Efficiency control in a commercial counter flow wet cooling tower

This paper presents open and closed-loop analyses of a counter flow wet cooling tower. The closed-loop system analysis was based on a comparative evaluation of three control strategies. The first and second comprised a split-range control of the cooling water temperature and an index of thermal performance (efficiency), respectively, and the third strategy comprised a combination of override and split-range control in order to control two performance indexes (efficiency and effectiveness). In this case, a SISO (Single-Input Single-Output) loop for each controlled variable is considered. In each case the water loss through evaporation and the energy consumption in the cooling tower (pump and fans) were estimated in order to analyze its eco-efficiency. All the simulation tests were carried out considering the same regulatory problem and the results show a notable improvement in the tower’s performance when compared to open-loop operation, thus attesting the potential benefits of the use of an efficient control strategy for such equipment.     

Experimental investigation of the performance characteristics of a counterflow wet cooling tower

An experimental investigation of the performance characteristics of a counter flow wet cooling tower represented by the heat rejected by the tower and its thermal effectiveness is presented in this paper. The tower is filled with a “VGA.” (Vertical Grid Apparatus) type packing which is 0.42 m high and contains four (04) galvanised sheets having a zigzag form, between which are disposed three (03) metallic vertical grids in parallel with a cross-sectional test area of 0.15 m × 0.148 m. The investigation is concerned mainly on the effect of the air, water flow rates and the inlet water temperatures on the thermal effectiveness of the cooling tower as well as the heat rejected by this tower from water to be cooled to the air stream discharged into the atmosphere. The two operating regimes which were observed during the air/water contact inside the tower, a Pellicular Regime (PR) and a Bubble and Dispersion Regime (BDR) appear to be important, as The BDR regime enables to cool larger amount of water flow rates, while the Pellicular regime results with higher thermal effectiveness.     

Performance prediction of a multi-stage wind tower for indoor cooling

A theoretical model is developed to establish an indepth understanding of the performance of a three-stage wind tower with a bypass system for indoor cooling in rural dry and hot climates. Model simulations are presented for a wide range of ambient conditions that include inlet wind speed, inlet temperature and relative humidity. Simulation results provide an insight into the desirable water flow rates and air-to-water loadings for comfort zone tem-peratures and relative humidity levels at the exit of the wind tower. Simulations show wind towers with variable cross-sections provide an increase in the cooling power for the same inlet wind speed, inlet air temperature and relative humidity when compared to wind towers with a constant cross-section. The study shall lead to a better understanding to designing wind towers that are both environmentally friendly and energy efficient.     

Fouling characteristics of internal helical-rib roughness tubes using low-velocity cooling tower water

This paper provides long-term cooling tower water fouling data in seven 15.54 mm I.D. copper, helically ribbed tubes taken at low water velocity (1.07 m/s). The ranges of geometric parameters were number of rib starts (18-45), helix angle (25-45°), and height (0.33-0.55 mm). These geometries provide a new class of internal enhancement that is typical of commercially enhanced tubes presently used in water chillers. There are two ranges of fouling characteristics based on internal dimensions: linear range and non-linear range. The ratio of the enhanced-to-plain tube fouling resistance linearly increases with increasing the product of area indexes and efficiency indexes in linear range and the linear relationship fails in non-linear range. A series of semi-theoretical fouling correlations as a function of the product of area indexes and efficiency indexes were developed. They were applicable to different internally ribbed geometries within the above dimensional range. A series of linear multiple regression correlations as a function of geometric variables and Reynold numbers were also developed. The average deviation of the two series of correlations was 4.4% and 4.8%, respectively. The correlations can be directly used to assess the fouling potential of enhanced tubes in actual cooling water situations.     

Thermal optimization of a natural draft wet cooling tower

This study attempts to quantify the potential improvement in a natural draft wet cooling tower (NDWCT) performance that can be attained by optimizing the fill and water distribution profiles across the tower and to provide designers with the modelling tools for such an investigation. A simple two‐dimensional (2D) model is described, which allows rapid evaluation of NDWCT performance for use with an optimization procedure. This model has been coupled with an evolutionary optimization algorithm to determine the optimal fill shape and water distribution profile to maximize the cooling range of a typical NDWCT. The results are compared against a 2D axisymmetric numerical model. The extended 1D model is found to significantly reduce computational time compared with the numerical model, allowing a wide range of parameters to be tested rapidly with reasonable accuracy. The results show that the optimal layout differs significantly from a uniform profile, with both the water flow rate and the fill depth decreasing towards the centre of the tower where the air is warmer with reduced cooling potential. The overall improvement in the tower cooling range is very low under the design conditions tested, due largely to the highly coupled nature of the airflow and heat transfer in the tower. It is concluded that any design modifications of the type considered would need to be carefully optimized to have any possibility of improving performance. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thermal performances investigation of a wet cooling tower

