CHE 302

A LABORATORY REPORT

ON

COOLING TOWER
BY

ABUBAKAR MUNIRATU ONEHDEFOJO

14/ENG01/016

SUBMITTED TO THE

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL & PETROLEUM ENGINEERING,

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

AFE BABALOLA UNIVERSITY ADO-EKITI (ABUAD)

1
 ABSTRACT
A cooling tower is a specialized heat exchanger in which air and water are brought into direct
contact with each other in order to reduce the water's temperature. As this occurs, a small volume
of water is evaporated, reducing the temperature of the water being circulated through the tower.
In this experiment warm water is contact with dry air and the heat transfer from water to air and
the out water become cold.

In a cooling tower with open water circulation, heat is removed from water because of the
material and heat exchange between the water and the ambient air. The cooling tower is a special
form of heat exchanger because in addition to heat exchange, a material exchange also occurs as
a result of evaporation. In fact, evaporation is the main mechanism by which the water is cooled
in the cooling tower.

Evaporation is a process in which a liquid evaporates into the gas phase of another material
because its vapor pressure in that gas phase is less than the saturated vapor pressure. This cools
the liquid by removing the latent heat of evaporation from it. The cooling effect of ambient air is
determined by its capacity to take up water vapor which is directly related to the air humidity.
Cooling by evaporation takes place only if the relative air humidity is less than 100 %.

An additional mechanism of water cooling is convective heat transfer between air and water.
This is a pure heat transfer without any kind of material exchange. The driving force for this
mechanism is the temperature difference between water and air. A heat source one at 1.5 kw was
used in the observation of the processes within a forced draught cooling tower.

2
Table of Contents
ABSTRACT................................................................................................................................................2
CHAPTER ONE..........................................................................................................................................3
1.0 Introduction.......................................................................................................................................3
1.1 Applications of Cooling Towers........................................................................................................4
1.2 Factors Affecting Cooling Tower Performance.................................................................................4
1.3 Cooling Tower Terms.......................................................................................................................4
1.4 Basic Principles.................................................................................................................................5
1.5 Evaporation from a Wet Surface.......................................................................................................5
1.6 Description........................................................................................................................................6
CHAPTER TWO.........................................................................................................................................8
2.0 Theory...............................................................................................................................................8
2.1 Characteristic Variables of a Cooling Tower...................................................................................10
2.2 Material and Energy Flows..............................................................................................................10
2.4 Analysis of Cooling Towers............................................................................................................11
CHAPTER THREE...................................................................................................................................15
3.0 Aim..................................................................................................................................................15
3.1 Apparatus.........................................................................................................................................15
3.2 Procedure.........................................................................................................................................16
3.3 Precautions Taken...........................................................................................................................16
3.4 Results.............................................................................................................................................17
3.4 Observation Made............................................................................................................................17
CHAPTER 4..............................................................................................................................................19
4.1 Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................19
4.2 Recommendation...........................................................................................................................19
APPENDIX...............................................................................................................................................20
NOMENCLEATURE.....................................................................................................................................22
REFRENCES............................................................................................................................................23

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 CHAPTER ONE
1.0 Introduction
In industrial and energetic installations, the water plays very significant role. The main reason
for it is its wide presence in the nature as well as good thermodynamic properties. There is in
many countries the lack of industrial water. The quantity of available water is defining the kind
of cooling system, which can be the conventional once-through condenser arrangement and the
circulation one. When the condenser cooling water is available in adequate quantities then the
once-through system comes into use; in contrary the designer must provide an alternate cooling
system such as a circulation water cooling system with cooling tower. The cooling towers are
relatively simple in construction but with very complex heat and mass transfer processes
occurring in them, from both thermal and hydrodynamic point of view, and with inlet parameters
changing mainly without control either due to the changing of atmospheric conditions or due to
feedback links with thermal power plant. Determination of the heat and mass transfer mechanism
for the counter flow of water and air in direct contact with partial evaporation of water has a
theoretical and practical significance in establishing the basic equations of heat and mass transfer
and in developing the methods for its solving. During the solution of this problem the
experimentally obtained relations for transport coefficients and global variations of transport
quantities have been used, in order to close the system of differential equations. The level of the
introduced approximations is dependent on both the quality of experimental results and the
accepted method of solution. In this paper, the experimental investigations for the determination
of the local heat and mass transfer coefficients in packing of wet cooling towers as the most
important parameters in these processes have been described. Experimental investigations of
such a type due to its complexity are very rare. All experiments are carried out on a test rig in
Thermal engineering laboratory at Mechanical engineering faculty. A cooling tower is a
specialized heat exchanger in which air and water are brought into direct contact with each other
in order to reduce the water's temperature. As this occurs, a small volume of water is evaporated,
reducing the temperature of the water being circulated through the tower.

