Introduction to Energy

Management
Week/Lesson 9 part a

Evaporative Cooling and Cooling

Towers
 Evaporative Cooling and Cooling Towers

After completing this chapter, you will be able to:

 Distinguish between direct and indirect
evaporative cooling processes
 Understand the psychrometric processes that
occur during evaporative cooling processes
 Define range and approach and how they relate to
cooling towers and evaporative coolers
Evaporative Cooling and Cooling Towers

 Recognize the different arrangements of airflows,

fans and sprays within a cooling tower
 Understand the design and operational
differences between cooling towers and
evaporative condensers
 Evaporative Cooling and Cooling Towers

Theory of evaporative cooling

 Evaporative cooling

• Heat exchanges between water and air

• Sensible heat is exchanged for latent heat
• Direct contact or indirect contact
• Usually both the air and water are cooled
Evaporative Cooling and Cooling Towers

 Adiabatic saturation
• No external heat is involved
• Sensible and latent heat are exchanged
• Air and water temperatures approach each
other
• No heat transfer occurs when air is saturated
 Cooling

7
Pictures from https://rfd-training.tac.com/docs/HVAC.pdf
Evaporative Cooling and Cooling Towers

Typical system
 Water returning to cooling tower = 95ºF

 Water supplied by cooling tower = 85ºF

 The condenser adds about 10ºF to the water

 The cooling tower removes about 10ºF from the

water
Evaporative Cooling and Cooling Towers

Cooling tower design

 Heat rejected = system heat

 System heat comes form two sources

• Heat absorbed by the evaporator

• Heat produced by the compression process
 Water flow is about 3 gpm/ton
Evaporative Cooling and Cooling Towers

Analysis of a cooling tower’s performance

 Performance affected by WB temperature of
entering air
 Range – change in tower water temperature

 Approach = leaving water temp – WB of air

 Normal approach temperature = 7 to 9ºF

Evaporative Cooling and Cooling Towers

Example 11-1
 Design approach temperature = 7ºF

 WB of the entering air = 68ºF

 Water temperature = WB + Approach

 Water temperature = 68ºF + 7ºF

 Water temperature = 75ºF

 Evaporative Cooling and Cooling Towers

Cooling tower classification and construction

 Parallel flow

• Air and water flow in the same direction

• Air velocity is low
 Cross flow

• Water flows from top to bottom

• Air flows from side to side
Evaporative Cooling and Cooling Towers

 Counter flow
• Air flows from bottom to top
• Water flows from top to bottom
 Atmospheric (natural) draft tower – No fan

 Forced draft – air pulled through the tower

 Induced draft – air pushed through the tower

 Evaporative Cooling and Cooling Towers

Other tower components

 Distribution basin – top of the tower

 Water flows through orifices and over fill

 Spray nozzles can replace the orifices

 Eliminators – limit water loss by blow-by

 Sump – reservoir at the bottom of the tower

Evaporative Cooling and Cooling Towers

 Water treatment
• Combats bacteria growth
• Reduces corrosion and mineral deposits
 Blowdown cycle

• Drains a portion of tower water

• Reduces mineral concentrations
Evaporative Cooling and Cooling Towers

 Inhibitors
• Usually painted on the tower surfaces
• Reduces oxidation
• Reduces scale formation and buildup
 Strainers

• Catch foreign matter in the water

• Prevent clogging of the
water loop
 Evaporative Cooling and Cooling Towers

Tower control
 Low ambient conditions

 Maintains a minimum water temperature

Fan control
 Fan cycles on when water temp is high

 Fan cycles in order to maintain desired water

temperature
 Evaporative Cooling and Cooling Towers

Valve Control – water flow through the tower

 Low ambient conditions

• More water bypasses the tower

• Water temperature is increased
 High ambient temperatures

• Little or no water bypasses the tower

• Water temperature is decreased
Evaporative Cooling and Cooling Towers

Damper control – air flow through the tower

 Low ambient conditions

• Air flow is reduced

• Water temperature is increased
 High ambient temperatures

• Air flow is increased

• Water temperature is reduced
 Evaporative Cooling and Cooling Towers

Evaporative condensers
 Uses both air and water

 Air flows over the refrigerant coil

 Water flows over the coil when needed

 Water remains in the condenser

 Indirect contact evaporative cooling