Hal B. Wansley Power Plant
Encyclopedia
Hal B. Wansley Power Plant is a power station
located in northeastern Heard County
, between Franklin
and Carrollton
, in the state of Georgia
, USA
. Its various units, powered by coal, oil, and natural gas, are operated by Southern Company
, Georgia Power Company, Oglethorpe Power Corporation, Municipal Electric Authority and Dalton Utilities. It has one of the tallest chimneys in the world (305 m), built in 1976.
, about 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) south of Carrollton, and at about the same distance northeast of Franklin.
The cemetery is owned by the Yellow Dirt Church Cemetery, apparently under trust or some other arrangement to Lighthouse Baptist Church of Franklin, Georgia.
In September 2011, a Georgia Power employee entered the cemetery and removed seven Confederate flags placed on graves in the cemetery. The flags were replaced in October 2011 by the local Sons of Confedeate Veterans, but were subsequently removed again by employees of the utility based on a company policy prohibiting the display of offensive materials on company property. The issue at hand was whether or not the flags were placed on company property and Georgia Power allowed flags to be put on the graves after attorneys completed a title search in November 2011. Members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and descendants of Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery protested the utility's actions.
Collectively, units ST6, CT6A, and CT6B are referred to as unit 6. Same is true about its twin unit 7.
Coal is coarsely crushed at the mine then crushed again at the plant as it travels to the storage bunkers inside the boiler house. A pulverizer below each bunker grinds the coal to a fine powder that is mixed with air and blown into the boiler through a network of pipes. With both units at full load, Plant Wansley burns about 14,000 tons of coal every 24 hours. Annual consumption averages four to five million tons.
ming a small creek flowing from the north-west into the Chattahoochee River
immediately on the south-eastern side of the plant.
At coal-fired units 1 and 2, water is converted to steam at 1000 °F (537.8 °C) temperature and 3600 psi (24.8 MPa) pressure. At full 920 MWe load, each turbine processes 6200000 pound of steam per hour. Low pressure steam exits the turbine into a condenser where it is cooled and converted back into water to repeat the cycle. During this cooling process required by the second law of thermodynamics
, waste heat from the condensing steam is absorbed by the warm water that circulates through the cooling towers, where it cools by evaporation and forced convection
of air.
Wet scrubbers and hydrated lime injection systems remove almost all sulphur oxides from the flue gas as well.
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
located in northeastern Heard County
Heard County, Georgia
Heard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 22, 1830. As of 2000, the population was 11,012. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 11,387...
, between Franklin
Franklin, Georgia
Note: a former Franklin, Georgia is now West Point, Georgia.----Franklin is a city in Heard County, Georgia, United States. The population was 902 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Heard County...
and Carrollton
Carrollton, Georgia
Carrollton is a city in West Georgia, United States, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,388...
, in the state of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Its various units, powered by coal, oil, and natural gas, are operated by Southern Company
Southern Company
Southern Company is a public utility holding company of primarily electric utilities in the southern United States. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia with executive offices also located in Birmingham, Alabama. The company is currently the 16th largest utility company in the world and the...
, Georgia Power Company, Oglethorpe Power Corporation, Municipal Electric Authority and Dalton Utilities. It has one of the tallest chimneys in the world (305 m), built in 1976.
Location
The plant is located at 33°24′48"N 85°01′57"W in the north-east corner of Heard County, GeorgiaHeard County, Georgia
Heard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 22, 1830. As of 2000, the population was 11,012. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 11,387...
, about 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) south of Carrollton, and at about the same distance northeast of Franklin.
Yellow Dirt Church Cemetery
Historic Yellow Dirt Church Cemetery is located on the grounds of the power plant. Visitors have to stop at the plant's gate and have a security guard escort them to the cemetery.The cemetery is owned by the Yellow Dirt Church Cemetery, apparently under trust or some other arrangement to Lighthouse Baptist Church of Franklin, Georgia.
In September 2011, a Georgia Power employee entered the cemetery and removed seven Confederate flags placed on graves in the cemetery. The flags were replaced in October 2011 by the local Sons of Confedeate Veterans, but were subsequently removed again by employees of the utility based on a company policy prohibiting the display of offensive materials on company property. The issue at hand was whether or not the flags were placed on company property and Georgia Power allowed flags to be put on the graves after attorneys completed a title search in November 2011. Members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and descendants of Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery protested the utility's actions.