Water, which has been heated by an

industrial process or in an air-conditioning
condenser, is pumped to the cooling tower
through pipes. The water sprays through
nozzles onto banks of material called "fill,"
which slows the flow of water through the
cooling tower, and exposes as much water
surface area as possible for maximum air-
water contact. As the water flows through
the cooling tower, it is exposed to air, which
is being pulled through the tower by the
electric motor-driven fan.

When the water and air meet, a small amount

of water is evaporated, creating a cooling action. The cooled water is then pumped back to the

4
condenser or process equipment where it absorbs heat. It will then be pumped back to the
cooling tower to be cooled once again. Cooling towers are widely used in chemical process
industries, and other places as well. A common application is in air-conditioning systems in large
buildings.

1.1 Applications of Cooling Towers

1. Cooling towers are used to remove excess heat that is generated in places such as power
stations, chemical plants and even domestically in air conditioning units.
2. In power stations, electricity is generated when steam drives a turbine. This steam must
be condensed before it can be returned to the boiler to continue the cycle of steam and
electricity generation. The condensation process happens in a heat exchanger.
3. Cooling water is needed in the heat exchanger and it is this cooling water that is cycled
through the cooling tower.
4. In this way the water for the boilers and steam turbine is kept separate from the cooling
water. This stops impurities getting into the turbine steam.
5. In chemical processes excess heat can be generated. This heat is removed using heat
exchangers and cooling water which is cycled through a cooling tower.

1.2 Factors Affecting Cooling Tower Performance

1. Area and volume of the packing.
2. The type packing used.
3. Flow rate of water.
4. Air flow rate
5. Water temperature.
6. Air temperature and humidity at inlet.

1.3 Cooling Tower Terms

Cooling Range: The difference between the water temperature at entry to and exit from the
tower.

Cooling Load: The rate at which heat is removed from the water. This may be expressed in kW,
Btu/h or k Cal/h.

Make-Up: The quantity of fresh water which must be supplied to the water circuit to make good
the losses due to evaporation and other causes.

Drift or Carry: Droplets of water which are entrained by the air stream leaving the tower.

Over Packing or Fill: The material over which the water flows as it falls through the tower, so
that a large surface area is presented to the air stream.

Approach to Wet Bulb: The difference between the temperature of the water leaving the tower
and the wet bulb temperature of the air entering.

5
1.4 Basic Principles
Consider the surface of a warm water droplet or film in contact with an air stream.

Assuming that the water is hotter than the air, it will be cooled:

1. By radiation- This effect is likely to be very small at normal conditions and may be
neglected.
2. By conduction and convection- This will depend on the temperature difference, the
surface area, air velocity, etc.
3. By evaporation- This is by far the most important effect. Cooling takes place as
molecules of H2O diffuse from the surface into the surrounding air. These molecules are
then replaced by others from the liquid (evaporation) and the energy required for this is
taken from the remaining liquid.

1.5 Evaporation from a Wet Surface

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, i.e. the saturation pressure
corresponding with the surface temperature, and the vapour pressure in the surrounding air. The
latter is determined by the total pressure of the air and its absolute humidity. In an enclosed
space, evaporation can continue until the two vapour pressures are equal, i.e. until the air is
saturated and at the same temperature as the surface. However, if unsaturated air is constantly
circulated, the wet surface will reach an equilibrium temperature at which the cooling effect due
to the evaporation is equal to the heat transfer to the liquid by conduction and convection from
the air, which under these conditions, will be at a higher temperature. The equilibrium
temperature reached by the surface under adiabatic conditions, i.e. in the absence of external heat
gains or losses, is the "wet bulb temperature", well known in connection with hygrometry.

