Cooling System & Maintenance

After studying this chapter, student will be

able to:
List and describe the basic components of a
cooling tower.
Explain how cooling tower operate.
Explain cooling tower standards and
maintenance.

Cooling towers (figure 6.1)

A heat transfer devices designed to cool water for
reuse.
They cool hot water by bringing it into direct
contact with air, using countercurrent or crossflow
patterns.
Contains wood or plastic slats, called fill, that
direct airflow and the flow of water falling from
the top of tower.
The downward flowing water coats the fill and
forms a film, thereby increasing the surface area
for contact between the cool air and hot water.

 Hot water transfers heat to the cooler air it

contact in the tower.
This process results in both sensible heat loss and
evaporation.
Sensible heat is the heat that can be measured or
felt.
When water changes to vapor, the vapor takes
heat energy with it, leaving behind the cooler
liquid.

 Evaporation, which accounts for 80% to 90% of

the heat loss, is the most critical factor in cooling
tower efficiency.
It is affected by relative humidity (the amount of
water in a given quantity of air at given
temperature), temperature and wind velocity.
Other factors that affect cooling tower efficiency :
Tower design
Water contamination
Equipment problem

The temperature difference (T) between

the inlet air temperature (wet-bulb) and the
outlet temperature is referred to as the
approach to the tower.
The temperature difference between the hot
and cold water is referred to as the cooling
range.

Two ways to measure temperature

Dry-bulb temperature (DBT)
Wet-bulb temperature (WBT)

Wet-bulb temperature takes into account

the relative humidity, whereas dry-bulb
temperature does not.
Wet-bulb temperature usually are lower
than dry-bulb temperatures.

Water distribution system

A pipe located at the top of most towers.
As hot process water returns to the tower, it enter
this part.
Then, water is sprayed or allowed to fall down into
the tower over the splash bar and fill.

Splash bar
Direct the downward flow of water and increase
the surface area available for air water contact.

Fill

The material inside a tower that directs the flow of

water and air.
Can be arranged in patterns that produce either
counterflow or crossflow.

Basin

Pumps suction water from the water basin and

discharge it into cooling water supply header.
The supply header distributes water to process
exchangers, where it absorbs heat and returns to the
top of the cooling tower return header.

Drift eliminators

Prevent water from being blown or sucked out of the

tower.

Drift loss
Water loss in the process of blown or sucked out
of the tower.
Also called as windage loss.

Blow- down
Make up water is added to replace water that has
been loss by evaporation or blow- down.

Induced draft
Induced draft cooling tower use fans to pull air
out of the system.

Forced draft
Forced draft cooling tower use fans to push air
into the system.

Air intake louvers

Slats located on the side of the tower to direct
airflow.
Can be fixed or movable depending on the tower
the tower design.

Cooling tower are classified by how they

produce airflow and the direction the airflow
takes in relation to the downward flow of
water.
The following are classification of cooling
tower:

Atmospheric Cooling Tower

Natural- draft Cooling Tower
Forced- Draft Cooling Tower
Induced draft cooling tower

Wind moves air into and out of the tower.

Airflow rates are determined by wind velocity.
The tower is designed so that winds blow in
horizontally, so the air moves in a crossflow
direction.
Cool air enters the tower through the louvered
sides and passes across the downward flowing
hot water.
As the air becomes heated by contact with the
hot water, it travels up because hot air rises.
This air is moving in a counterflow direction,
opposite the direction of the falling water.

The wet-bulb temperature ( the single most

important factor in cooling tower
perfomance) can be described in several
ways;
The lowest theoretical temperature to which
water can be cooled in the tower.
The temperature of the air saturated with water
(also referred as dewpoint of air)
A theoretical temperature that cannot be reached,
only approached.

The top of this tower has drift eliminators to

stop water loss when wind velocity surges.
Location of this tower is important because
wind velocities of 4.5 to 6.5 mph are
required in order for it to function properly.
These tower are designed for water leaving
the tower to be 4 or 5oF lower than the wetbulb temperature of entering air.
These tower have a 30 to 55% efficiency
rating for cooling water.

It is very cost effective because the system

does not require a fan.
However, its efficiency can fluctuate greatly
because it depends on an uncontrollable
factor, wind velocity.
Heat transfer drops significantly with the
loss of airflow.

Draw a simple atmospheric cooling tower.

List and describe seven components.

