CONTENTS

1.0 ABSTRACT.............................................................................................................................2
2.0 INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................3
3.0 OBJECTIVES..........................................................................................................................5
4.0 THEORY..................................................................................................................................5
5.0 APPARATUS...........................................................................................................................8
6.0 METHODS...............................................................................................................................8
7.0 RESULTS...............................................................................................................................10
8.0 CALCULATIONS.................................................................................................................12
9.0 DISCUSSIONS.......................................................................................................................14
10.0 CONCLUSION......................................................................................................................17
11.0 RECOMMENDATIONS.......................................................................................................18
12.0 REFERENCES......................................................................................................................19
13.0 APPENDICES........................................................................................................................20

1
1.0 ABSTRACT

This experiment was conducted to determine the mass and energy balance on the cooling
tower system and to analyse the effects of the process variables or parameters on the exit
temperature of the water. In this experiment, there are several parameters that can be adjusted
in order to observe its effects on the evaporation of water for the cooling tower system. The
parameters that can be adjusted are the heater power, the water flow rate and the blower
condition. For the first experiment, the parameters that be adjusted is the heater power which
is set at 0.5 kW, 1.0 kW, and 1.5 kW while the water flow rate remains constant at 1.0 LPM
and blower at the fully open condition. Then, for the second experiment, the water flow rate
is set at the value of 1.0 LPM, 2.0 LPM, and 3.0 LPM while the heater power remains
constant at 1.0 kW and blower at the fully open condition.

2
2.0 INTRODUCTION

Cooling towers are a special type of heat exchanger that allows water and air to come in
contact with each other to lower the temperature of the hot water. During this process, small
volumes of water evaporate, lowering the temperature of the water that’s being circulated
throughout the cooling tower (Buecker, 2019). In a short summary, a cooling tower cools
down water that gets over heated by industrial equipment and processes. The cost for this
process is inexpensive and very dependable by removing a low amount of heat from the
process. Commonly, the applications of the cooling towers included; oil refineries,
petrochemical, thermal power stations and chemical plants. Basically, the cooling process in
the industry will involve the cooling tower system.

Not all towers are suitable for all applications. Cooling towers are designed and
manufactured in several types, with numerous sizes available. In general, there are two
distinct type of the cooling towers system either in small or large scale which are crossflow
and counterflow cooling tower. We can see the difference of the cooling towers by knowing
how the air and water interact in crossflow and counter flow cooling towers. Crossflow and
counterflow are two different ways to describe how air moving through a cooling tower
interacts with the process water being cooled and their key differences. The focus is on
factory-assembled induced-draft crossflow and counterflow cooling towers.

The key differences between crossflow and counterflow cooling towers are how the air
moving through the cooling tower interacts with the process of water being cooled. In a
crossflow tower, air travels horizontally across the direction of the falling water whereas in a
counterflow tower air travels in the opposite direction (counter) to the direction of the falling
water (Requirements, n.d.). Furthermore, it is critical to realize not all cooling tower can be
treated the same. Depending on the application, a crossflow cooling tower has two air inlets
compared to four on a counterflow cooling tower. A crossflow cooling tower also may
require less total area than a counterflow tower even at heat loads less than 750 tons. This is
due to the air inlets on each style of the tower.

3
 Figure 2.1 Crossflow cooling tower schematic

Figure 2.2 Counterflow cooling tower schematic

In this experiment, a laboratory cooling tower unit had been used to conduct the
experiment which utilizes a commercial air conditioning system. The laboratory cooling
tower allows the speed of fans (blower) to be controlled for cooling the warm return water
and the pump is used to return the cooled water to the water heater. This experiment is
conducted to show the mass and heat transfer in the system for the closed system and to study
how the adjustment of different parameters can affect the performance of the system in
removing the heat from the process.

