cooling tower basics

Copyright © 2015 - 2019 Senseware, Inc. All rights reserved. In this excerpt from a Chiller training class at Stromquist & Company in Atlanta learn how cooling towers work and how to optimize their performance. The following equation show the relationship between makeup and evaporation, blowdown, drift, and any other losses. Multi-cell cooling tower configurations that have 100 percent independent systems have limited redundancy. By Sho Kikugawa 14 September 2015. This evaporation is usually in the form of pure water vapor and presents no harm to the environment. These are much smaller in structure than natural draft towers. Electrical components like capacitors and wiring should be inspected and replaced if necessary. Buecker, B., ChemTreat; Aull, R., Richard Aull Consulting. Cooling tower tasks are administered to a limited extent by the idea of the cooling … An HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) cooling tower is used to dispose unwanted heat from a chiller. Here we help you understand the various types of cooling towers, there advantages/disadvantages and determine which cooling tower type is right for your industrial process. For Induced Draft Cooling Tower D = 0.1 to 0.3 * C /100. If you have any questions or comments that you would like to share with us, please feel free to reach out to us directly, or submit a comment on our contact form. Cooling Tower Makeup has to substitute the water losses resulting from Evaporation, Windage and Blowdown. This course has been created with the practical user of water based (hydronic) heating and cooling systems in mind. A very important concept for understanding cooling tower heat transfer is that of “wet bulb” temperature, which is the lowest temperature that can be achieved by evaporative cooling. However, the most common application of a cooling tower is inside an HVAC system for cooling buildings. The other factor that affects this design is the relative humidity of the air. Cooling towers are usually designed for specific purposes.Not all cooling towers work for all applications or industrial processes. Let’s start with the most basic example of the principles behind a cooling tower; sweat. Air enters the lower portion of the tower and contacts the water in a counter-current manner to help maximize heat transfer. To learn about future EUCWs, please go to the web site, www.conferences.illinois.edu/eucw. The tower approach is defined as the difference between the water temperatures leaving the cooling tower minus the entering wet-bulb temperature. The data are included to outline important concepts of a cooling tower. Cooling tower heat transfer basics—Part 3. Hence, dry cooling towers don’t consume any water. Mechanical components like fans, motors and belts need to be inspected cleaned and adjusted, if necessary. A cooling tower water treatment system is an arrangement of technologies that remove damaging impurities from your cooling tower feed water, circulation water, and/or blowdown. Cooling towers can be classified in two types 1) Natural Draught Cooling Tower: In this type of cooling tower, fan is not used for circulating air but here, by enclosing the heated air in the chimney and it will create pressure difference between heated air and surrounding air. THE BASICS OF COOLING TOWER WATER TREATMENT The purpose of a cooling tower is to remove the heat generated by an HVAC system (cooling of compressor refrigerant and heat generated by the compressor itself). Cooling Tower Fundamentals is devoted to the implementation of water cooling systems which satisfy design and environmental requirements with sound engineering and responsible cost. Leaks in the cooling system are referred to as losses (L). With respect to the heat transfer mechanism employed, the main types are: They evaporation of water in a wet-mechanical draft is inherently more energy efficient when compared to the other types of cooling towers like dry or fluid. Notice that the relative humidity (RH) of the inlet air is 50 percent, while the RH of tower exhaust is nearly 100 percent. For example, the relative humidity in Albuquerque, New Mexico is much lower than in Atlanta, Georgia. This data helps to illustrate that the primary method of heat transfer in a cooling tower is via evaporation of what is typically a small fraction (2 to 3 percent) of the recirculating water. SECTION: Basics COOLING TOWER PERFORMANCE Basic Theory and Practice SUBJECT: INTENT In the foreword of Cooling Tower Fundamentals (published by Marley Cooling Technologies, Inc.) the scope of cooling tower knowledge was recognized as being too broad to … A cooling tower is a device used in industry to cool hot water (by partial evaporation) before reusing it as a coolant. It varies in size, shape and type depending on the building’s needs. Cooling towers are used to