Hyperbolic, or chimney , towers are naturaldraft towers that have a large stack, or
chimney.
Usually associated with power plant operation.
Commercial towers are typically around 310
feet high with a lower diameter of 210 feet and
throat around 120 feet that gradually widens
to 134 feet at the top.
Designed for flows in excess of 500 000 GPM
( gallons per minute).
Airflow is produced by temperature induced
density differences inside and outside the
stack.

Hyperbolic towers can have fill patterns that

are either crossflow or counterflow.
Airflow rates are higher in a crossflow
tower, but evaporative heat transfer is more
efficient in a counterflow tower.
The fill and water distribution system are
located below the chimney or stack.
Hot water is pumped to a distribution
system that is much lower than would be
found in an atmospheric tower.

During operation, a natural-draft tower

resembles a large smokestack.
Air enters the cooling tower at the base and is
directed into the internal fill pattern.
As hot water drops through the fill, it is exposed
to the cooler air.
Density changes inside the chimney create the
required upward draft.
Heat is removed through the chimney.
Natural- draft efficiency is linked to the relative
humidity and the temperature of the outside
air.

Force air in mechanical by the use of fans.

(fig. 8.5) on the lower side of the tower.
Usually have solid sides without louvers.
The fans push in 100% of the process air.
Flow direction is counterflow; the fans push
air upward against the downward flow of
water.
Air in this tower can have high velocities,
but the exiting air slows so much that it is
recirculated back into the tower, cutting
efficiency by 20%.

Have much higher heat transfer rates than

atmospheric and natural-draft cooling
towers, and they are significantly lower in
height
Less efficient than induced- draft tower
because some hot air is recirculated.

Produces air- flow mechanically (fig 8.6)

Differs from the forced-draft cooling tower in that it
pulls air out of the tower rather than forcing it in.
Airflow in this tower is slow than in a forced-draft
tower, but heat transfer through evaporation is
more efficient.
The tower fan, located on top of the tower (fig 8.7
and 8.8) produces discharge rates strong enough to
lift the hot air above the tower, so hot air is not
recirculated into the tower.

It can circulate airflow horizontally

(crossflow) or vertically (counterflow).
During crossflow operation, drift eliminators
are located in the center of the tower to
reduce water loss.
Counterflow operations force air vertically
across a solid area of fill, and drift
eliminators are located above the fill and
water distribution header.

Discuss each of the cooling towers in terms

of their working principle.

In the manufacturing environment, heat

exchangers and cooling towers work in
hand to create a water- cooling system.
As cool water is pumped from the tower to a
heat exchanger, the hotter process fluid
transfers heat to the cooling tower.
The water in turn, removes heat from the
process fluid.
The process flow continues on to the next
step, whereas the hot wateris return to the
tower to be cooled.

A centrifugal pump sends the hot water to

the top of the tower, where it enters the
water distribution header.
The hot water is distributed evenly
throughout the tower, where much of the
heat it had gained is given up in
evaporation.
The cooled liquid is recirculated back to the
heat exchanger and the process loop
continues.

Hot water dissolves solids faster than cold

water.
Hot water dissolves a little bit of everything
it comes into contact with. By the time the
hot water return to the tower, it is full of
suspended solids. When it undergoes
evaporation, the remaining fluid
concentrates in the basin.
Hot water also has a tendency to become
corrosive and to form deposited.

Materials used to construct a cooling tower must

be durable and capable of withstanding wide
temperature difference.
Treated wood, cedar, cypress , redwood, and
plastic usually are used as construction
materials.
Operaters face the following problem:
Suspended solid can accumulate in the water and
eventually form deposit (scale)
Electrochemical reactions with metal surfaces cause
corrosion to Silt, debris, and algae foul and plug
exchanger tubes.
Fungi and bacteria cause wood decay.

 The problem of suspended solids is controlled by

a process called blow-down.
Scale- forming solid can be removed with
softening agents or suspension of solids can be
prevented by adding chemicals.
Another approaches is to precipitate the scale so
it can be removed (to precipitate is to get
particles fall from suspension.
Corrosion can be minimized by the addition of
chemical inhibitors, which form a film that
protects metal.

Fouling can be controlled by filtering

devices, alone or with dispersant that
prevent suspended solids from
accumulating.
Biocides (such as chlorine or bromine) can
be used to prevent wood decay.

pH of water
Total dissolves solids (TDS)
Inhibitor concentration
Chlorine or bromine concentration
Precipitants concentrations
Tower equipment checklist
Filters and screen
Wet-bulb temperature and humidity

Explain the problems related with cooling

tower and ways to overcome it.