In a cooling tower of infinite size and with an adequate air flow, the water leaving will be at the
wet bulb temperature of the incoming air. For this reason, the difference between the temperature

6
of the water leaving a cooling tower and the local wet bulb temperature is an indication of the
effectiveness of the cooling tower. The "Approach to Wet Bulb" is one of the important
parameters in the testing, specification, design and selection of cooling towers. Conditions within
a cooling tower packing are complex due to the changing air temperature, humidity and water
temperature as the two fluids pass through the tower - usually in a counter flow fashion.

1.6 Description

The Bench Top Cooling Tower behaves in a similar manner and has similar components to a full
size cooling tower and may be used to introduce students to their characteristics and
construction.

Water Circuit

Warm water is pumped from the load tank through the control valve and water flow meter to the
column cap. After its’ temperature is measured (t5), the water is uniformly distributed over the
top packing deck and, as it spreads over the plates, a large thin film of water is exposed to the air
stream. During its downward passage through the packing, the water is cooled, largely by the
evaporation of a small portion of the total flow. The cooled water falls from the lowest packing
deck into the basin, where its temperature (t6) is again measured and then passes into the load
tank where it is re-heated before re-circulation. Due to evaporation, the level of the water in the
load tank tends to fall. This causes the float operated needle valve to open and transfer water
from the make-up tank into the load tank. Under steady conditions, the rate at which the water
leaves the make-up tank is equal to the rate of evaporation plus any small airborne droplets in the
air discharge.

Air Circuit

Air from the atmosphere (with temperature t7), enters the fan at a rate which is controlled by the
intake damper setting. The fan discharges into the distribution chamber and the air passes wet
and dry bulb sensors (which measure the temperature T 2and T 1respectively) before entering the
packed column. As the air flows through the packings, its’ moisture content increases and the
water is cooled. On leaving the top of the column the air passes through the droplet arrester,
which traps most of the entrained droplets and returns them to the packings. The air is then
discharged to the atmosphere via the air measuring orifice and further wet and dry bulb sensors
(which measure the temperature T 4and T 3respectively).

Droplets of water (resulting from splashing, etc.) may become entrained in the air stream and
then lost from the system. This loss does not contribute to the cooling, but must be made good
by "make-up" water. To minimize this loss, a "droplet arrester", or "eliminator" is fitted at the
tower outlet. This component causes droplets to coalesce, forming drops which are too large to
be entrained and these fall back into the packing's.

7
Under the action of the fan, air is driven upward through the wet packing. It will be seen that the
change of dry bulb temperature is smaller than the change of wet bulb temperature, and that at air
outlet there is little difference between wet and dry bulb temperatures. This indicates that the air
leaving is almost saturated, i.e. Relative Humidity - 100%. This increase in the moisture content
of the air is due to the conversion of water into steam and the "latent heat" for this accounts for
most of the cooling effect. If the cooling load is now switched off and the unit allowed to
stabilise, it will be found that the water will leave the basin close to the wet bulb temperature of
the air entering. According to the local atmospheric conditions, this can be several degrees below
the incoming air (dry bulb) temperature. With no load, the water would be cooled to the
incoming wet bulb temperature, but this condition cannot be attained since the pump transfers
about 100W to the water.

Flow through the column may be observed through the transparent casing.

Three sets of different packing, each in its own casing, are available. These may be interchanged
quickly and without using tools.

Water is heated using a 1kW and/or 0.5kW electric heater

8
 CHAPTER TWO
2.0 Theory
Humidity h of an air-vapor mixture is defined as the mass ratio of water vapor and dry air,

mw M w Nw
h= = (2.1)
m DA M DA N DA

Here, indices W and DA refer to the water vapor and dry air, respectively, and m x , M x and N xare
the mass, molar mass, and the number of moles of x (x = H 2 O or DA). At typical operating
conditions both dry air and water vapor can be approximated as an ideal gas, i.e.