remove heat from a building. They use water to cool the facility and the heat transfer is measured by the decrease in the process temperature and a corresponding increase in both the moisture content and the wet bulb temperature of the air passing through the cooling tower. Cooling Tower Basics and Common Misconceptions Introduction In comparison with most other industrial equipments, the water cooling tower is a simple device, based on the direct contact of two of the earth’s most common substances: air and water; yet a Cooling Tower Fans. Package type: Package type cooling towers are pre-fabricated. in chemistry from Iowa State University with additional course work in fluid mechanics, energy and materials balances, and advanced inorganic chemistry. Buecker has authored many articles and three books on power plant and water/steam chemistry topics. FIGURE 1. Figure 4. An unmistakable comprehension of the standards of activity and fundamentals of the industrial cooling towers is basic for the effectiveness of the activity, capability of faculty and open well being. Capacity control is easy in these types of towers since the speed of the fan can be controlled. Cooling towers are recirculating water systems used to remove heat from building air conditioning equipment and industrial processes. Warm water from industrial equipment, commercial ac system or any other heat source enters the tower and spreads evenly at the top. This is done through open trough systems in the fan deck, fitted with nozzles. Academia.edu is a platform for academics to share research papers. However, because individual systems are unique, it can be challenging to determine which choice is best for you. 1, DT = Temperature difference (range) between the warm and cooled circulating water (oF), ¦ = A correction factor that helps to account for sensible heat transfer, where ¦ typically ranges between 0.65 to 0.90, and which rises in summer and declines in winter. 4.1.3 Approach Natural Draft cooling towers use the design and shape of the tower itself to move up the air naturally using fans. The LAKOS separators now reduce cooling tower problems by about 95%, allowing for a reduction in downtime and maintenance costs. Dry cooling towers:  Dry cooling towers operate by transferring heat through a surface that separates the working fluid from ambient air. Understanding the basics of piping and controls is step number one in the cooling tower industry. An unmistakable comprehension of the standards of activity and fundamentals of the industrial cooling towers is basic for the effectiveness of the activity, capability of faculty and open well being. Cooling tower mass balance gives an idea about make-up water requirement. With some smaller designs, such as some glass Cooling is accomplished through the latent heat of vaporization. Cooling towers are commonly of the induced-draft, cross-flow variety, although counter-flow and forced-draft cooling towers are also represented. For example, the cooling tower might be specified to cool 4540 m3/hr from 48.9°C to 32.2°C at 26.7°C wet bulb temperature. Cooling Tower Fundamentals provides a level of basic cooling tower knowledge and is a great resource for those wanting to learn more. Figure 4 illustrates actual conditions that might be seen in a cooling tower operating on a mild spring day. Maintenance of cooling towers:. The sweat then evaporates and creates a cooling effect over the surface of the skin, which lowers […] What does occur is greatly increased challenges regarding water treatment chemistry due to the high concentration of scale- and corrosion-inducing impurities. As the water flows down the tower, the This figure shows a cooling tower. Unless the relative humidity is 100 percent, the wet bulb temperature will always be below the ambient or “dry bulb” temperature. In every cooling tower there is a loss of water to the environment due to the evaporative cooling process. Mechanical Draft towers tend to use a fan to force the air. Example of a real-world set of conditions for a cooling tower. Cooling Tower Fundamentals. But how effectively a cooling tower piping system is designed and installed can have a critical impact on system efficiency, functionality and even safety. They use the law of different densities between ambient air and the warm air in the tower. Water treatment options like water modeling, green chemical usage, filtration and softening ensures that the tower system operates optimally and achieves the needed cooling requirement. 4-Forced draft cooling tower. While the mathematics of cooling tower flow design can be somewhat complex, several simple equations have been developed to straightforwardly approximate the evaporation, blowdown, and makeup flows to a cooling tower. 