Utilization of municipal wastewater for cooling in thermoelectric power plants

•A model is developed to predict the water quality in the recirculating cooling loop.•NH3 and CO2 evaporation in the cooling tower can significantly impact cooling loop pH.•The effects of the CO2 and NH3 mass transfer coefficients on loop pH are quantified.•Salt formation significantly impacts the loop pH for nitrified municipal wastewater.•The rates of evaporation of volatiles are proportional to the flow rate of the blowdown.