Industrial machines and processes generate large amounts of heat, so continuous dissipation is essential for effective operation. The heat should be ambient through the heat exchange process. The technology of commercial cooling towers is based on it. It is noteworthy that, despite being a 20th-century invention, relatively little information is available about cooling towers. Although some believe they are a source of pollution, cooling towers also exhaust water vapour into the atmosphere. There exists a round cooling tower that can be the best means to exhaust heat. Want to know more about it? Keep reading.
What is a Round Cooling Tower?
Cooling towers are specialised heat exchangers that primarily use latent heat loss from evaporation when exposed to air flow to remove heat from the water. Because of the temperature difference between air and water, sensible heat transfer cools the water in addition to evaporative cooling. In essence, cooling towers are heat exchangers, but instead of the conduction-convection typical of shell and tube or plate heat exchangers, cooling is produced by contact with water and air.
Here are some basic terms related to cooling towers so that you can better understand the topics ahead.
Cooling Capacity: This is the difference in water temperature between the cooling tower’s entrance and exit.
Load: Cooling how quickly heat is emitted from the water.
Make-up: The amount of freshwater that needs to be added to the water system to make up for the water that evaporates.
Drift: The entrained or transported air droplets brought into contact with water by the air stream.
Plume: A cooling tower’s effluent, a mixture of warm air and water vapour.
Blowdown: Water that is purposefully withdrawn from the system to rid it of sludge caused by pollutants and bacterial growth, as well as solids accumulated from continuous water evaporation.
Recirculation: Occurs when fresh air mixes with the discharge air before re-entering the system. As a result, the effectiveness of the cooling tower is reduced.
About working of Round Cooling Towers:
How do cooling towers work? A unique type of heat exchanger called a cooling tower uses the interaction of air and water to reduce the temperature of hot water. A small amount of water evaporates during this process, which lowers the temperature of the water circulating throughout the cooling tower. In short, cooling towers reduce the temperature of water overheated by industrial machinery and operations.
Condensers are typically the source of hot water for air conditioning systems or other industrial processes. It receives direct pumping of water through cooling tower pipes. Water is sprayed into the “fill media” using a cooling tower nozzle, which slows the water flow and exposes the most water surface area for optimal air-water contact. Throughout the cooling tower, water is exposed to air. An electric “cooling tower fan” with a motor pulls the air.
When air and water combine, a small amount evaporates, which cools the environment. A device that absorbs heat or a condenser pump-back receives chilled water. It continuously cools the hot machinery or condenser by repeating the loop. To learn more about cooling towers, visit Cooling Tower Fundamentals by SPXCooling.
What are the applications of Round Cooling towers?
Heat is removed or rejected from the chiller using an HVAC cooling tower. Air-cooled chillers are less efficient than water-cooled chillers due to heat rejection from the tower water near wet-bulb temperature. Schools, large offices, and hospitals use traditional HVAC heating and cooling systems. On the other hand, cooling towers, which are much larger than conventional HVAC systems, are used to remove heat from cooling tower water systems in petrochemical plants, natural gas processing plants, petroleum refineries, and other industrial processes and facilities. Additional industrial uses
- Air compressor with water cooling
- Machines for plastic injection and blow moulding
- Die Casting Apparatus
- Cooling and Refrigeration Plant
- static storage
- Plant for anodizing processes
- A power generating station
- VAM machines and air conditioners that are cooled by water
Conclusion
In essence, cooling towers were developed to remove excess heat from water used in industrial processes and release it to the environment. Unexpectedly, there are numerous methods available to accomplish this task. These devices are divided into many categories because they operate over a wide range. The bottle cooling tower is one of the most prominent means to remove excess heat. Its operation is simple yet effective. It is crucial for facilities that rely on water circulation to reject heat from structures or machinery, such as power plants, factories, refineries, processing plants, hotels, and other similar establishments.