Southern Company owned
- Two dual-use Units 1 and 2 (also known as SG01 and SG02) can be fueled either by bituminous coalBituminous coalBituminous coal or black coal is a relatively soft coal containing a tarlike substance called bitumen. It is of higher quality than lignite coal but of poorer quality than Anthracite...
or by oilPetroleumPetroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
. They are rated at 952 MWeMWEMWE may refer to:*Manufacturer's Weight Empty*McDermott Will & Emery*Midwest Express, an airline*Merowe Airport - IATA code*Multiword expressionMWe may refer to:*Megawatt electrical...
each, and were launched into service in 1976 and 1978. - Oil-fired Unit 5A is rated 52.8 MWe, it was launched in 1980.
Georgia Power Company owned
- Natural gasNatural gasNatural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
-fired combined-cycle steam plant Units ST6 and ST7 are rated at 213.3 MWe each, and were launched in 2002. - Natural gas-fired combined-cycle steam turbineSteam turbineA steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....
s of Units CT6A, CT6B, CT7A, and CT7B are rated at 203.1 MWe each and were also launched in June, 2002.
Collectively, units ST6, CT6A, and CT6B are referred to as unit 6. Same is true about its twin unit 7.
Oglethorpe Power Corporation owned
Unit 8, also known as Chattahoochee Energy Facility, consists of three combined-cycle gas-powered generators: 1 and 2, rated at 176 MWe each, and 3, rated at 187.7 MWe. All of them were launched into service in 2003.Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia owned
Wansley Unit 9 consists of three combined-cycle gas-powered generators: CT1 and CT2, rated at 171 MWe each, and ST1, rated at 226 MWe. All of them were launched into service in 2004.Coal delivery
Coal is delivered via a railroad by 100-car trains, each carrying 10,000 tons of coal. At the plant, an automated unloading trestle empties the train in about 30 minutes and conveyor belts move the coal to the storage pile or the storage bunkers inside the plant. The bunkers hold a 14-hour reserve; the coal pile target inventory is a 32-day supply.Coal is coarsely crushed at the mine then crushed again at the plant as it travels to the storage bunkers inside the boiler house. A pulverizer below each bunker grinds the coal to a fine powder that is mixed with air and blown into the boiler through a network of pipes. With both units at full load, Plant Wansley burns about 14,000 tons of coal every 24 hours. Annual consumption averages four to five million tons.
Cooling water
Cooling water is taken up from the "service water pond", created by damDam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
ming a small creek flowing from the north-west into the Chattahoochee River
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River flows through or along the borders of the U.S. states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and emptying into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of...
immediately on the south-eastern side of the plant.
At coal-fired units 1 and 2, water is converted to steam at 1000 °F (537.8 °C) temperature and 3600 psi (24.8 MPa) pressure. At full 920 MWe load, each turbine processes 6200000 pound of steam per hour. Low pressure steam exits the turbine into a condenser where it is cooled and converted back into water to repeat the cycle. During this cooling process required by the second law of thermodynamics
Second law of thermodynamics
The second law of thermodynamics is an expression of the tendency that over time, differences in temperature, pressure, and chemical potential equilibrate in an isolated physical system. From the state of thermodynamic equilibrium, the law deduced the principle of the increase of entropy and...
, waste heat from the condensing steam is absorbed by the warm water that circulates through the cooling towers, where it cools by evaporation and forced convection
Forced convection
Forced convection is a mechanism, or type of heat transport in which fluid motion is generated by an external source...
of air.
Environment
Electrostatic precipitators on units 1 and 2 remove more than 99% of the fly ash from the boiler exhaust stream. A digital boiler control system, low NOx burners and Selective Catalytic Reactors, installed since initial operation, have reduced nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by almost 90%. The use of cooling towers and the closed-loop steam cycle prevent thermal pollution in the Chattahoochee River.Wet scrubbers and hydrated lime injection systems remove almost all sulphur oxides from the flue gas as well.