COOLING TOWERS

2016-ch-448

SEPTEMBER 24, 2019

 Wet cooling towers
Water cooling towers are some of the most essential pieces of equipment for commercial and
industrial buildings today; because of the cost-effective and renewable technology that has been
developed for cooling towers, countless industrial companies are able to function continuously.
Although the most general definition of a cooling tower is something that removes "waste" heat
from any industrial process or air conditioning condenser, wet cooling towers.

Working: -
Wet cooling towers use water to cool machinery that heats up (hence the "wet" part
of the name) and these towers use the natural process of evaporation to cool machinery. These
towers rely on an exchange of heat between the machinery, the water in the tower, and the air
passing through the tower.
When a process or machine part begins to heat up, water in the cooling tower passes through a
labyrinth in the structure, and as it passes through, it absorbs excess heat. This warm water then
comes into direct contact with cool air passing through the tower; the direct interaction causes the
warmest water droplets to evaporate into the air, which continues passing through the tower and
out into the atmosphere. The water that's left becomes cool again, and can be pumped back through
the system to absorb heat again.
Although wet cooling towers absorb "waste" heat and technically produce "emissions," it's
important to realize that this "waste" is simply a byproduct of a system process, and that the
"emissions" are simply heated water droplets -- not at all like the harmful carbon dioxide emissions
that are produced from burning fuel
 Dry cooling tower
Cooling towers are heat exchangers that are used to dissipate large heat loads to the atmosphere.
Wet cooling towers rely on the latent heat of water evaporation to exchange heat between the
process and the air passing through the cooling tower

Working: -
The power plant of close-loop cycle like steam turbine requires a cooling process in which the
remaining thermal energy is ejected outside the system after electricity conversion. One-through,
wet cooling (or recirculating cooling) and dry cooling are the most widely used cooling methods
for heat rejection. Water is commonly used for one-through method and wet cooling method due
to its easy accessibility and high performance in heat transfer. Since a large amount of water
withdrawals is required for once-through method, the power plant is usually located nearby
adequate water source such as ocean or river. The withdrawn water is discharged downstream and
the temperature usually rises ~10°C. The temperature rise is strictly controlled under the
environmental regulations. Wet cooling method utilizes the evaporation heat transfer process to
cool down circulation water. About 1% of circulation water is consumed as evaporation to cool
down the circulation water by 7°C [1]. This also needs affluent water resources and consumes far
more amount of water than once-through method. Dry cooling method does not require water for
cooling as its name implies. It uses mostly air as heat transfer media. Dry cooling is preferred in a
region where water is scarce or the government practices strict environmental regulation on water
resource. However, its poor heat transfer performance makes the cooling system
 Difference between dry and wet cooling tower
Dry cooling tower
DRY COOLING TOWER. The main function of
the offered dry cooling tower is to cool and
maintain the temperature of process hot water at a
particular level. The tower works on a principle of
heat transfer and is driven by an electric motor. The
wound copper tubes eliminate any unnecessary
leakage after installation.
Wet cooling tower
Cooling towers are heat exchangers that are
used to dissipate large heat loads to the
atmosphere. ... Wet cooling towers rely on the
latent heat of water evaporation to exchange
heat between the process and the air passing
through the cooling tower