PROGRAM TO FIND THE HEIGHT OF A COOLING TOWER

FOR A GIVEN COOLING REQUIREMENTS

RV College of Engineering, Bangalore-59

Department of Chemical Engineering

Abstract: Temperature control is a significant requirement in the most industrial process. In this
regard, cooling towers are key parts of many power plant installations. Operation of the cooling
tower as heat rejection device is based on a principle where waste thermal energy is extracted
from hot water to the atmosphere using relatively cool and dry air. In this study, a review study
is carried out to investigate different types of cooling towers, their application, performance,
usage and working principles, which can be useful in the field of nuclear plants as well as other
energy stations. A number of investigations have been considered to reveal differences between
the used cooling towers and finally a Fluent simulation has been carried out to examine major
contours and flow field around the cooling tower.

History:

Cooling towers originated in the 19th century through the development of condensers for use
with the steam engine.[2] Condensers use relatively cool water, via various means, to condense
the steam coming out of the cylinders or turbines. This reduces the back pressure, which in turn
reduces the steam consumption, and thus the fuel consumption, while at the same time increasing
power and recycling boiler-water.[3] However the condensers require an ample supply of cooling
water, without which they are impractical. The consumption of cooling water by inland
processing and power plants is estimated to reduce power availability for the majority of thermal
power plants by 2040–2069.[6] While water usage is not an issue with marine engines, it forms a
significant limitation for many land-based systems.

By the turn of the 20th century, several evaporative methods of recycling cooling water were in
use in areas lacking an established water supply, as well as in urban locations where municipal
water mains may not be of sufficient supply; reliable in times of demand; or otherwise adequate
to meet cooling needs areas with available land, the systems took the form of cooling ponds; in
areas with limited land, such as in cities, they took the form of cooling towers.[

These early towers were positioned either on the rooftops of buildings or as free-standing
structures, supplied with air by fans or relying on natural airflow. [ An American engineering
textbook from 1911 described one design as "a circular or rectangular shell of light plate—in
effect, a chimney stack much shortened vertically (20 to 40 ft. high) and very much enlarged
laterally. At the top is a set of distributing troughs, to which the water from the condenser must
be pumped; from these it trickles down over "mats" made of wooden slats or woven wire
screens, which fill the space within the tower."[7]

A hyperboloid cooling tower was patented by the Dutch engineers Frederik van

Iterson and Gerard Kuypers in 1918.[8] The first hyperboloid cooling towers were built in 1918
near Heerlen. The first ones in the United Kingdom were built in 1924 at Lister Drive power
station in Liverpool, England, to cool water used at a coal-fired electrical power station.[9]

Theory:
What Is A Cooling Tower?
No one wants to stay in a building with bad air conditioning—at least not for too long. On the
other hand, buildings with excellent cooling make you want to return, even if it’s just to enjoy
the air. That’s thanks, in large part, to the continued modernization and innovation of cooling
tower systems.A cooling tower is a heat removal device that uses water to transfer process waste
heat into the atmosphere. All cooling towers operate on the principle of removing heat from
water by evaporating a small portion of water that is recirculated through the unit. The mixing of
warm water and cooler air releases latent heat of vaporization, causing the water to cool. If you
are ever looking down from a high-rise building, you might notice square units with fans on top
of them on the buildings below. Those are cooling towers.

Why Are Cooling Towers Needed?

A cooling tower is a key component of many refrigeration systems and can be found in industries
such as power plants, chemical processing, steel mills, and many manufacturing companies
where process cooling is necessary. Also, cooling towers can be used to provide comfort cooling
for large commercial buildings like airports, schools, hospitals, or hotels.
Industrial cooling towers can be larger than HVAC systems and are used to remove heat
absorbed in the circulating cooling water systems used in power plants, petroleum refineries,
petrochemical plants, natural gas processing plants, food processing plants, and other industrial
facilities.
With the increase rate of population all over the world, there has been a huge rise in the rate of
needs and requirements by the world for manufactured products. This has forced the industrial
sector to manufacture more and more products every day, which generates more manufacturing
process heat. The machines and processes of industries that generate tremendous amounts of heat
must be continuously cooled so that those machines can continue to operate efficiently. The most
efficient, effective, and least expensive solution to removing this heat is the installation of a
cooling tower

What Is The Purpose Of A Cooling Tower?

