76-07: Emergency Shutdown Cooling Towers Considerations in the Evolution of

This paper discusses the various regulatory requirements and criteria governing the design of emergency shutdown cooling towers for nuclear power plants. The effects of key tower parameters, e.g., wet bulb temperature, flow rates, and heat load on tower size and their interactions with system and safety requirements are explored. The evolution of the Seabrook Station tower and its relationship to a companion cooling water source (the Atlantic Ocean) is presented as an example of optimum tower/system design in compliance with regulatory requirements.