1.4 COMPONENTS OF A COOLING TOWER. Cooling Tower Suppliers: Which Cooling Tower Is Best for Tropical Climates - the climate conditions can somehow affect the performance of cooling towers due mainly to the fact that they make use of the surrounding air as well as water supply to do their job. Natural Draft Cooling Tower: 0.3 to 1.0 * Recirculation Rate / 100. Water directly contacts surrounding air and a very small part (1-2%) evaporate. Schematic of one cell of an induced-draft, counter-flow cooling tower. Hydronic Systems: Cooling Tower Basics. Height - On cooling towers erected over a concrete basin, height is measured from the elevation of the basin curb. However, environmental concerns with regard to protection of aquatic creatures at both the intake and outfall of once-through systems have essentially eliminated once-through cooling for modern plants. A cooling tower is a heat exchanger designed to reduce the temperature of water used in commercial and industrial applications. Their power consumption is lower than cross flow units and offers the advantage of easy maintenance. But how effectively a cooling tower piping system is designed and installed can have a critical impact on system efficiency, functionality and even safety. The main function of cooling tower is to reject heat of hot water into atmosphere & cooling down the water for further reuse.There are different types of cooling tower This is determined by the location of the building. Home » Water Treatment Resources & FAQs » Cooling Tower Discharge: The Basics of Bleeding Cooling Towers and EPA – NPDES Regulation What is the Purpose of Bleeding Cooling Towers? Water directly contacts surrounding air and a very small part (1-2%) evaporate. Most recently he was a technical specialist with Kiewit Engineering Group Inc.  Buecker has a B.S. Cooling towers make use of evaporation whereby some of the water is evaporated into a moving air stream and subsequently discharged into the atmosphere. But they won’t keep your tower up and running. We will take a look at each of the types of cooling towers. How does a cooling tower work? With a well-designed and operated tower, the last two terms are negligible, so the water requirements of the tower are basically functions of evaporation and blowdown. Refineries, chemical plants and numerous other industrial facilities utilize open recirculating cooling systems equipped with cooling towers for cooling in scores of heat exchangers. Cooling towers are a special type of heat exchanger that allows water and air to come in contact with each other to lower the temperature of the hot water. Propeller or centrifugal fans are used to circulate air inside the tower. He has 35 years of experience in or affiliated with the power industry, much of it in steam generation chemistry, water treatment, air quality control, and results engineering positions with City Water, Light & Power (Springfield, Illinois) and Kansas City Power & Light Company’s La Cygne, Kansas station. Below this level, you can use a variable speed drive (VSD) to maintain a set point. The specific configuration of your system will depend on several things, including: What type of cooling tower you have (open circulating, once-through, or closed loop) and C.W. They can be manufactured according to custom specifications. Induced Draft Cooling Tower: 0.1 to 0.3 * Recirculation Rate / 100. Determining a cooling tower type and understanding some of the key design considerations will get you headed in the right direction. They are typically used where the surface needs to be clean and free of contaminants. If you own or manage a cooling tower, you may be considering your options for water treatment to improve the cleanliness, longevity, and efficiency of your system. 8 1-Mechanical cooling tower basic components 1-Frame and casing Most towers have structural frames that support the exterior enclosures (casings), motors, fans, and other components. But this development comes at a time when many of the new combined cycle power plants, and other facilities for that matter, are being staffed by people new to the industry. Cooling a stream of water to a lower temperature using evaporation does this. High efficiency cross-flute film fill. Cooling towers are usually specified to cool a certain flow rate from one temperature to another temperature at a certain wet bulb temperature. Nozzles should be cleaned regularly to prevent clogging. So, the evaporation rate for this example, with a recirculation flow of 150,000 gpm and a range of 27o F, is 3,159 gpm. Figure 10 shows a simple diagram of a 1-fan, induced-draft, cross-flow cooling tower. 