A cooling tower is used to cool water and is a huge heat exchnger, expelling building heat into
the atmosphere and returning colder water to the chiller. A cooling tower receives warm water
from a chiller. This warm water is known as condenser water because it gets heat in the
condenser of the chiller. The chiller is typically at a lower level, like in a basement. The cooling
tower’s role is to cool down the water, so it can return to the chiller to pick up more heat.

Efficiency of cooling towers:

Given their simple construction, combined with the high levels of efficiency in terms of
cost/dissipated kW ratio, evaporative cooling towers are still the most commonly used cooling
device in both HVAC and, above all, industrial environments: there are no particular moving
parts, except a fan (which can be positioned at both the suction and delivery points). On the other
hand, electricity consumption is truly low when compared to other systems used for the same
purposes.

This is especially true where large heat amounts need to be dissipated (e.g. steelworks, chemical
plants, power plants) as cooling towers are unrivalled in terms of the electrical power used and
the minimum space required for their installation.

Not to mention that the achievable temperatures, with regard to cooled water, are well below the
ambient temperature: unlike louver systems, for example, which are bound by this limit. This is
due to the fact that the evaporative systems work by exploiting the latent heat of evaporation (the
minimum achievable limit of the water is the wet bulb temperature).
Cooling towers exploit the latent heat of evaporation
Evaporative cooling towers are able to best realise the water/air heat exchange
process: evaporation is forced through the use of simple, effective components which normally
require minimum maintenance.

To better understand how heat dissipation occurs, two concepts need to be introduced.

 Sensible heat. This is the amount of heat energy that is added to, or subtracted from, a
physical element (such as louvers) to change its temperature.
 Latent heat. This is basically founded on the change of state that a substance can
undergo as a result of heat addition or loss. In the case of water, it can change from a
liquid phase to a solid phase (ice) if heat is removed when it reaches freezing point. It can
also change from a liquid phase to a gaseous phase (vapour) if heat is added when it
reaches boiling point. Latent heat is therefore defined as heat that is introduced or
removed to change the state of the water. Specifically, in evaporative cooling systems, it
is defined as latent heat of evaporation.

A well-designed evaporative tower is able to provide the water with as much air contact surface
area as possible, in order to optimise the latent heat exchange.

To make this heat exchange possible, the evaporative tower must therefore be able to offer a
very high air/water contact surface. This is achieved by means of a heat exchange surface,
specifically designed for the purpose, and a fan able to move a defined volume of air according
to precisely defined parameters

How  to size a tower: the importance of the wet bulb temperature

The size of an evaporative cooling tower is determined by a few fundamental parameters. These

include:

 the thermal power to be dissipated;

 the temperature of the water entering the tower;
 the output temperature to be achieved;
  the thermo-hygrometric conditions (i.e. temperature and humidity) of the installation
area.

This information especially is a decisive factor in determining the correct size. It makes it
possible to identify that exact parameter of the wet bulb temperature which, as we have seen,
defines the “worst” environmental conditions in the place of installation and the minimum
temperature that the water cooled by the evaporative tower is likely to achieve.

In these conditions-limits, the project temperatures required to dissipate the thermal load
supplied by the system must be guaranteed. Once the reference wet bulb temperature is
determined (on average about 10°C lower than ambient temperature), it is clear that
the approach required for the outlet water will be smaller and the evaporative tower required to
achieve it will be larger. For “approach”, we mean the difference between the wet bulb
temperature and the cooled water temperature. Usually, an approach of between 2-3°C and 5-6°C
fully meets the needs of most modern facilities

 Components of cooling towers and the materials used

Now we come to the main components that characterize evaporative cooling towers, whether

open or closed circuit.

