1/3/2011

Cooling Tower

VEBSAR Cooling Tower

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Cooling Towers
Many industrial processes generate heat which is to be removed and dissipated. Water is an obvious choice for the heat transfer medium to remove this heat. Cooling towers are used for dissipation of heat from water which is used for cooling industrial process. Water consumption rate of cooling towers is around 5% of that of a once through system making it an ideal choice for water conservation. Further the amount of heated water discharged (blow down) is very small, hence there is minimum effect on environment. Cooling towers can cool water to within 2C to 3C of the ambient wet bulb temperature. Principle of operation The cooling of water in a cooling tower is due to combination of heat and mass transfer. Hot water is circulated in cooling tower by spray nozzles, splash bars or film type fills in order to increase substantially the exposure area of water surface to the atmospheric air. Atmospheric air is circulated by (i) fans, (ii) convective currents, (iii) natural wind currents or (iv) induction effect from sprays. Some quantity of water absorbs heat to change from liquid to vapor at constant pressure. This heat of vaporization at atmospheric pressure is transferred to air stream from the remaining water. The difference between the leaving water temperature and the entering air wet bulb temperature is the approach of the cooling tower. The approach is a function of cooling tower capability. A larger cooling tower has a closer approach (colder leaving water) for a given heat load, flow rate and entering air condition. The amount of heat transferred to the atmosphere by the cooling tower is always equal to the heat load imposed on the tower, while the temperature level at which the heat is transferred is determined by the thermal capability of the cooling tower and the entering air wet bulb temperature. The thermal performance of a cooling tower depends mainly on the entering air wet bulb temperature. The entering air dry bulb temperature and relative humidity, taken independently, have an insignificant effect on thermal performance of mechanical draft cooling towers, but they do affect the rate of water evaporation within the
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Cooling Tower

cooling tower. The evaporation rate at typical design conditions is around 1% of the water flow rate for each 7C of water temperature range. However the average evaporation rate is always less than the design rate since the sensible component of total heat transfer increases with the decrease of the entering air temperature. In addition to water loss due to evaporation, losses also occur because of water carryover into the discharge air stream and during blow down needed for maintaining acceptable water quality. The thermal capability of a cooling tower is usually influenced by the following parameters: Entering and leaving water temperatures. Entering air wet bulb and dry bulb temperatures Water flow rate The entering air dry bulb temperature affects the amount of water evaporated from the cooling tower. It also affects airflow through hyperbolic towers and directly establishes thermal capability within any indirect contact cooling tower component operating in a dry mode. Two types of evaporative cooling towers are used. The first one, the direct contact or open cooling tower exposes water to the cooling atmosphere and thus transfers process heat directly to the air. The second type, the closed circuit cooling tower, involves indirect contact between heated fluid and the atmosphere. Of the direct contact towers, the most simple is a spray filled tower which exposes water to the air without any heat transfer medium or fill. In this type of towers the amount of water surface exposed to the air depends on the efficiency of the sprays and the time of contact depends on the elevation and pressure of the water distribution system. A heat transfer medium or fill is used below the water distribution system in the path of the air for increasing the contact surface and the time of exposure. Two types of fill which are in use are splash type and film type. Splash type fills maximize contact area and time by forcing the water to cascade through successive elevations of splash bars arranged in staggered rows. Film type fills achieve this effect by causing the water to flow in a thin layer over closely spaced sheets that are arranged vertically. Either type of fills is used both in counter flow and in cross flow cooling towers. For equal thermal performance levels, the cooling towers with film type fill are more compact. However splash type fill is less sensitive to the initial air and water distribution. Indirect contact cooling tower contains two separate fluid circuits: (i) an external circuit in which water is exposed to the atmosphere as it cascades over the tubes of a coil bundle and (ii) an internal circuit for increasing contact surfaces and the time of exposure. In this type heat flows from the internal fluid circuit through the tube walls of the coil to the external water circuit and then by heat and
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Cooling Tower