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the thermal performances of a forced draft counter flow wet cooling tower filled with an “VGA” (Vertical Grid Apparatus) type packing. The packing is 0.42 m high and consists of four (04) galvanised sheets having a zigzag form, between which are disposed three (03) metallic vertical grids in parallel with a cross sectional test area of 0.0222 m² (0.15 m × 0.148 m). This study investigates the effect of the air and water flow rates on the cooling water range as well as the tower characteristic, for different inlet water temperatures. Two operating regimes were observed during the air water contact, a pellicular regime (PR) and a bubble and dispersion regime (BDR). These two regimes can determine the best way to promote the heat transfer. The BDR regime seems to be more efficient than the pellicular regime, as it enables to cool larger water flow rates. The comparison between the obtained results and those found in the literature for other types of packing indicates that this type possesses very interesting thermal performances.     

Cooling potential of an evaporative cooling tower: Parametric studies

Dependence of the cooling potential of an evaporative cooling tower on the tower parameters (height h, cross-sectional area A_t, evaporative pad area A_p, packing factor of evaporating pads F_p and flow resistance f) has been investigated. The performance of the tower is studied for two different climates, namely hot-dry and composite, typified by Jodhpur and Delhi.     

Thermal performance of a building coupled to an evaporative cooling tower

The thermal performance of a building fitted with an evaporative cooling tower has been evaluated in terms of discomfort index for two climates, namely, composite and hot-dry, typified by New Delhi and Jodhpur, respectively. The effects of various evaporative cooling parameters (height and cross-sectional area of the tower, packing factor, area of the pads, resistance offered to the air flow and local wind conditions) on the performance of the building have been analysed. It was found that, for given parameters of the tower and wind conditions, there is an optimum height of the tower for which the thermal discomfort condition in the building is minimum. The optimum values of the tower height for comfort conditions in the building for various other tower parameters have been obtained for each climate.     

Thermodynamic study of wet cooling tower performance

An analytical model was developed to describe thermodynamically the water evaporation process inside a counter‐flow wet cooling tower, where the air stream is in direct contact with the falling water, based on the implementation of the energy and mass balance between air and water stream describing thus, the rate of change of air temperature, humidity ratio, water temperature and evaporated water mass along tower height. The reliability of model predictions was ensured by comparisons made with pertinent experimental data, which were obtained from the literature. The paper elaborated the effect of atmospheric conditions, water mass flow rate and water inlet temperature on the variation of the thermodynamic properties of moist air inside the cooling tower and on its thermal performance characteristics. The analysis of the theoretical results revealed that the thermal performance of the cooling tower is sensitive to the degree of saturation of inlet air. Hence, the cooling capacity of the cooling tower increases with decreasing inlet air wet bulb temperature whereas the overall water temperature fall is curtailed with increasing water to air mass ratio. The change of inlet water temperature does not affect seriously the thermal behaviour of the cooling tower. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical model of evaporative cooling processes in a new type of cooling tower

A numerical model for studying the evaporative cooling processes that take place in a new type of cooling tower has been developed. In contrast to conventional cooling towers, this new device called Hydrosolar Roof presents lower droplet fall and uses renewable energy instead of fans to generate the air mass flow within the tower. The numerical model developed to analyse its performance is based on computational flow dynamics for the two-phase flow of humid air and water droplets. The Eulerian approach is used for the gas flow phase and the Lagrangian approach for the water droplet flow phase, with two-way coupling between both phases. Experimental results from a full-scale prototype in real conditions have been used for validation. The main results of this study show the strong influence of the average water drop size on efficiency of the system and reveal the effect of other variables like wet bulb temperature, water mass flow to air mass flow ratio and temperature gap between water inlet temperature and wet bulb temperature. Nondimensional numerical correlation of efficiency as a function of these significant parameters has been calculated.     

Overall heat transfer coefficient in the presence of the axial dispersion coefficient for a forced draught cooling tower

An overall heat transfer coefficient was calculated for a forced draught counterflow cooling tower by using the pulse response technique. The presence of an axial dispersion coefficient for both gas and liquid was considered. Results indicate that, on neglecting the axial mixing and assuming a plug flow, the overall heat transfer coefficient is overestimated and can lead to errors in design applications.     

