Natural draft cooling towers

Natural draft cooling towers are found in power and

chemical plants
throughout the world. Different shapes and types of
structures exist, but their fundamental function is the
same, i.e., to create the flow of air through the fill or
bundles of finned tube heat exchangers by means of
buoyancy effects.
The hyperbolic concrete tower, which is normally
operated in the wet
mode, is also effectively employed as a dry-cooling tower
if designed
specifically for this purpose. Other towers may be made
of aluminum-clad steel or wood. The main dimensions of
cooling towers are usually determined by
performance
structure, according to Niemann
economic considerations, according to both Alomwooja
et al. and Krings
At the same time, Grange asserts aerodynamic and
thermal factors
should not be ignored. In areas of the world where
seismic activity isprevalent, aluminum clad steel towers
may be preferred. Cost structures may be such that this
type of dry-cooling tower is cheaper than a concrete
tower.
The performance of any natural draft cooling tower is
influenced by the
characteristics of the fill or the finned-tube, heatexchanger bundles at the base of the tower, the tower
geometry, and ambient conditions, such as temperature,
pressure, winds, inversions, and precipitation according to
Moore and Heberholz and Schulz. Furthermore, fouling
reduces transfer coefficients and increases flow

resistances. The result is a corresponding reduction in

cooling tower performance. Where specific information on
fouling is available, this can be incorporated directly in
the design.