PxV
N x= (2.2)
RT

where P xis the partial pressure of x (x = W or DA), V is the volume, and T is the temperature of
humid air. Substituting (2.2) into (2.1) and taking into account that the atmospheric pressure Patm
is the sum of the partial pressures of the dry air and the water vapor, we obtain

Mw Nw Mw N w
h= =
M DA N DA M w Pw (2.3)
M DA (P ¿ ¿ atm−P H O )= ¿
2
M DA Patm

The last equality in (2.3) follows from the fact that Pw ≪ Patm We can use a similar approximation
to relate the mass fraction y of water vapor in air to humidity,

mw m
y= ≈ w =¿ (2.4)
mw +mDA mDA

Saturation humidity h s (T ) at temperature T is the humidity corresponding to equilibrium

between humid air and liquid water at this temperature.

Relative humidity is

Pw
h R= × 100 % (2.5)
Pw sat

WherePw sat is the partial pressure of water vapor in saturated air.

Specific enthalpy of humid air is

kJ
HG
[ ( kg dry air ) K ]
=H 0+ CG ( T −T 0 ) + λ h (2.6)

9
where λ is the latent heat of water (kJ/kg water vapor), H 0 andT 0 are the reference enthalpy and
temperature, and C is the heat capacity of the humid air,

kJ
CG
[ ]
( kg dry air ) K
=C + Cw h
DA
(2.7)

Here,C DA ≈ 1.005 kJ/(kg dry air)·K and C w ≈ 1.88 kJ/(kg water vapor)·K are the heat capacities
of dry air and water vapor.

The thermodynamic properties of humid air are summarized in the chart shown in Figure 2-1.

Wet bulb temperature T wb ( T , h ) of air at temperature T and humidity h is the temperature of

saturated air that would be obtained by an adiabatic evaporation of water initially at the same
temperature T as the air. If the water to be evaporated is already at the same temperature as the
air, all it needs for evaporation is the supply of latent heat, which is taken from the air by
reduction of its temperature. Wet bulb temperature of air at the inlet of the cooling tower
represents the lowest temperature (cooling limit) that can be achieved due to evaporation.

10
The wet bulb temperature can be obtained from the thermodynamic chart in Figure 2-1 by
following the constant-enthalpy line starting at the given T and h until the saturation line. For
example, the wet bulb temperature of air at T = 17°C and humidity h = 6.2 g/kg is T wb=11.2°C.

Figure 2-1. Thermodynamic properties of humid air.

2.1 Characteristic Variables of a Cooling Tower

Cooling Limit is the wet bulb temperature of ambient air

Wet Bulb Approach is defined as

a=T L ,out −T wb (2.8)

11
whereT L ,out is the water temperature at the cooling tower outlet and T wbis the wet bulb
temperature. Each cooling tower has its own wet bulb approach. For example, under certain
climatic conditions the minimum wet bulb approach for open cooling towers in industrial
applications could be between 3 and 5 K. The final temperature of water leaving the cooling
tower depends on the temperature of the cooling medium (air) and the design of the cooling
tower.

Cooling Range z is the difference between the warm water temperature at the inlet to the cooling
tower and the cold water temperature at the outlet from the cooling tower,

ζ =T L,∈¿−T L, out ¿ , (2.9)

where T L ,∈¿¿ is the inlet water temperature. Cooling Coefficient is defined as

T L ,∈¿−T
η= ¿,
L ,out
(2.10)
T L ,∈¿−T ¿
wb

Water Loss due to evaporation,

∆ L̇=ṁG (hout −h¿ ), (2.11)

here ṁ𝐺 is the mass flow rate of air and h outandh¿ are the absolute humidity's of air at the inlet
and outlet, respectively. Heat Load is the rate of energy transfer from water to air,

Q w =ṁ L C L ¿ (2.12)

where ṁ L ∧C L are the mass flow rate and the heat capacity of liquid water, respectively.

Packing Density is the ratio of the surface areas of all levels of the cooling column to the column
volume. Packing density is measured in the units of m 2 /m3

2.2 Material and Energy Flows

The material and energy flows at the interface are summarized in Figure 2-2.