1.4 COMPONENTS OF A COOLING TOWER. In our last cooling tower fundamentals post we covered some of the basic cooling tower components. Evaporation causes dissolved and suspended solids in the cooling water to increase in concentration. On the one hand, heat can be a great thing. Cooling tower heat transfer basics—Part 3. Warm water from industrial equipment, commercial ac system or any other heat source enters the tower and spreads evenly at the top.As the water flows down the tower, the equipment fill spreads it over a large area to increase the water-air contact, thus enhancing heat transfer via … The mass transfer due to evaporation does consume water, but the amount of loss is very less. Now, cooling towers, or some variation thereof such as wet-surface air coolers (WSAC®) or even air-cooled condensers, are the norm. installed and maintained in a manner that uses lower energy, cooling towers is very important to maximize their utilization. Axial Fans: The Basics. FIGURE 1. Shown below are two types, modern splash fill and the highest efficiency film fill. The main components of cooling tower are: Frames, fill, nozzles, drift eliminators, fan, air inlet, louvers, cold water basin. Heat is an interesting thing. Let us understand the definition & functions of each of them one by one. The heat from the hot steam is escaped to the atmosphere such that the cold water droplets are collected in a basin. Cooling Tower Mass Balance – makeup water. This water loss is known as drift (D). Keep it cool. Both forced and induced draft fans are used. This operates on the principle of heat transfer by a heat exchanger with extended fins. In the example from Figure 2, the wet bulb temperature at inlet air of 68oF, and 50 percent RH is near 57oF, so the approach to wet bulb for that example is 77o – 57o = 20o F. With modern, well-designed cooling towers, lower approach temperatures are quite possible. Cooling Tower Basics - Principles of Operation Cooling towers come in many different shapes and sizes. Cooling tower tasks are administered to a limited extent by the idea of the cooling … HVAC use of a cooling tower pairs the cooling tower with a water-cooled chiller or water-cooled condenser. Photo courtesy of Brentwood Industries and Rich Aull of Richard Aull Cooling Tower Consulting, LLC. The cooling tower is a device for cooling large quantities of water, which circulating in a water recycling system. Pressure washing and vacuuming also form a part of the deep cleaning process. Cooling Tower Basics - Drift Eliminator . Understanding the Basics of Cooling Tower Heat Transfer Brad Buecker 11.19.18 Once-through cooling was a common design feature for large power plants in … The cooled water collects in a sump for return to the heat exchangers, while the warm air exhaust vents to the atmosphere. Full-Stream Cooling Tower System Reduces Maintenance. Cooling is accomplished through the latent heat of vaporization. Once-through cooling was a common design feature for large power plants in the last century, as the process could effectively supply the high volumes of water needed for turbine exhaust steam condensation and auxiliary heat exchanger cooling. Basic Cooling Tower Equipment. Here is a brief outline of how a wet cooling tower works, and why it's such an important piece of industrial equipment: Wet cooling towers use water to cool machinery that heats up (hence the "wet" part of the name) and these towers use the natural process of evaporation to cool machinery. Cooling Tower Basics. Figure 2. About the author: Brad Buecker is Senior Technical Publicist with ChemTreat. He is a member of the American Chemical Society, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Association of Iron and Steel Technology, Cooling Technology Institute (via corporate membership), National Association of Corrosion Engineers, the Electric Utility Chemistry Workshop planning committee, the EPRI-sponsored Power Plant & Environmental Chemistry Committee, and the Power-Gen International planning committee. When a closer design approach is chosen, the resulting cooling tower provides colder water to the chiller condenser, even on a design day, which in turn reduces compressor energy. Circulating water system is a system in which water is used as the refrigerant for cooling in the heat exchange equipment. Growth of algae is highly restricted, as the lateral pipes are a closed unit and not located in direct sunlight. ... A cooling tower is a device that is used for the conversion of hot steam to cold water. PC Cooling Basics. The measurements allow for instantaneous blowdown adjustment to maintain the desired C value. Heat Load - Total heat to be removed from the circulating water by the cooling tower per unit time. / Basics / What is a Cooling Tower – Types, Working, Uses. Cooling Tower Thermal Design Manual Air Density: 0.0714 Lb/ft3 Air Specific Volume: 14.3309 ft3/Lb dry air Air Enthalpy: 46.3774 Btu/Lb dry air Download the example file (exe1_1.zip) This file covers the examples of 1-1 through 1-4. They range from small two-ton factory-assembled models to large field-erected towers capable of rejecting thousands