4
3.0 OBJECTIVES

1. To study the performance of with differences cooling load.

2. To observe the exit temperature with differences water flow rate.

4.0 THEORY

Cooling tower is a special design heat exchanger to reduce water temperature by

contacting between air and water. This process happen due to small volume of water is
evaporated and reducing the temperature of water being circulated through the tower
(Towers, 2019). Cooling tower may either use the evaporation of water to remove heat and
cool the working fluid to near the wet-bulb air temperature or in the case closed circuit dry
cooling tower that depend on air to cool the working fluid to near dry-bulb air temperature.
There are two type of cooling tower which are cross flow cooling tower which waters flow
vertically through the fill while the air flow horizontally

The cooling tower is operated according to the First Law of Thermodynamics which is
conversion energy. Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. However, it can be
transferred from one location to another and converted to other forms of energy (Lucas,
2019). The energy that enter the system must exit the systems as it can diffuse through the
system. Energy that enters the cooling tower is in the form of hot water and this hot water
was cooled from temperature T1 to temperature T2. The cooling of the hot water was in the
form of convection which ambient air at T1 was blown over the hot water and exited the
cooling tower at some temperature T2. The main component of the energy balance is
enthalpy which is define as:

H=U+PV

H= entalphy
U=internal energy
P=pressure

5
 V=volume

Figure A: Basic principle of cooling tower

The heat transfer is occurring primarily in the load tank, where water is brought up to
the feed temperature. The rate of evaporation from a wet surface into the surrounding air is
determined by the difference between the vapour pressure at the liquid surface, the saturation
pressure corresponding with the surface temperature and vapour pressure in the surrounding
air. It is also determined by the total pressure of air and its absolute humidity. The
evaporation can continue until the two-vapour pressure are equal in an enclosed space until
the air is saturated and at the same temperature as the surface. However, the wet surface will
reach an equilibrium temperature if unsaturated air is constantly circulated. Thus, the heat
transfer is occurring primarily in the load tank, where water is brought up to the feed
temperature. A small amount of heat is also lost to the surrounding by convection as shown in
Figure A.

6
Work is done on the water by pump and energy is transferred along with mass loss affected
by dry air enters and humidity air leaves. The energy balance equation of the system is
defined as:

Q+P=Hexit – Hentry

Q = the rate of heating added to the system

P = rate work done by the pump on the water

Hexit = rate of entalohy loss in the exiting vapour

Hentry = rate of entalhy gain due to entering air and entering water from make up tank

The wet bulb temperature is a temperature as indicated by a thermometer with the

bulb wrapped by a small thin film called muslin. The adiabatic evaporation of water from the
thermometer bulb and cooling effect is indicated by a wet bulb temperature lower than the
dry bulb temperature in the air. The rate of evaporation from the wet bandage on the bulb and
the temperature difference between the dry bulb depends on the humidity of the air. The
evaporation from the wet muslin is reduce when air contains more water vapour. The wet
bulb temperature is always between the dry bulb temperature and the dew point. For the wet
bulb, there is a dynamic equilibrium between heat gained because the wet bulb is cooler than
the surrounding air and heat lost because of evaporation. The wet bulb temperature is the
temperature of an object that can be achieved through evaporative cooling, assuming good air
flow and that the ambient air temperature remains the same. By combining the dry bulb and
wet bulb temperature in a psychrometric chart or Mollier diagram the state of the humid air
can be determined. Lines of constant wet bulb temperatures run diagonally from the upper
left to the lower right in the psychrometric chart (Search, 2019).

7
5.0 APPARATUS

 SOLTEQ Cooling Tower

 Control panel
 Stopwatch

6.0 METHODS

General start up

1) Valves V1 and V6 were checked and ensured to be closed and valve V7 to be partially
opened.
2) The load tank was filled with deionized water. Firstly, the make-up tank was
removed, and deionized water was replaced onto the load tank and the nuts were
lightly tightened. Then, the tank was filled with deionized water up to the zero mark
and the scale.
3) Deionized water was added to the wet bulb sensor reservoir to the fullest.
4) All appropriate cooling tower packing was installed for the experiment.

Procedure

Flow rate constant

1) Set point (SP) temperature was set to 45⁰C. The 0.5kW water heater was switch on
and the water was heated to 40⁰C.
2) After the water reached 40⁰C, the pump was switched on and the control valve V1
was slowly opened and the water flow rate set to 1 L/min.
3) The damper was partially open, and blower was switched on after the water already
went through the cooling tower.
4) The unit was run for 20 minutes to ensure float valve correctly adjusted the level in
the load tank. The make-up tank was refilled as required.