 Principal containment and support structure for the evaporative tower: this can be made
of sheet metal, fibreglass or both materials. For extremely large industrial or hyperbolic
towers, cement is also used. 
 Heat exchange surface (in open circuit towers) or heat exchange coil, generally with
bundles of smooth tubes (in closed circuit towers): these are the “heart” of the
evaporative tower. In fact, these are the components through which the heat exchange
between water and air takes place.
 Axial or centrifugal fans: this is the only moving mechanical part and is the component
that “forces” the water evaporation required to achieve cooling. The choice of an axial or
centrifugal fan, depending on the design conditions, is important in order to achieve the
most efficient operation and the lowest energy consumption of the system. Let’s look at
the criteria.
  Water distribution system, normally consists of ramp of pipes and nozzles. It makes it
possible to distribute the water to be cooled over the heat exchange surface (open circuit
cooling towers) or on the heat exchange coil (closed circuit cooling towers).

Droplet eliminator, located immediately upstream of the fan. It serves to retain the water
droplets, which would otherwise be carried outside by the flow of air caused by the fan.

Furthermore, the nature of the water to be cooled greatly influences both the choice of the
construction materials to be used, as mentioned above, as well as the most suitable type of heat
exchange surface. For water which is particularly aggressive or acidic, corrosion-resistant
materials or fiber glass would be the preferred choice, the latter being inherently unaffected by
most chemical agents.

On the other hand, if the water could be polluted by the process, dragging with it turbidity o
other pollutants, including those of an organic nature, the most suitable type of heat exchange
surface must be assessed from those available: from anti fouling, to vertical non-crossing
channels, to the classic “splash” packs which are based on the principle of droplet separation.

Types of Cooling towers

Temperature control is a huge necessity in the most mechanical cycle. In such manner, cooling
towers are key pieces of many force plant establishments. Activity of the cooling tower as
warmth dismissal gadget depends on a standard where squander warm energy is removed from
high temp water to the air utilizing moderately cool and dry air. In this examination, an audit
study is completed to explore various kinds of cooling towers, their application, execution, use
and working standards, which can be helpful in the field of atomic plants just as other energy
stations. Various examinations have been considered to uncover contrasts between the pre-
owned cooling towers lastly a Fluent recreation has been done to look at significant shapes and
stream field around the cooling tower.

1. Atmospheric: Temperature control is a gigantic need in the most mechanical cycle. In such
way, cooling towers are key bits of many power plant foundations. Movement of the cooling
tower as warmth excusal contraption relies upon a standard where waste warm energy is taken
out from high temp water to the air using reasonably cool and dry air. In this assessment, a
review study is finished to investigate different sorts of cooling towers, their application,
execution, use and working guidelines, which can be useful in the field of nuclear plants
similarly as other energy stations. Different assessments have been considered to reveal contrasts
between the used cooling towers finally a Fluent diversion has been done to take a gander at
critical shapes and stream field around the cooling tower.

Then again, the barometrically kind known as the exaggerated characteristic draft tower (Figs. 3a
,3b) is incredibly reliable and unsurprising in its warm exhibition. Wind stream through this
pinnacle is delivered by the thickness differential that exists between the warmed less thick) air
inside the stack and the generally cool (more thick) surrounding air outside the pinnacle.
Normally, these pinnacles will in general be very huge (250,000 gpm and more noteworthy), and
sometimes more than 500 feet in tallness. Their name, obviously, gets from the mathematical
state of the shell. Albeit exaggerated pinnacles are more costly than other typical pinnacle types,
they are utilized widely in the field of electric force age, where huge bound together warmth
loads exist, and where long amortization periods permit sufficient time for the nonappearance of
fan power (and mechanical hardware upkeep costs) to recover the differential expense of the
pinnacle. The syn energizes industry likewise possibly produces heat.