mass transfer to the atmospheric air. As the internal fluid circuit never contacts the atmosphere, this unit can be used to cool fluids other than water and/or to prevent contamination of the primary cooling circuit with airborne dirt and impurities. Types of Direct contact cooling towers Non mechanical draft cooling towers These cooling towers are aspirated by sprays or a differential in air density. These towers neither use fills nor use a mechanical air moving device. The aspirating effect of the water sprays, either vertical or horizontal, induces airflow through the tower in a parallel flow pattern. Since air velocities (both entering and leaving) for the vertical spray tower are relatively low, such towers are susceptible to adverse wind effects and hence are normally used for low cost applications where operating temperatures are not critical. Some horizontal spray towers use high pressure sprays to induce large air quantities and improve air/water contact. Chimney (hyperbolic) cooling towers These are used mainly for big power plants. The heat transfer mode may be counter flow, cross flow or parallel flow .Air is induced through the tower by the air density differentials that exist between the lighter, heat humidified chimney air and the ambient air. Fills are either splash or film type. Main reasons for justifying high initial cost of these towers are reduction in auxiliary power requirements (elimination of fan energy), reduced land requirement and elimination of recirculation and/or vapor plume interference). These cooling towers are constructed with steel reinforced concrete. Mechanical draft cooling towers Many designs are available for these cooling towers. The fans location may be on the inlet air side (forced draft) or the exit air side (induced raft). The type of fan for these towers are either centrifugal or propeller type depending on the requirements of external pressure, energy usage and permissible sound levels. In these towers water is usually flow downwards while air flow upwards (counter flow heat transfer) or horizontal flow (cross flow eat transfer). Air entry may be through one, two, three, or all the sides of the tower. All four combinations (forced draft counter flow, induced draft counter flow, forced draft cross flow and induced draft cross flow) are used. Cooling towers are also classified as (i) factory assembled where the entire tower or a few large components are factory assembled and shipped to the site for installation or (ii) field erected where the tower is completely assembled at site. M aterials of construction The following materials are used in cooling tower construction to resist the corrosive water and atmospheric conditions. Wood- Wood is usually used for all static components
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except hardware. Redwood and fir predominate are employed with post fabrication pressure treatment of waterborne preservative chemicals such as chromated copper arsenate (CCA) or acid copper chromate (ACC). These microbiocidal chemicals prevent the attack of wood destructive organisms such as termites or fungi. Metals Galvanized steel used for small and medium sized towers. Hot dip galvanizing after fabrication is used for larger towers. Hot dip galvanizing, cadmium and zinc plating are used for hardware. Brasses and bronzes are selected for special hardware, fittings, and tubing material. Stainless steels are often used for sheet metal, drive shafts and hardware in corrosive atmospheres. Cast iron is a common choice for base castings, fan hubs, motor or gear reduction housings, and piping valve components. Metals coated with polyurethane or PVC is used selectively for special components. Two part epoxy compounds and epoxy powdered coatings are also used for key components or entire cooling towers. Plastics Fiberglass reinforced plastic is used for components such as structure, piping, fan cylinders, fan blades, casing, louvers, and structural connecting components. Polypropylene and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) are specified for injection molded components, such as fill bars and flow orifices. PVC is increasingly used as fill, eliminator, and louver materials. Reinforced plastic mortar is used in larger piping systems, coupled by neoprene O-ring gasketed bell and spigot joints. Graphite Composites - Graphite composite drive shafts have recently become available for use on cooling tower installations. These shafts offer a strong, corrosionresistant alternative to steel/ stainless steel shafts. Concrete, masonry and tile construction - Concrete is typically specified for cold water basins of field-erected cooling towers and is used in piping, casing, and structural systems of the large towers. Special tiles and masonry are used when aesthetic considerations are important. Selection criterias Selection of the right type of cooling tower for a specific application needs consideration of cooling duty, economics, required services, environmental conditions, and aesthetics. Some of these conditions though interrelated require individual evaluation. Since several type of cooling towers can meet the cooling duty requirements, other issues such as height, length, width, volume of airflow, fan and pump energy consumption, materials of construction, water quality, and availability influence the selection of the cooling towers. The optimum choice is made after a techno economic evaluation. Two methods for such evaluation are lifecycle costing and payback analysis. Other factors considered in selection of cooling towers are safety features, conformity to building codes, design and rigidity of structures, effects of corrosion and scale on service life, availability of spare parts, experience and
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reliability of manufacturers and operating flexibility for economical operation at varying loads. Equipment vibration, sound levels and compatibility of the design with the needs of industrial process are some of the other

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