8
 5) Temperature of dry and wet bulb in the tank (T1) and (T2), dry and wet bulb on top of
the column (T3) and (T4), water supply to the column (T5) and water receive from the
column (T6) were recorded.
6) The differential pressure with the same flow rate of 1 L/min, the experiment was
repeated with different power of water heater of 1.0kW and 1.5kW.
7) All data required recorded after 10 minutes to ensure the unit stabilized.

Heater power constant

1) Set point (SP) temperature was set to 45⁰C. The 0.5kW water heater was switch on
and the water was heated to 40⁰C.
2) After the water reached 40⁰C, the pump was switched on and the control valve V1
was slowly opened and the water flow rate set to 1 L/min.
3) The damper was partially open, and blower was switched on after the water already
went through the cooling tower.
4) The unit was run for 20 minutes to ensure float valve correctly adjusted the level in
the load tank. The make-up tank was refilled as required.
5) With the same heater power of 1.0kW, the experiment was repeated with different
flow rate of 2 L/min and 3 L/min
6) All data required recorded after 10 minutes to ensure the unit stabilized.

9
7.0 RESULTS

Manipulated variable: Heater Power

Constant Variable: Water flowrate =1 L/min

Blower opening: fully open

Heater power (kW) 0.5 1.0 1.5

T1 32.4 32.6 32.7

T2 30.4 30.1 30.1

T3 27.1 27.6 29

T4 28.4 28.3 30

T5 36.4 38.7 44.5

T6 26.3 26.4 27.3

Differential 56 51 49
Pressure (Orifice)
Differential 73 68 66
Pressure (Column)

10
Manipulated variable: Water flowrate

Constant Variable: Heater Power = 1.0kW

Blower opening: fully open

Flow rate 1.0 2.0 3.0

(litre/min)
T1 32.8 32.9 32.7

T2 30.0 30.0 39.8

T3 27.4 28.4 27.7

T4 28.8 29.4 28.8

T5 40.0 33.7 32.2

T6 26.5 27.6 27.9

Differential 61 59 49
Pressure (Orifice)
Differential 83 81 66
Pressure (Column)

11
8.0 CALCULATIONS

Experiment 1

Water flow rate remains constant = 1.0 L/min

The variable is the heater powert = 0.5 kW, 1.0 kW and 1.5 kW

Change in temperature for each power supply, ΔT (cooling range) = water inlet temperature,
T5 – water outlet temperature, T6

 At power = 0.5 kW,

ΔT = T5 – T6 = 34.2℃ – 24.5 ℃ = 9.7℃

 At power = 1.0 kW

ΔT = T5 – T6 = 37.5℃ – 24.9 ℃ = 12.6℃

 At power = 1.5 kW,

ΔT = T5 – T6 = 42.8℃ – 25.3 ℃ = 17.5℃

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Experiment 2

Constant variable, heater power = 1.0kW

 At flow rate 1.0 L/min =0.0167 kg/s

Cooling range, ΔT = water inlet temperature, T5 – water outlet temperature, T6

ΔT = T5 – T6 = 37.9℃ – 25.0 ℃ = 12.9℃

Heat load, Q = mCpΔT = 0.0167 kg/s × 4.186 kJ/kg℃ × 12.9℃ = 0.9018 kW

 At flow rate 2.0 L/min =0.0333 kg/s,

ΔT = T5 – T6 = 32.4℃ – 26.1 ℃ = 6.3℃

Heat load, Q = mCpΔT = 0.0333 kg/s × 4.186 kJ/kg℃ × 6.3℃ = 0.8782 kW

 At flow rate 3.0 L/min =0.0500 kg/s,

ΔT = T5 – T6 = 31.1℃ – 26.9 ℃ = 4.2℃

Heat load, Q = mCpΔT = 0.0500 kg/s × 4.186 kJ/kg℃ × 4.2℃ = 0.8791 kW

13
9.0 DISCUSSIONS

This experiment was done by using SOLTEQ Water Cooling Tower (Model HE152) unit.
Cooling tower is used to remove heat from water by using air. When the warm water and
cooler air are mixing, it releases the latent heat of vaporization which causes a cooling effect
to the water [CITATION Wha17 \l 17417 ]. By using the cooling tower unit, two experiments
were done. The Experiment 1 was done to find out the effect of the different heater power at
0.5 kW, 1.0 kW and 1.5kW towards the cooling range of the cooling tower while Experiment
2 was conducted to discover the effect of cooling tower with different water flow rate with
1.0 L/min, 2.0 L/min and 3.0 L/min.