2.Mechanical draft towers

Mechanical draft towers are classified into three types:
1. Counter flows induced draft.
2. Counter flow forced draft.
3. Cross flow induced draft.
In the counter stream prompted draft plan, heated water enters at the top, while the air is
presented at the base and exits at the top. Both constrained and instigated draft fans are utilized.
In cross stream incited draft towers, the water enters at the top and ignores the fill. The air, in any
case, is presented along the edge either on one side (single-stream tower) or inverse sides
(twofold stream tower). A prompted draft fan draws the air across the wetted fill and ousts it
through the highest point of the structure. Mechanical draft towers are accessible in a huge scope
of limits. Typical limits range from roughly 10 tons, 2.5 m3 /hr stream to a few thousand tons
and m3 /hr. Pinnacles can be either industrial facility assembled or on the other hand field raised
– for instance solid pinnacles are just field raised. Numerous pinnacles are built with the goal
that they can be assembled to accomplish the wanted limit. Along these lines, many cooling
towers are gatherings of at least two person cooling pinnacles or "cells." The quantity of cells
they have, e.g., an eight-cell tower, frequently alludes to such pinnacles. Numerous cell
pinnacles can be lineal, square, or round contingent on the state of the individual cells and
whether the air gulfs are situated on the sides or bottoms of the cells.

Working of cooling tower

What are cooling towers? Cooling towers are an extraordinary kind of warmth exchanger that
permits water and air to interact with one another to bring down the temperature of the boiling
water. During this cycle, little volumes of water vanish, bringing down the temperature of the
water that is being flowed all through the cooling tower. In a short synopsis, a chilling pinnacle
chills water that gets over warmed by mechanical gear and cycles.

The heated water is normally brought about via cooling condensers or other modern cycles. That
water is siphoned through lines straightforwardly into the cooling tower. Cooling tower spouts
are utilized to shower the water onto to the "fill media", which eases back the water stream down
and uncovered the greatest measure of water surface region workable for the best air-water
contact. The water is presented to air as it streams all through the cooling tower. The air is being
pulled by an engine driven electric "cooling tower fan".

At the point when the air and water meet up, a little volume of water dissipates, making an
activity of cooling. The colder water gets siphoned back to the cycle/gear that assimilates heat or
the condenser. It rehashes the circle again and again to continually chill off the warmed gear or
condensers. For more information and finding out about cooling towers visit Cooling Tower
Fundamentals by SPX Cooling.

Cooling Tower Working Principle

There are various kinds of cooling towers however the cooling tower working standards stay
basically the equivalent. Most cooling towers work dependent on the standard of "evaporative
cooling".

Cooling Tower Performance

The important parameters, from the point of determining the performance of cooling towers, are:
I) "Reach" is the contrast between the cooling tower water channel and source temperature.
(See Figure 7.3).

ii) "Approach" is the distinction between the cooling tower source cold water temperature and
surrounding wet bulb temperature. Albeit, both reach and approach ought to be observed, the
'Approach' is a superior marker of cooling tower execution. (see Figure 7.3).

iii) Cooling tower viability (in rate) is the proportion of reach, to the ideal range, i.e.,
distinction between cooling water channel temperature and encompassing wet bulb temperature,
or as such it is = Range/(Range + Approach).

iv) Cooling limit is the warmth dismissed in kCal/hr or TR, given as result of mass stream
pace of water, explicit warmth and temperature distinction.

v) Evaporation misfortune is the water amount vanished for cooling obligation and,
hypothetically, for each 10,00,000 kCal heat dismissed, vanishing amount works out to 1.8 m3
An observational connection utilized regularly is:

Evaporation Loss (m3 /hr) = 0.00085×1.8 x circulation rate (m3 /hr) x (T1-T2) T1-T2 = Temp.
difference between inlet and outlet water.

vi) Cycles of focus (C.O.C) is the proportion of broke up solids in flowing water to the broke up
solids in make up water.

