Editing Cooling pond (section)

==Overview==
Cooling ponds are used where sufficient land is available, as an alternative to [[cooling tower]]s or discharging of heated water to a nearby [[river]] or [[coastal waters|coastal bay]], a process known as “once-through cooling.” The latter process can cause [[thermal pollution]] of the receiving waters.<ref>{{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Environmental Science |last1=Mongillo |first1=John F. |last2=Zierdt-Warshaw |first2=Linda |year=2000 |publisher=[[University of Rochester Press]] |location=Rochester, NY |isbn=978-1-57356-147-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofen0000mong/page/93 93] |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofen0000mong/page/93 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Water in Environmental Planning |last1=Dunne |first1=Thomas |last2=Leopold |first2=Luna B. |year=1978 |publisher=[[W.H. Freeman]] |location=New York |isbn=978-0-7167-0079-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/waterinenvironme0000dunn/page/722 722] |url=https://archive.org/details/waterinenvironme0000dunn|url-access=registration }}</ref> Cooling ponds are also sometimes used with [[HVAC|air conditioning systems]] in large buildings as an alternative to cooling towers.<ref>{{cite book |title=Basic Refrigeration and Air Conditioning |last=Ananthanarayanan |first=P.N. |year=2005 |publisher=[[McGraw-Hill]] |isbn=978-0-07-049500-5 |page=218 }}</ref>

The pond receives [[thermal energy]] in the water from the plant's [[Condenser (heat transfer)|condensers]] during the process of energy production and the thermal energy is then dissipated mainly through [[evaporation]] and [[convection]].<ref name="EPA 1970">{{cite report |title=An Engineering-Economic Study of Cooling Pond Performance |url=https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPURL.cgi?Dockey=9100H0DE.txt |date=1970 |publisher=U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) |location=Washington, DC |page=5 |id=16130DFX0570. Water Pollution Control Research Series}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Bengtson |first=Harlan |title=Power Plant Condenser: Wet Cooling Tower, Pond, Air Cooled |url=https://www.brighthubengineering.com/power-plants/64576-steam-power-plant-condenser-cooling-part-1-introduction-to-alternatives/ |website=Energy & Power Plants |date=21 February 2010 |publisher=Bright Hub, Inc. |location=Troy, New York, US |access-date=2018-12-30}}</ref> Once the water has cooled in the pond, it is reused by the plant. New water is added to the system (“make-up” water) to replace the water lost through evaporation.

A 1970 research study published by the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]] reported that cooling ponds have a lower overall electrical cost than [[cooling tower]]s while providing the same benefits. The study concluded that a cooling pond will work optimally within 5 degrees Fahrenheit of natural water temperature with an area encompassing approximately 4 acres per megawatt of dissipated thermal energy.<ref name="EPA 1970"/>