Material flow: Water vapor diffuses from the interface to the bulk gas phase because humidity
at in bulk air is lower than the interface. The driving force for this diffusion is h I −hG.

Energy flows:

1) Water phase: Sensible heat flows from the bulk liquid to the water-air interface; the driving
force for this thermal transfer is T L −T I
2) Gas Phase:

12
  Sensible heat flows from the interface to the bulk gas phase; the driving force for this
thermal transfer isT I −T G .
 Latent heat of evaporation flows from the interface to the bulk phase.

The sensible heat flowing from liquid to the interface equals the sensible heat flow in the gas
plus the latent heat flow in the gas. Note that the direction of the sensible heat flow in gas
changes along the column: in the upper part of the column, the interface temperature is higher
than that of air and, hence, heat flows from the interface to air. In the lower part of the column,
the air temperature may be higher than the temperature at the interface. Hence, the sensible heat
flows from air to the interface. However, the latent heat still flows from the interface to the bulk
gas phase, thus removing heat from water.

Figure 2-2. Temperature and concentration profiles at the air-water interface in a cooling tower.
The energy and material flows across the interface are shown by the blue and red arrows,
respectively.

2.4 Analysis of Cooling Towers

Schematics of a cooling tower is shown Figure 2-3. Assume that the rate of water loss is much
smaller than the water flow rate, i.e. L≈const. Furthermore, we assume that the water heat
capacity C Lremains constant throughout the column.

13
 Figure 2-3. Schematics of a cooling tower

Consider energy balance for a small volume of wet air in the cooling tower:

G[ H G ( z+ dz )−H G ( z ) ]=K G a [ H I ,G ( z )−H G ( z ) ] dz (2.13)

Here, H I ,G is the specific enthalpy of wet air at the air-water interface, K G a (kg/s·m³) is the mass
transfer rate per unit volume of packing, and dz is the height of the volume element. The right-
hand side of Eq. (2.13) represents the energy transfer due to convection between air-water
interfaces and the bulk air. After rearranging and integrating Eq. (2.13), we obtain
z
G d H G (z )
z=∫ dz = ∫ H G ,out =h n (2.14)
0 KG a H ¿ G ,∈¿
H I ,G ( z )−H G ( z ) G G

Here, Z is the height of the packing,

G
H G= (2.15)
KG a

14
is the height of a transfer unit and

d HG
nG = ∫ H G ,out (2.16)
HG ,∈¿ ¿ H I ,G −H G

is the number of transfer units in the column. The height of a transfer unit is a measure of
effectiveness of the packing in the cooling tower in facilitating mass transfer of water vapor into
air. The number of transfer units is a measure of difficulty of mass transfer of water vapor into
air for the given operating conditions of the cooling tower.

It is more convenient to use the overall mass transfer coefficient K G instead of the film mass
transfer coefficient K G a . In this case, the energy balance (2.13) can be rewritten as follows:

G[ H G ( z+ dz )−H G ( z ) ]=K G a [H G¿ ( z )−H G (z)]dz (2.17)

¿
where H G is the enthalpy of the saturated air that would be in equilibrium with water at height z
within the column. Using Eq. (2.17), we obtain the following expression for the height of the
packing:

z=h OG n OG (2.18)

where

G
H OG= (2.19)
KG a

is the height of a transfer unit and

d HG
nOG = ∫ H G ,out (2.20)
H G ,∈¿ ¿ H G¿ −H G

is the number of transfer units based on the overall mass transfer coefficient.

The integration in (2.20) can be performed numerically, e.g., using the trapezoidal rule:
N−1

∫ H G ,out f ( H G) d H G= ∑ ¿ ¿ (2.21)
HG ,∈¿ ¿ k=1

where

1
f ( H G )= (2.22)
H G ( H G )−H G¿
¿

H G,∈¿
∆ H G =H G , out − ¿ (2.23)
N−1

and

15
H G , K =H G ,∈¿+( k−1 ) ∆ H G (2.24)¿

In particular,

H G , 1=H G ,∈¿∧H G ,N =H G ,out (2.25)¿

¿
To perform the integration (2.21), we need to obtain the relationship between H G ( z )and H G ( z ) .
To do this, we need to obtain the liquid temperature T L ( z ) at height z of the column. This can be
done using the energy balance for the area inside the dashed rectangle in Figure 2-3:

G¿
¿
Once the liquid temperature T L ( z )is known, we can obtain enthalpy H G ( z ) of saturated (100%
humidity) air at this temperature either from the psychrometric chart or from Eqns. (2.6), (2.7).
This will allow us to generate a table similar to the one below:

HG ( z ) T L( z) H G¿ ( z )
H G , 1=H G ,∈¿¿ T L ,1=T L ,out H G , 1¿=H G ( T L, 1)
H G , 2=H G,∈¿+∆ H G ¿ T L ,2 H G , 2¿=H G (T L, 2)

H G , N =H G , out T L ,∈¿¿ H G , N ¿=H G (T L, N )

This table provides the relationship between

H G ( z )and H G , which can be used to obtain f ( H G ) and perform the integration (2.21).
¿

16
 CHAPTER THREE
3.0 Aim
Observation of the processes within a forced draught cooling tower

3.1 Apparatus
1. Bench top cooling tower
2. Power supply

Figure 3. 1 Front view of Bench Top Cooling Tower

Figure 3. 2 Back view showing its component

17
3.2 Procedure
A. General Start-up Procedures

1. It was ensured that valve V1 and V6 were closed and valve V7 was partially opened
3. The load tank was filled with distilled water. This was done by first removing the make-
up tank and then pouring the water through the opening at the top of the load tank.
Replacing the make-up tank onto the load tank and lightly tighten the nuts and finally
filling the tank with the distilled water.
4. Distilled water was added to the wet bulb sensor reservoir to the fullest.
5. All appropriate tubing was connected to the differential pressure sensor.
6. The appropriate cooling tower packing for the experiment were installed.
7. The pump was switched and the control valve V1 was slowly opened.
8. The fan damper was fully opened and then switch on the fan. It was ensured that the
differential pressure sensor was giving reading when the valve manifold was switched to
measure the orifice differential pressure.
9. The unit was allowed to run for 20 minutes, for the float valve to correctly adjust the
level in the load tank. The make-up tank was refilled as required.
10. The unit was ready for use.

B. Shut Down Procedure

1. The heaters were switched off and the water was allowed to circulate through the cooling
tower system for 3-5 minutes until the water cooled down.
2. The fan was switched off and the fan damper was fully closed.
3. The pump and power supply were switched off.
4. Completely drain off the water from the unit if it is not in used.

18
3.3 Precautions Taken
1. It was strongly recommended that only distilled water be used in this unit. The
impurities existing in tap water may cause the depositing in cover tower.
2. It was ensured that the pressure tubing for differential pressure measurement were
connected correctly. (orifice pressure tapping point to V4; Column’s lower
pressure tapping point to V6; Column’s higher pressure tapping point to V3; V5
leave to atmosphere).
3. To measure the differential pressure across the orifice, valve V4 and V5 were
opened; while valve V3 and V6 were closed.
4. To measure the differential pressure across the column, valve v3 and valve V6
were opened; valve V4 and V5 were closed.
5. It was also ensured that no water was in the pressure tubing for accurate
differential pressure measurement.

3.4 Results
Initial Pressure: 4.0mm H 2 O

Final Pressure: 23.0mm H 2 O

Table 1.0 Showing results of Heater load of 1.5kW

Dry Bulb Temp. (°C) Wet Bulb Temp. (°C) Water Outlet Temp. (°C)
T1 T3 T2 T4 T5 T6
Initial Temp. 26.8 23.5 21.1 23.6 23.9 31.0
Final Temp. 30.3 29.7 24.3 29.5 37.0 28.5

Table 2.0 Showing results of Cooling Load of 0kW

Dry Bulb Temp. (°C) Wet Bulb Temp. (°C) Water Outlet Temp. (°C)
T1 T3 T2 T4 T5 T6
Temp. 30.5 26.1 24.4 26.4 25.2 24.9

3.4 Observation Made

The general start-up procedures were performed and the forced draught cooling tower was
observed to exhibit the following:

1. As the warm water entered the top of the tower, it was fed into channels from which it
flowed via water distribution system onto the packing. The channels were designed to
distribute the water uniformly over the packing with minimum splashing.
2. The packing surfaces were easily wetted and the water spread over the surfaces to
expose a large area to the air stream.