of heat BTUs. Water vapor evaporates, leaving dissolved or suspended solids in the re-circulating cooling water. The Cooling Tower Water Treatment Basics September 21, 2020 by Tower Water If you own or manage a cooling tower, you may be considering your options for water treatment to improve the cleanliness, longevity, and efficiency of your system. Counter flow uses hot water that enters at the top, while the air is introduced at the bottom and exits at the top. These towers rely on an exchange of heat between the machinery, the water in the tower, and the air passing through the … Since cooling towers consume energy, there are multiple ways you can ensure that they are energy efficient. If you take a close look, most manufacturers include both good maintenance instructions as well as maintenance programs that could simplify both time and money for your operational expenses. COOLING TOWER Cooling towers are heat removal devices used to transfer process waste heat to the atmosphere. Returning to equation 3, the figure below illustrates the relationship in blowdown rate vs. cycles of concentration for the tower illustrated in Figure 2. From some previous work done by the author, ¦ for the example in Figure 2 calculates to 0.78. For Cooling Tower with Drift Eliminator D = 0.01* C /100. Multi-cell cooling tower configurations that have 100 percent independent systems have limited redundancy. The distribution is done through channel with lateral pipes, fitted with splash spray nozzles. Understanding the basics of piping and controls is step number one in the cooling tower industry. In all cases, the cycles of concentration has a cutoff point, where further increases can lead to scaling or corrosion issues in the cooling system, even with good chemical treatment. The advantage is that there is no scale formation and hence makes for better productivity and lesser downtime. Implementing strainer systems that act as filters to collect debris and minimize contact between air-borne or water-borne contaminants. Water-cooled and open circuit systems consume lower energy than air-cooled alternatives. Academia.edu is a platform for academics to share research papers. In Cleveland, Ohio the General Electric plant produces tungsten wire and powder. This fluid circulates in a coil throughout the tower and is not directly exposed to the air. For each pound (.121 gallons) of water that a cooling tower evaporates it removes about 1,000 BTU’s from the liquid that remains. Corporate Publications. What problems are associated with operating a cooling tower system? In this cooling tower fundamentals article we will discuss the remaining basic cooling tower components and how cooling towers handle cold weather operations. From the above curves this is evident: … Figure 3. Source:  Potter, M.C. Cooling Tower Basics: Piping and Controls Properly engineered condenser, chiller and cooling tower piping and controls will improve heat transfer and avoid problems such as air slugging and pumps losing prime. The goal is to introduce and understand one of the most basic elements in a hydronic cooling system: the cooling tower. Cold Weather Operations The most important factor is to learn to identify your own individual needs […] Modern mist eliminators can reduce drift to 0.0005% of the recirculation rate, and Brentwood Industries has come out with a design that reaches 0.00025% drift rate. BASIC PRINCIPLE In a cooling tower, heat and mass transfer processes combine to cool the water. Some of the methods you can use to make efficiency improvements are : In conclusion, cooling towers are an essential component of every building. When you visit Clarion Events (and our family of websites), we use cookies to process your personal data in order to customize content and improve your site experience, provide social media features, analyze our traffic, and personalize advertising. Cooling Tower Basics and Common Misconceptions Introduction In comparison with most other industrial equipments, the water cooling tower is a simple device, based on the direct contact of two of the earth’s most common substances: air and water; yet a The algebraic equation for calculating the cycles of concentration is: Comparison of the concentrations of a common ion such as chloride or magnesium in the makeup and recirculating water will determine cycles of concentration, but common in the field to calculate C is on-line measurement of the blowdown (BD) and makeup (MU) specific conductivities. Not all towers are suitable for all applications. Back to Basics: Cooling Towers 101 Types of cooling towers:. They require specialized maintenance to ensure safe, efficient, and reliable operation, including an effective water treatment program. The Cooling Tower Water Treatment Basics. Somerton, Schaum’s Outlines Thermodynamics for