PENGARUH TEMPERATUR SISTEM PENDINGIN (AIR COOLING CONDENSER) TERHADAP OPTIMALISASI DAYA PEMBANGKIT SISTEM BOTTOMING ORMAT ENERGY CONVERTER (OEC) PADA PEMBANGKIT LISTRIK TENAGA PANAS BUMI (PLTP)

Abstract

One technology widely used in geothermal power plants is the Ormat Energy Converter (OEC) bottoming system, which uses residual heat from the main process to generate additional power. The performance of the OEC system is greatly influenced by the efficiency of the condenser, specifically the air cooling condenser, which plays an important role in the heat release process. However, the performance of the condenser cooling system frequently faces challenges due to dirty fin tubes, resulting in reduced efficiency and power generation capacity. This study aims to analyze how the temperature of the cooling system (Air Cooling Condenser) affects the performance of the Bottoming OEC system. Using simple linear regression analysis, the study reveals that the cooling system temperature significantly influences the OEC's power generation capacity, accounting for 83.2% of the total impact. Before maintenance was conducted on the cooling system, the average temperature was 27.01°C, which resulted in an average power generation of only 5.66 MW. After performing routine maintenance, including cleaning the cooling system, the average temperature dropped to 23.85°C, leading to a noticeable increase in average power output to 6.88 MW. This demonstrates that regular maintenance of the cooling system can optimize the power capacity of the Bottoming OEC by 21%.