Cooling tower in detail

In a cooling tower, the hot water stream (CWR)

is introduced downward through spray nozzles
into fills inside the tower.

Fills
There are different types of fills-splash,trickle and
film - that are aimed at creating more surface area, to
maximize contact between the hot water stream and
air.

As air rises inside the tower, it receives the latent heat

of vaporization from the water, and thus the water is
cooled.
Thumb rule :
For every 5.5°C of water cooling, 💦
1% of water loss due to evaporation

The humidity level of the up-flpwing stream increases

and once it leaves the tower, the air stream is almost
saturated and the cooling water is collected in the
sump and is typically pumped to the plant as the CWS.
Approach:
Difference between the water temperature at the
tower outlet (tout) and the wet-bulb temperature of
the inlet air (Tw,in).
Note : The approach represents the capability.

Range:
The difference between the water temperature at
inlet and outlet of
cooling tower.
Note : The range
does not represent the
cooling tower
capability; rather the
range is based on the
cooling water
circulation flow rate and
sum of the heat loads.
 ∆T= Q/Lin Cw

Cooling tower efficiency:

The ratio of actual cooling to the theoretically

possible maximum cooling.

n= Tin- Tout / (Tin- Tw,in) *100

Note : Industrial cooling towers have an approach

temperature between 4° and 8.5 °C and an efficiency
between 70 and 75%.
Water losses in a cooling tower :

1. Evaporation:

Not all the temperature drop across the tower is due to

evaporative cooling. Depending on outside
temperature and humidity conditions, some of the
cooling is due to convective heat transfer.

If the air temperature is warmer than the wate,

essentially all cooling is evaporative.

In the winter, when air temperatures are low, more

cnvective cooling take place.
 2. Blow down:

All water sources contain various levels of dissolved or

suspended solids. When water evaporates from the
cooling tower, these solids become concentrated.

Concentrated solids can build up in the form of scale,

causing blockages and corrosion to the cooling system
materials.

Multiplication of algae and other biological matter can

lead to corrosion, plugging of film fill and eventually
collapse of film fill.

Over-concentration of the dissolved and suspended

solids is controlled by tower blowdown. A controlled
flow of concentrated cooling water is sent to drain in
order to removed these solids from the system.
 3. Drift
Cooling tower drift are small water droplets that are
emitted from cooling towers. As air moves up the
tower, it entrains a fraction of the sprayed water
droplets outside of tower and into the ambient.

Make up water = Evaporation+ Blow down +

Drift
Water that is lost from the cooling tower by
evaporation and bleed must be replaced with fresh
source water.
Do follow me for more such insights !!

Book 1:1 slot for

interview guidance
with industry expertise

me for any queries