19
3. The cooled water fell from the lowest packing into the basin and then was pumped to the
simulated load in the load tank.
4. During the process, some water was lost due to evaporation. Thus, “make-up” water
must be supplied to keep the amount of water in the cooling system constant. The make-
up was observed flowing past the float-controlled valve in the load tank
5. A “droplet arrester” or “mist eliminator” was fitted at the tower outlet to minimize loss of
water due to escape of droplets of water (resulting from splashing, etc.) which was
entrained in the air stream. This loss did not contribute to the cooling, but must be made
good by “make-up”. The droplet arrester causes droplets to coalesce, forming drops that
are too large to be entrained and these falls back into the packing.
6. The fan drives the air upward through the wet packing. At air outlet, the air leaving the
cooling tower is almost saturated, i.e. Relative Humidity is ~100%. The Relative
Humidity at the air inlet. The increase in the moisture content of the air due to the
evaporation of water into steam and the “latent heat” for this account for most of the
cooling effect.
7. When the cooling load is switched off and the unit is allowed to stabilize, it was found
that the water leaves the basin at the temperature close to the wet bulb temperature of the
air entering. Wet bulb temperature was lower than the dry bulb temperature and this
varies according to the local atmospheric conditions (i.e. pressure and relative humidity).

20
 CHAPTER 4

4.1 Conclusion
1. The experiment was conducted by supplying warm water at the top of the tower and cool
air driven upwards through the wet packings
2. When the relative humidity is 100%, the air cannot hold any more water and therefore, w
ater will not evaporate in 100% humid air.
3. Lastly, it can be concluded that I have been able to understand the simple working
principle of cooling tower operation and performance based on cooling load

4.2 Recommendation
1. It is recommended that the “make up” tank be frequently supplied with fresh water to
make good the losses due to evaporation.
2. It is also recommended that water be removed from the system so as to prevent sludge
and excess dissolved solids as well as to remove any unwanted particles and impurities
from the system.
3. Due to the time needed for the equipment to reach steady state, the system should be
started before the experiment be properly started.

21
22
APPENDIX

23
 NOMENCLEATURE
A v: Surface area of water droplet per unit volume of the tower (m²/m³)

a : Area of water interface per unit volume (m²/m³)

C p: Specific heat (kJ/kg.°C)

G: Mass flowrate of air (kg/s)

h: Enthalpy(kJ/kg.m)

H: Humidity of air (kg water/kg air)

H OG : Height of transfer unit (m)

H y : Enthalpy of air water mixture (J/kg air)

K: Overall mass transfer coefficient (kJ/s.m²)

K a : Combined heat and mass transfer coefficient (kJ/m².s)

L : Mass flowrate of water (kg/s)

N OG : Number of transfer unit

q: Heat transfer rate (kJ/s)

t: Water temperature (°C)

U: Overall heat transfer coefficient (kJ/m².s.°C)

V: Cooling tower volume (m³)

W: Absolute humidity

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 REFRENCES
1. Colunson , J.M and Rechardson , j.F “Chemical Engineering “ vol 1 , 3 th edition ,
BUTTERWORTH HEINEMANN , 1999 .
2. Christie john geankoplis," transport processes and separation process principles",4 th edition,
prentice hall (2003) .
3. "Chemical Engineering Laboratory 2",Dep. of Chemical engineering .
4. Office, Department of the Environment, UK.
5. Gvozdenac, D., Morvay, Z., Kljajić, M. (2003) Energy Audit of Cooling Towers, PSU-UNS
International Conference 2003: Energy and the Environment, Prince Songkla University,
Hat Yai, Thailand, 11–12 December.
6. http://www.chersources.com (Cooling Towers: Design and Operation Considerations)
7. Kern, D.Q. (1997) Process Heat Transfer, TataMcGraw-Hill.
8. Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook (1997) 7th Edition, McGraw-Hill

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