vii) Blow down misfortunes rely on patterns of focus and the dissipation misfortunes also, is
given by connection:

Blow Down = Evaporation Loss/(C.O.C. – 1)

viii) Liquid/Gas (L/G) proportion, of a cooling tower is the proportion between the water and
the air mass stream rates. Against configuration esteems, occasional varieties require change
also, tuning of water and wind stream rates to get the best cooling tower adequacy through
measures like water box stacking changes, sharp edge point changes. Thermodynamics likewise
direct that the warmth eliminated from the water should be equivalent to the warmth consumed
by the encompassing air:

where: L/G = liquid to gas mass flow ratio (kg/kg)

T1 = hot water temperature (0 C)

T2 = cold water temperature (0 C)

h2 = enthalpy of air-water vapor mixture at exhaust wet-bulb temperature (same units as above)
h1 = enthalpy of air-water vapor mixture at inlet wet-bulb temperature (same units as above)
Psychometric chart
Important terms and parameters of cooling tower
Range: The difference between the cooling tower inlet temperature (Hot Water Temperature)
and cooling tower outlet temperature (Cold water temperature) is called Range of Cooling
Tower.
Range of cooling tower = Cooling tower inlet temperature – Cooling tower outlet temperature.
Approach: The difference between the Cooling Tower Outlet water (Cold Water Temperature)
and ambient Wet Bulb Temperature is called as Approach of Cooling Tower.
Approach of cooling tower = Cooling tower outlet water – Wet bulb temperature.
Cooling tower efficiency formula:
In practice, the cooling tower efficiency will be in between 65 to 70%. In summer season the
ambient air wet bulb temperature raises when compared to winter season so cooling tower
efficiency limiting in summer season.
Humidity ratio of moist air is the weight of the water contained in the air per unit of dry air.
This is often expressed as pounds of moisture per pound of dry air. Since the humidity ratio of
moist air is not dependent on temperature, as is relative humidity, it is easier to use in
calculations. Humidity ratio is found on the vertical, y-axis with lines of constant humidity ratio
running horizontally across the chart.
Dew point temperature
Indicates the temperature at which water will begin to condense out of moist air. Given air at a
certain dry-bulb temperature and relative humidity, if the temperature is allowed to decrease, the
air can no longer hold as much moisture. When air is cooled, the relative humidity increases until
saturation is reached and condensation occurs. Condensation occurs on surfaces which are at or
below the dew point temperature. Dew point temperature is determined by moving from a state
point horizontally to the left along lines of constant humidity ratio until the upper, curved,
saturation temperature boundary is reached.
Enthalpy
Is the heat energy content of moist air. It is expressed in Btu per pound of dry air and represents
the heat energy due to temperature and moisture in the air. Enthalpy is useful in air heating and
cooling applications. The enthalpy scale is located above the saturation, upper boundary of the
chart. Lines of constant enthalpy run diagonally downward from left to right across the chart.
Lines of constant enthalpy and constant wet-bulb are the same on this chart, but values are read
from separate scales. More accurate psychrometric charts use slightly different lines for wet-bulb
temperature and enthalpy.
Dew point temperature
The Dew Point is the temperature where water vapor starts to condense out of the air (the
temperature at which air becomes completely saturated). Above this temperature the moisture
stays in the air. The Dew Point is given by the saturation line in the psychrometric chart.

