FAKULTI KEJURUTERAAN AWAM

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA LABORATORY MANUAL

COURSE BUILDING SERVICES

COURSE CODE ECM346

LEVEL OF OPENNESS 1

CATEGORY PARTIALLY OPEN ENDED

DEGREE OF OPEN-ENDED (%) 33

PERIOD OF ACTIVITY 1 WEEK

TITLE AIR CONDITIONING – COOLING TOWER

1.1 Introduction
Level 1 laboratory activity refers to condition where the problem and ways &
means are guided and given to the students. However, the answers to the
assignment are left to the students to solve using the group creativity and
innovativeness. The activity is to slowly introduce and inculcates independent
learning amongst students and prepare them for a much harder task of open-
ended laboratory activities.
In this laboratory activity students will be exposed to the characteristic equation of
the Hilton Bench Top Cooling Tower.
1.2 Objective
The objective of the laboratory session is:
1) To determine the characteristic equation of the Hilton Bench Top Cooling
Tower.
1.3 Learning Outcomes
At the end of the laboratory activity, students would be able to:
1) Understand the characteristic equation of the Hilton Bench Top Cooling Tower.
PREAMBLE 1.4 Theoretical Background
Cooling towers are heat removal devices used to transfer process waste heat to the
atmosphere. Cooling towers may either use the evaporation of water to remove
process heat and cool the working fluid to near the wet-bulb air temperature or, in
the case of closed-circuit dry cooling towers, rely solely on air to cool the working
fluid to near the dry-bulb air temperature.
Common applications include cooling the circulating water used in oil refineries,
petrochemical and other chemical plants, thermal power stations and HVAC
systems for cooling buildings. The main types of cooling towers are natural draft
and induced draft cooling towers. The classification is based on the type of air
induction into the tower.
Cooling towers vary in size from small roof-top units to very large hyperboloid
structures (as in the adjacent image) that can be up to 200 metres tall and 100
metres in diameter, or rectangular structures (as in Image 3) that can be over 40
metres tall and 80 metres long. The hyperboloid cooling towers are often
associated with nuclear power plants, although they are also used to some extent
in some large chemical and other industrial plants. Although these large towers are

©FKA, UiTM, PAHANG

FAKULTI KEJURUTERAAN AWAM
UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA LABORATORY MANUAL

very prominent, the vast majority of cooling towers are much smaller, including
many units installed on or near buildings to discharge heat from air conditioning.

Reproduces all the processes that are found in an industrial system serviced by a
forced draught cooling tower. The unit incorporates a process load, circulating
pump, packed column, water distribution, volume control system and fan. Standard
instrumentation allows measurement of the air, circulating water mass flow rate
and all end state temperatures using wet and dry bulb thermocouples. Evaporation
PROBLEM STATEMENT
rates under varying load and flow conditions can also be investigated.
As a group you are required to determine the characteristic equation of the Hilton
Bench Top Cooling Tower. The group must carry out the test following the
procedures outline and subsequently analyse the data and present it in a proper
technical format.
3.1 Apparatus
The Hilton Bench Top Cooling Tower fitted with the Packing Characteristic Column.
3.2Procedures
1) Fully open the fan inlet damper and set the water flow to its maximum
2) Switch the water heaters to give a heat input of 1.0 or 1.5 kW.
3) Allow temperature to stabilize.
4) Observe:
WAYS & MEANS • Orifice differential pressure
• Water flow rate
• All temperature
5) Repeat the observations at a number of lower water flow rates down to about
10gm s¯1, always allowing conditions to stabilize and making any temperature
corrections necessary.
6) Partly close the air intake damper and repeat the foregoing at manometer
reading of say 6 and 2 mm H2O.

©FKA, UiTM, PAHANG

FAKULTI KEJURUTERAAN AWAM
UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA LABORATORY MANUAL

REMOVAL OF WET AND DRY BULB SENSORS

1) Remove the cap from the cable conduit at the back of the column and release
sufficient thermocouple cable to allow withdrawal of the sensor.
2) Hold the end of the sensor to prevent rotation, then unscrew the black
hexagonal gland nut to free the sensor.
3) Still holding the sensor, unscrew and withdraw the black hexagonal gland body.
4) Carefully withdraw the sensor, rotating it thought 900 so that wick clears the
ports in the sensor hood.
5) When replacing the sensor, it is helpful if the wick clears the ports in the to
clear the ports in the hood.

3.3 Data Acquisition

Test No. 1 2 3 4
Packing Installed B B B B
Packing Density m¯¹ 110 110 110 110
Air Inlet t1
Dry Bulb °C
Air Inlet t2
Dry Bulb °C
Air Outlet t3
Dry Outlet °C
Air Outlet t4
Dry Outlet °C
Water Inlet t5
Temperature °C
Water Inlet t6
Temperature °C
Water Make-up t7
Temperature °C
(Assumed same as ambient dry bulb temperature t1)
Orifice X 16 16 16 16
Differential H2O
Water flow mw 40 40 40 40
Rate gms¯¹
Cooling Load Q 0 0.5 1.0 1.5
kW
Make-up Quantity mE
kg
Time Interval y
s
Pressure Drop ∆p
Across Packing mm H2O

©FKA, UiTM, PAHANG

FAKULTI KEJURUTERAAN AWAM
UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA LABORATORY MANUAL

4 Results, Analysis and Conclusion

The group is required to submit the technical report of the laboratory results
highlighting the data acquisition process, analysis carried out and the relevancy of
RESULTS
the set-out output to achieve the objective. The format of the report is left to the
creativity discretion of the group.
The report must be submitted 7 days after the completion of the test.

©FKA, UiTM, PAHANG