D

Base

RPS

Pro Nuc

GDP

Thermoelectric Water Consumption

3000

3500

4000

4500

5000

5500

2004

2007

2010

2013

2016

2019

2022

2025

2028

Year

MG

D

Base

RPS

Pro Nuc

GDP

• The GDP case (increase of 6% in electricity demand) yields the highest water consumption at 5.2 BGD.

• RPS case yields the least at 4.6 BGD.

• Shift toward a richer renewables mix is capable of reducing overall thermoelectric water consumption by 5% in 2030, or 23% in terms of total post 2004 water consumption.

Projected Increase in Thermoelectric Water Consumption 2004-2030

MGD

Exploring the Nexus

1-2

2-10 >10

SupplyGW Pumping

Ratio of Sustainable Recharge to Groundwater Pumping: 2004

Future Siting at Risk

• 77 MGD consumption at risk

Future thermoelectric consumption in watersheds prone to groundwater stress

MGD

Exploring the Nexus

1-2

2-10 >10

SupplyConsumption

Ratio of Mean Stream Flow to Total Water Consumption:2004

Future Siting at Risk

• 180 MGD consumption at risk

Future thermoelectric consumption in watersheds prone to surface water stress

MGD

Exploring the Nexus

1-2

2-10 >10

SupplyConsumption

Ratio of 5th Percentile Stream Flow (Low Flow) to Total Water Consumption: 2004

Future Siting at Risk

• 1316 MGD consumption at risk

Future thermoelectric consumption in watersheds prone to drought stress

MGD

Impact of Carbon Capture and Sequestration on Water

Consumption

0.00

1000.00

2000.00

3000.00

4000.00

5000.00

6000.00

7000.00

8000.00

9000.00

2004

2008

2012

2016

2020

2024

2028

2032

Mill

ion

Gal

lons

per

Day No CCS Base

Full CCS

50% CCS

Full CCS w/Gas IGCC

Full CCS w/Gas IGCC RPS

Future Siting at Risk

• 2224 MGD consumption at risk

Future thermoelectric consumption in watersheds prone to drought stress

MGD

Environmental Controls

<1

1-1.25 >1.25

Mean FlowEnv. Flow

Ratio of Mean Stream Flow to Environmental Flow Requirements: 2004

Institutional Controls

Status of Adjudications

Unadjudicated

Adjudication in Progress Adjudicated

SpecialAdministration

Normal Admin. Special Restrictions

Compact Basins

No Compact

Interstate Compact

Native American Nations

No Nations

10 Nations

Projected Increase in Non-Thermoelectric Water Consumption 2004-2030

MGD

Gas Shale Development

• Water is used in drilling, completion, and fracturing

• Up to 3 million gallons of water is needed per well

• Water recovery can be 20% to 70%

• Recovered water quality varies – from 10,000 ppm TDS to 100,000 ppm TDS

• Recovered water is commonly injected into deep wells

Water Demand for Transportation Fuels

Oil Shale Development

• Reserves are in areas of limited water resources

• Water needed for retorting, steam flushing, and cooling up to 3 gallons per gallon of fuel

• Concerns over in situ migration of retort by-products and impact on ground water quality

Biofuel Feedstock Impact on Cropland

No land use change for residues

equals 2006 corn ethanol acreage

37 M acres cropland as pasture and idle cropland

37 M acres non-grazed forest land

2030 land use

Biofuel Water Consumption 2030

Residential/Commercial; 10750; 7%

Industrial; 8462; 6%

Mining; 901; 1%

Thermoelectric; 5083; 4%

Livestock; 3247; 2%

Irrigation; 106900; 74%Bio Irrigation; 6849; 5%

Bio Conversion; 1240; 0%

Represents 5.6% of total United States consumption up from 3.7% in 2007

Biofuel Water Demand

Non-traditional Water Resource Availability

Brackish Aquifers Oil and Gas Produced Water

Non-traditional Water Requires Energy

• Desal growing at 10% per year, waste water reuse at 15% per year

• Reuse not accounted for in USGS assessments• Non-traditional water use is energy intensive

(Modified from Water Reuse 2007, EPA 2004, Mickley 2003)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Kw

h/m

^3

1 2 3 4 5Sea WaterRO

Today The Future

ConventionalTreatment

BrackishRO

BrackishNF

Power Requirements For Treating

(Einfeld 2007)

Interconnection Wide Planning

• Assist planners in the Western and Texas Interconnections to analyze the potential implications of water stress on transmission planning.

Project Partners• Sandia National Laboratories

– Vincent Tidwell– Len Malczynski– Peter Kobos– Elizabeth Richards

• Argonne National Laboratory– John Gasper– John Veil– Tom Veselka

• Electric Power Research Institute– Robert Goldstein

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory– Jordan Macknick– Robin Newmark– Daniel Inman– Kathleen Hallett

• Idaho National Laboratory– Gerald Sehlke– Randy Lee

• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory– Mark Wigmosta– Richard Skaggs– Ruby Leung

• University of Texas– Michael Webber– Carey King

Contact: Vincent TidwellSandia National LaboratoriesPO Box 5800; MS 0735Albuquerque, NM 87185(505)844-6025vctidwe@sandia.gov

More Information at:

www.sandia.gov/mission/energy/arra/energy-water.html