Datacor Fathom | McMillen / Walnut Creek Energy Park

WCEP couldn't reach full output without exceeding the 140°F temperature limit of its buried HDPE cooling water header. Rather than default to an expensive rerating, McMillen built a calibrated thermo-hydraulic Datacor Fathom model and evaluated eight enhancement scenarios in isolation. The biggest culprit: fouling had cut heat exchanger effectiveness by approximately 60%.

• Pinpointed fouling as the root cause, with heat transfer coefficient reduced by approximately 60%
• Modeled 8 enhancement scenarios with quantified impacts on header temperature and generating capacity
• Identified a path to increased MW output without rerating or replacing the HDPE header
• Delivered scenario-based results to directly support capital investment decisions

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