Cooling Tower

1.0

Introduction

Cooling towers are evaporative coolers used for

cooling water or other working medium to near the
ambient wet-bulb air temperature
Industrial cooling towers can be used to reject heat
from various sources such as machinery or heated
process material
Some power plants, usually located on lakes or rivers,
use cooling towers as a method of cooling the
circulating water that has been heated in the
condenser.
Other than power plants, industries that utilize cooling
towers are petroleum refineries, petrochemical plants,
natural gas processing plants, food processing plants,
semi-conductor plants, and other industrial facilities.

1.1

Types of Cooling
Tower

Classification:
2 major typical of cooling tower which are
Natural circulation
Mechanical circulation

1.

Natural draught cooling tower

Refer to movement of air through a cooling

tower theory by natural means. Critically
by the driving force by density differential.

Description
Depends on the chimney effect produced by
presence in the tower of air and vapour of higher
temperature.
warm and moist air naturally rises due to the
density difference with cooler outside air.
These factors influence:
The quantity of air drawn through the tower.
Affect the velocities and flow patterns.
Affect the transfer coefficient between the gas and
liquids.

2.

Mechanical draught cooling

tower

2 types of mechanical circulation which

are induced draft and forced-draught.
Air velocity can be increased and
greater depth of packing can be used.

i.

Induced draught mechanical

circulation

With a fan at the discharge which pulls

air through tower.
Fan induces hot moist air out the
discharge.
Produce low entering and high exiting
air velocities
Reduce possibility of recirculation in
which discharged air flows back into
the air intake.

ii.

Forced draught mechanical

circulation

A mechanical draught tower with a

blower type fan at the intake.
The fan forces air into the tower,
creating high entering and low exiting
air velocity.
The low exiting velocity is much more
susceptible to complication due to
freezing conditions.
Required more motor horse power than
an equivalent induced draught design.

1.2

Characterization by air flow

Cross flow
- Air flow is directed perpendicular to the water flow

Counter flow
- air flow is directly opposite of the water flow

1.3Cooling Tower Theory

water is cooled by exposing its surface to air
heat removal per pound of air circulated in a
cooling
tower depends on the temperature
and moisture content of air
An indication of the moisture content of the
air is
its wet-bulb temperature

What is the meaning of Wet-Bulb

Temperature?
WBT is the lowest theoretical
temperature to which the water can be
cooled.

Theory:
Generally theory of the cooling-tower
heat-transfer process is that developed
by Merkel (op. cit.) which is based on
enthalpy potential difference as
driving force
Each particle of water is assumed to be
surrounded by a film of air, and the
enthalpy difference between the film
and surrounding air provides the driving
force for the cooling process

1.4
Terminology &
Definitions:
Blow-down:
Water discharged from the system to
control
concentration of salts or
other impurities in the circulating water.

Blow-out:
Water that is blown or pulled out of the
air inlet by wind.

Drift:
Water lost from the cooling tower as liquid
droplets or along with the exhaust air
(excluding condensation).
Drift MUST be controlled since it contains
chemicals or impurities that have negative
affect on environment.

Fill (packing):
Material placed within cooling tower to
increase heat and mass transfer between
the circulating water and the air flowing
through the tower.

Fouling:
Fouling is the accumulation of watersuspended materials on heat-exchanger
surfaces (blockages & poor distribution
through piping) which causing loss in
efficiency.

Leaching:
The loss of wood preservative chemicals
by the washing action of the water
flowing through a wood structure cooling
tower.

Plume:
The visible discharge of air and moisture
from a cooling tower due to condensation.
It is usually most visible in cool and humid
days when water vapour emanates from
the cooling tower exhaust.

Scale:
A crystalline deposit that can form on
surfaces or pipe work within the cooling
tower system due to build up of minerals
(usually calcium carbonate)

1.5 Components in Natural Draft

Cooling Towers
Basic components in crossflow tower

Basic components in counterflow tower

1.6 Components in Mechanical Draft

Cooling Towers

1.7 Major components in a cooling

tower
Cooling Tower (Supply) Basin: Water is supplied from
the discharge of the Circulating Water System to a
Distribution Basin, from which the Cooling Tower Pumps
take a suction.
Cooling Tower Pumps: These large pumps supply
water to one or more Cooling Towers. The total electrical
demand of all the Cooling Tower pumps may be as much
as 5% of the electrical output of the station.