Some important methods used in cooling tower calculations are:

Merkel’s method : The Merkel’s method is the most widely used method for cooling tower
design. The equation for Merkel’s method is:

Simpson’s 1/3 Rule

The trapezoidal rule was based on approximating the integrated by a first order polynomial, and
then integrating the polynomial over interval of integration. Simpson’s 1/3 rule is an extension of
Trapezoidal rule where the integrand is approximated by a second order polynomial. It is given
by,

Antoine equation: The Antoine equation is a class of semi-empirical correlations describing the
relation between vapor pressure and temperature for pure substances. The Antoine equation is
derived from the Clausius–Clapeyron relation. The equation was presented in 1888 by the French
engineer Louis Charles Antoine (1825–1897). It is given by,

Where, p = absolute vapor pressure

T = temperature (in Celsius)
A, B,C = Antoine coefficients specific to the substance
Modified Apjohn equation:

where t = dry bulb temperature, o C

t’ = wet bulb temperature, o C
p = barometric pressure
pv = vapor pressure
pv’ = saturation vapor pressure at wet-bulb temperature
Calculating the height of a cooling tower
illustrative Example:
(Determination of packed height, the overall coefficient being given) A cooling tower receives
warm water at 43°C at a mass flow rate of 7000 kg/m².h. A cooling range of 13°C is to be
achieved by counter current contact with air. The air enters at a rate of 4200 kg/m².n at a dry-
bulb temperature of 31°C and a humidity of 0.01516 kg/(kg dry air). The overall volumetric
mass transfer coefficient is Ky-ā = 2500 kg/(m)(h)(AY'). Determine the number of overall gas-
phase transfer units and the height of packing.
In this we are finding the height of a cooling tower using a program.
Program
OUTPUT
Factors affecting cooling tower performance
The factors affecting Cooling Tower performance are:
1. Dry bulb and wet bulb temperature of the air
2. Capacity C
3. Range
4. Approach
5. Efficiency of contact between air and water
6. Heat load
Ambient wet bulb temperature is a condition measured by a device called a psychrometer. A
psychrometer places a thin film of water on the bulb of a thermometer that is twirled in the air.
After about a minute, the thermometer will show a reduced temperature. The low point when no
additional twirling reduces the temperature is called the wet bulb temperature.
Cooling tower performance is related to ambient wet bulb conditions. Higher wet bulb
temperatures occur in the summer when higher ambient and relative humidity occurs.
The measured wet bulb temperature is a function of relative humidity and ambient air
temperature. Wet bulb temperature essentially measures how much water vapor the atmosphere
can hold at current weather conditions. A lower wet bulb temperature means the air is drier and
can hold more water vapor than it can at a higher wet bulb temperature.
Conclusion

The cooling tower systems are currently found almost in every industry we can imagine. In this
experiment the objective was to characterize the draft cooling towers used in the air conditioning
system of an UPRM campus building. To evaluate the performance of a cooling tower, the
conditions of the surroundings need to be measured; both the temperature of the air and the
velocity of air are crucial for the performance of the system. Having a significant difference
between the dry bulb and wet bulb temperatures will increase the amount of heat that air can
remove from water. Meanwhile, increasing the velocity or mass flow of air will increase the
mass flow of water increasing the heat load capacity of the system. This conditions depend on
the wind and the relative humidity at the moment the experiment takes place, it can be
determined therefore that the efficiency of the system is not constant, and consequently neither
the-volumetric rates nor the heat load capacity are constant. When rating cooling towers, the
approach which is the difference between the temperature at the water outlet and the wet bulb
temperature at the inlet is a determinant factor. The wet bulb temperature of the entering air is
the factor that limits the cooling tower efficiency. For a near 100%efficiency an approach near 0
will be needed, which means that the temperature of the water outlet hasto be the same as the wet
bulb inlet temperature. With the analysis of the experiment we can conclude that at low
temperatures the cooling tower will be more effective cooling the water. And with a dry ambient
surrounding we can obtain a higher heat removal rate because the dry air has a higher capacity of
extracting water from the inlet. From this observation we can also conclude that the cooling
tower’s efficiency highly depends on the weather conditions around it
.References

[1] Cengel, Yunus A, Ghajar, Afshin J. Heat and Mass Transfer Fundamentals and
Applications.4thedition.New York, NY. McGraw- Hill, 2011

.[2] Incropera, Frank P. Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer / Frank P. Incropera … [et
AI.].6thed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley, 2007. Print.13

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