The unit is provided with a packed column with the packing density of approximately
110m2/m3. The cooling tower unit mainly contains of a load tank with a total of 1.5 kW
electric heater, an air distribution chamber, a make-up tank and a test column. The unit is run
when warm water is pumped from the load tank until to the top of the column before being
distributed uniformly at the top packing. As the thin film of water is passing downward, it is
cooled because of the evaporation. The cooled water falls into the basin and then it returns
again into the load tank where it is reheated and re-circulated. The load-tank water level is to
be kept constant by means of a make-up tank. A blower is installed on the unit to transfer air
into the air distribution chamber. Before entering the column, the air passes the wet and dry
bulb thermometers. When the air passes up the column, its moisture content becomes higher
and the water is cooled. Before being discharged to the atmosphere, the air passes a mist
eliminator at the top of the column.

14
 From the Experiment 1, in order to find out the effect of different power of heater towards
the cooling range of cooling tower, the heater power used are 0.5 kW, 1.0 kW and 1.5 kW.
The results obtained from the different power usage are These different power supply gives
different result of the changes of temperature which are 9.7 °C, 12.6 °C and 17.5 °C
respectively.

Heater Power versus Changes of Temperature

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18
16
Heater Power, kW

14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
0.5 1 1.5
Changes of Temperature, °C
°

Graph 1: Heater power versus changes of temperature

The relationship could be seen from the Graph 1 where it shows the higher the power
of heater used, the higher the changes of temperature.

15
 From the Experiment 2, it is to discover the effect of cooling tower with different
water flow rate with 1.0 L/min, 2.0 L/min and 3.0 L/min. The result shows the changes of
temperature at different flow rate are at 12.9 °C, 6.3 °C and 4.2 °C, respectively. The heat
load was also calculated which 0.9018 kW, 0.8782 kW and 0.8791 kW, respectively.

Water Flow Rate versus Changes of

Temperature
14
Water flow rate, L/min

12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1 2 3
Changes of Temperature, °C

Graph 2: Water flow rate versus changes of temperature

The relationship could be seen from the Graph 2 where it shows the higher the water
flow rate used, the smaller the changes of temperature.

16
10.0 CONCLUSION

In conclusion, for the experiment 1, the heater power that are used are 0.5kw, 1.0kw and
1.5kw which gives 9.7OC, 12.6OC and 17.5OC respectively. We can see that the increment in
heater power causing the increment of temperature. This indicates that the larger power of
heater used, the higher temperature changes. For experiment 2, the different parameter was
used which are water flowrate and the effect of cooling water. The result shows different
water flow rate gives different temperature changes which are 1.0L/min, 2.0L/min, 3.0L/min
and the temperature are 2.9OC, 6.3OC, and 4.2OC respectively. Based on graph 2, we can
conclude that the increment of water flow rate resulting in the decrement of temperature
changes. Based on the experiment, it can be concluded that the experiment was successful as
all the objectives of the experiment were decided.

17
11.0 RECOMMENDATIONS

Even though the experiment was successfully carried out, there may be some errors in the
experiment results that can be improves by students. First and foremost, after 20 minutes of
experiment running the temperature changes must be recorded. Students might do some
mistakes at that moment because they were waiting for the temperature to be a little bit stable
and recorded it. Students can improve this by snap a picture of the control panel exactly after
20 minutes of the running system. The timer also must be tally with the running system to
ensure the accuracy of the experiment’s results. The equipment of the experiment should be
checked before the experiment started to make sure there is no leakage that could affected the
results. Lastly, students should conduct the experiment at least three times to get the average
for each experiment.

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12.0 REFERENCES

Buecker, B. B. (2019). Cooling Tower Heat Transfer Fundamentals, (7), 1–7.

Lucas, B. J. (2019). What Is the  First Law of Thermodynamics ?, 2–7.
Requirements, S. (n.d.). applications engineering Crossflow vs . Counterflow Cooling
Towers.
Search, C. (2019). Mollier Diagram The Mollier diagram is a graphic representation of the
relationship between air temperature , moisture content and enthalpy - and is a basic
design tool for building engineers and designers, 2–5.
Towers, C. (2019). What Is A Cooling Tower ?, 1–7.

19
13.0 APPENDICES

Alat and result

20