| Abstract: | The geometrical dimensions of a counterflow natural draft wet-cooling tower are optimized to obtain the minimum combined operational and capital cost compounded over the economic life of the cooling tower. Wet-cooling tower performance evaluation software is employed in conjunction with an optimization algorithm to obtain the optimum cooling tower geometry. It is shown that the inlet height of the cooling tower, which primarily determines the operational cost, is the most critical parameter influencing the total operational and capital cost of a cooling tower. The effects of the diameter of the cooling tower and the volume of the concrete have a less pronounced effect on the total operational and capital cost of a cooling tower. The results of the mathematical optimization algorithm are verified by a manual investigation of the solution domain. |