Engineers; McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 1993. Field erection type: These are large units that are generally used in power plants, huge manufacturing facilities such as steel processing plants or oil refineries. Controltrends.org is proud to present Tim Chamblee in Cooling Tower bascis (Notice: please be patient while downloading, this is a large document) Using a closer design approach for the cooling tower can lead to potential energy savings. Cooling Tower Fundamentals is devoted to the implementation of water cooling systems which satisfy design and environmental requirements with sound engineering and responsible cost. By understanding how cooling tower systems function, facility owners and operators can operate and maintain their systems … They vary in size from large hyperboloid structures to smaller ones on the rooftops of shopping centers, hospitals or universities. The factor of 1,000 is a good approximation of the latent heat of vaporization (Btu/lb) of water at ambient conditions. Today we are going to talk about how you can choose the right cooling tower system for areas with tropical climates. Since nozzles enhance even water distribution, they should be placed where they can be easy accessed, inspected, cleaned or replaced. Learn More . Their cooling water was normally contaminated with airborne grit, accumulating in their large cooling tower, which required for … Fundamental understanding is critical for proper operation of cooling water and other systems. Although the shapes and sizes can vary, the principle of operation remains the same. Fluid cooling towers or closed circuit cooling towers:  In closed circuit cooling towers, often water is mixed with glycol to form a fluid. Cooling Tower Basics - Principles of Operation They range from small two-ton factory-assembled models to large field-erected towers capable of rejecting thousands of heat BTUs. Buecker, B., ChemTreat; Aull, R., Richard Aull Consulting. For industrial companies using a cooling tower for its facility, some type of cooling tower water treatment system is usually necessary to ensure an efficient process and long equipment service life. How a Cooling Tower Works. COC = Make up water quantity / Blowdown water quantity. Posted by Ohio Heating. Thus, cooling towers can virtually always cool the circulating water to a lower temperature than ACCs. Blowdown vs. cycles of concentration. Because of this pressure difference air enters in to the cooling tower. The types of cooling towers based on the air flow generation are Natural draft, Mechanical draft, Cross-flow and Counter-flow towers. The next section examines the fundamentals of heat transfer in a cooling tower. Comments (0) June 8, 2017 / Do You Know Your Cooling Tower Fans? The shell is usually made of corrosion-free, heat resistant and durable material like fiberglass-reinforced polyester. Large cooling towers are usually used in industries like power plants, petroleum refineries and various manufacturing facilities. Maintaining thermal power plants (because fossil power is not going away soon), ESA U.S. report: More than 100 MW energy storage deployed 3Q, Scenes from the POWERGEN19 studio: Q&A on repowering, LNG, digital transformation & more. This type of cooling tower has many disadvantages such as higher power consumption due to the airflow required; maintenance is time consuming and is susceptible to scaling and clogging of openings. He may be reached at [email protected]. Cooling Tower with … As evaporation increases more heat is removed. By choosing “I Agree”, you understand and agree to Clarion’s Privacy Policy. This concentration factor is (logically) termed the cycles of concentration (C, or COC). Example 1-2. Maintenance frequency depends on the type of the tower, the size and external factors like geographical location of your building. The cycles of concentration normally vary … We value your privacy. This is recommended to be done monthly unless otherwise specified by the manufacturer. The fan is driven by an electric motor. Modern plastic splash fill. Types Of Cooling Towers. Cooling tower is simply a one type of heat exchange equipment where air & water comes in to the direct contact with each other. As the figure illustrates, warm effluent from the plant heat exchangers enters the tower and is sprayed over the cooling tower fill. As is clearly evident, the curve is asymptotic, and the reduction in blowdown at higher cycles drops off dramatically with increasing C.  The author has seen more than one set of specifications where the design engineers have selected a high cycles of concentration, seemingly without regard to the minimal benefits in water savings derived thereby. For purposes of this discussion, we will focus on the most common industrial cooling tower, as illustrated below.

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