Major components in a cooling

tower
A typical baffle-like devices, called drift
eliminators, through which the air must
travel after leaving the fill and spray zones
of the tower, capture most of the droplets
that are entrained in the exit air

Major components in a cooling tower

Air inlet
Louvers to equalize air flow in crossflow towers
Frame and casing- frame supports casing for large
towers
Fan, and fan stack chimney like, cylindrical, fan placing
gives pressure recovery, prevents recirculation
Nozzle
Plenum
Fill
Safety handrail
Cold water sump

Fills
Fills = packing, to increase contact area between water
and air, improves heat transfer and evaporation
In older towers, horizontal redwood or cypress slats were
used as packings, nowadays its pvc.
Greater depth of packing can be used in mechanical
towers
2 types: Splash and film
Splash type packing is usually used for crossflow towers,
not recommended for counterflow towers
Film type packing, or cellular fill is the type packing used
nowadays

Fills
Splash fill: water falls
over successive layers
of horizontal splash
bars, continuously
breaking into smaller
droplets, while also
wetting the fill surface.
Plastic splash fills
promote better heat
transfer than wood
splash fills.

Fills
Film fill: consists of
thin, closely spaced
plastic surfaces over
which the water
spreads, forming a
thin film in contact
with the air. These
surfaces may be flat,
corrugated,
honeycombed, or
other patterns.
Usually for
counterflow.

Advantages & Disadvantages

Film Fill
Advantages

Splash bars

requires less material

Provides more cooling
than film packing
capacity in a given
space than splash fill.
More efficient and
provides same heat
transfer in a smaller
volume than the splash fill.

Disadvantages Highly susceptible for

clogging and fouling due to
deposits of mud, slime,
algae and scale formation

Requires high
capacity than film fill
to increase the
capacity of an existing
cooling tower.

Packing In Cooling Towers

What are the material being used?
1. Various woods
2. Asbestos material
3. Galvanized and stainless steel
4. Plastics of numerous types

Requirements of Good Fills

Should not deteriorate for chemical action of water
Corrosion resistant
Should not sag and should be laid flat
Should have adequate splashing and wetted
surface area
Should create good time of contact and thin film of
hot water for evaporation
Should withstand hot water temperature of water
up to 50oC
Should be fire retarding

1.8
Problems in
Cooling Tower Systems

- Usually due to the cooling water quality. (contains dissolved minerals,

insoluble matter, microbiological organisms)
- Three categories: a) Deposit formation
i) Fouling
ii) Scaling
b) Corrosion
c) Biological deposition

a) Deposit formation
i) Fouling
- How this happen?
a) Accumulation of water-suspended materials on surfaces.
- Effect?
a) Reduce heat transfer efficiency,
b) equipment deterioration
- Solution?
a) Filter on cooling water,
b) injecting small rubber balls

a) Deposit formation
ii) Scaling
- How this happen?
a) concentrated of minerals
(CaCO3 most common)
- Effect?
a) Reduce heat transfer efficiency,
- Solution?
a) Adding solubilizing chemicals
b) Adding crystal modifiers

b) Corrosion
- How this happen?
a) Dissolved gases & improper pH control, causing metal to
recombine with oxygen
- Effect?
a) reduce lifespan of equipment
b) reduce cooling efficiency
- Solution?
a) use of non corrosive metals
b) Adding chemical inhibitors
c) Paint, epoxy, or metal plating

c) Biological deposition
- How this happen?
a) uncontrolled multiplication of bacteria, algae, and fungi.
(Temperature range of 21-60 oC and a pH range of 6-9)
- Effect?
a) Energy losses
b) Reduce heat transfer efficiency
c) Infection : Legionnaires disease
- Solution?
a) Chemical treatment like biocides & algaecide
b) Temperature elevation
c) Cleaning of tower