水力冷却塔水轮机的节能分析

以水力冷却塔水轮机代替电动机驱动风机,节省了电机所消耗的电能,但是水轮机串联于冷却水循环系统中,增加了水循环系统的水力阻力,须消耗一部分水能克服水力阻力。利用试验和数值分析两种方法,研究了水循环系统中水轮机所引起的水力损失特点,提出水轮机节能的措施。     

湿式冷却塔进风口加装导风板的优化设计

基于两相流传热传质理论,利用Fluent软件模拟300 MW机组冷却塔填料区使用多孔介质时的通风率,采用离散相模型（DPM）在配水区上表面加入热水,模拟研究新型旋流型叶片导风板的优化能力,给定不同弧度及安装角,分别在0、3和7 m·s^-1风速下计算冷却塔出塔水温,并分析侧风对冷却塔冷却性能的影响。研究结果表明：加装导风板可以降低侧风引起的不利影响,导风板数量为50块时效果最好,旋流型叶片导风板的最佳安装角为20°,此时旋流型叶片的最佳弧度为15°,最大温降可达0.787 4 K。研究结果为火电厂选择导风板提供了依据。     

侧风环境下湿式冷却塔性能参数变化规律的试验研究

外界侧风在很大程度上影响自然通风逆流湿式冷却塔的传热传质性能,根据相似理论,通过热态模型试验,以冷却数和刘易斯数为出发点,研究了外界侧风对冷却塔传热传质性能的影响.研究发现:冷却数和刘易斯数随着外界侧风的变化呈现先减小后增大的趋势,拐点风速值为0.4 m/s;当外界侧风风速小于0.7 ～0.8m/s时,侧风的存在严重恶...     

Wet and dry cooling systems optimization applied to a modern waste-to-energy cogeneration heat and power plant

In Brescia, Italy, heat is delivered to 70% of 200.000 city inhabitants by means of a district heating system, mainly supplied by a waste to energy plant, utilizing the non recyclable fraction of municipal and industrial solid waste (800,000 tons/year, otherwise landfilled), thus saving annually over 150,000 tons of oil equivalent and over 400,000 tons of CO₂ emissions.     

Experimental and thermal analysis of energy efficient novel design wet cooling towers

Waste heat is generally dissipated from process water to atmospheric air in cooling towers. In the present study, a novel design is used to extract more amount of heat without any additional energy input by incorporating secondary ambient air in an induced draft wet cooling tower. In addition, more fresh air is induced in the tower from the rain zone, which increases the effectiveness at any value of the water to air flow rate (L/G ratio). Moreover, tower characteristics, range, and evaporation loss were also increased due to the novel design. It is noteworthy that secondary fresh air increases effectiveness, heat rejection, and tower characteristics by 10.12%, 19.65%, and 26.11%, respectively, and decreases approach by 16.32% at 0.55 L/G ratio, 44°C inlet water temperature, 29.7°C dry bulb temperature, and 18.4°C inlet air wet bulb temperature.     

干湿两用冷却塔的结构设计及性能分析

分析干湿两用冷却塔的工作原理,结合热交换公式和所选用的翅片管换热器,在具体设计算例的要求下对干式工况和湿式工况的冷却能力进行比较,经过试算找到干湿工况运行的界限温度,通过分析得到一些有价值的结论,为干湿两用冷却塔的研制及优化运行提供了参考依据。     

Three-dimensional numerical study on thermal performance of a super large natural draft cooling tower of 220m height

Based on the heat and mass transfer theory and the characteristics of general-purpose software FLUENT, a three-dimensional numerical simulation platform, composed of lots of user defined functions（UDF）, has been developed to simulate the thermal performance of natural draft wet cooling towers（NDWCTs）. After validation, this platform is used to analyse thermal performances of a 220m high super large cooling tower designed for inland nuclear plant under different operational conditions. Variations of outlet temperature of the cooling tower caused by changes of water flow rates, inlet water temperatures are investigated. Effects of optimization through non-uniform water distributions on outlet water temperature are discussed, and the influences on the flow field inside the cooling tower are analyzed in detail. It is found that the outlet water temperature will increase as the water flow rate increases, but the air flow rate will decrease. The outlet water temperature will decrease 0.095K and 0.205K, respectively, if two non-uniform water distribution approaches are applied.     

Thermal performance of a closed wet cooling tower for chilled ceilings: measurement and CFD simulation

A closed wet cooling tower, adapted for use with chilled ceilings in buildings, was tested experimentally. The thermal efficiency of the cooling tower was measured for different air flow rates, water flow rates, spray flow rates and wet bulb air temperatures. CFD was also used to predict the thermal performance of the cooling tower. Good agreement was obtained between CFD prediction and experimental measurement. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical simulation of closed wet cooling towers for chilled ceiling systems

A numerical technique for evaluating the performance of a closed wet cooling tower for chilled ceiling systems is presented. The technique is based on computational flow dynamics (CFD) for the two-phase flow of gas and water droplets. The eulerian approach is used for the gas phase flow and the lagrangian approach for the water droplet phase flow, with two-way coupling between two phases. Numerical simulation indicates that CFD can be used to predict the performance of a closed wet cooling tower, given the appropriate rate of heat generation from the heat exchanger. The technique is suitable for optimization of the design and operation of the cooling tower for chilled ceilings.