Cooling Towers

Presented by:
Nabi Bux
Plant Manager
YUNITCO KSA
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Contents

• Introduction
• Types of cooling towers
• Assessment of cooling towers

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Humidity

• Quantity representing the amount of water vapour

in the atmosphere or in a gas.
• Relative Humidity
The amount of water vapour present in air
expressed as a percentage of the amount needed for
saturation at the same temperature.
• Absolute humidity
The measure of water vapor (moisture) in the air,
regardless of temperature. It is expressed as grams
of moisture per cubic meter of air (g/m3).
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Cooling/heating process

• Conduction
• Convection
• Radiation
• Evaporation

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Introduction

A cooling tower is a heat rejection

device, which extracts waste heat to
the atmosphere though the cooling of
a water stream to a lower
temperature.

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Introduction

Typical arrangement of Cooling Towers

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Arrangement of cooling tower

temperature.

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Types of Cooling Towers

1. Mechanical Draft Cooling

Towers.
2. Atmosphere draft CT
3. Natural Draft CT

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Types of Cooling Towers

Mechanical Draft Cooling Towers

Three types
• Forced draft
• Induced draft cross flow
• Induced draft counter flow

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 Types of Cooling Towers
Forced Draft Cooling Towers

• Air blown through tower

by centrifugal fan at air
inlet
• Advantages: suited for
high air resistance & fans
are relatively quiet
• Disadvantages:
recirculation due to high
air-entry and low air-exit
velocities
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Types of Cooling Towers

Induced Draft Cooling Towers

• Two types
• Cross flow
• Counter flow
• Advantage: less recirculation than forced
draft towers
• Disadvantage: fans and motor drive
mechanism require weather-proofing
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Types of Cooling Towers

Induced Draft Counter Flow CT

• Hot water enters at the top
• Air enters at bottom and exits at top
• Uses forced and induced draft fans

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Types of Cooling Towers

Induced Draft Cross Flow CT

• Water enters top and passes over fill
• Air enters on one side or opposite sides
• Induced draft fan draws air across fill

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Types of Cooling Towers

Natural Draft Cooling Towers

• Hot air moves through tower

• Fresh cool air is drawn into the
tower from bottom
• No fan required
• Concrete tower <200 m
• Used for large heat duties

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Types of Cooling Towers

Atmospheric Draft Cooling Towers

• Hot air moves through tower

• Fresh cool air is drawn into the
tower from bottom
• No fan required

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Atmospheric Draft Cooling Tower

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Assessment of Cooling Towers

Measured Parameters
• Wet bulb temperature of air
• Dry bulb temperature of air
• Cooling tower inlet water temperature
• Cooling tower outlet water temperature
• Exhaust air temperature
• Electrical readings of pump and fan
motors
• Water flow rate
• Air flow rate 18
Assessment of Cooling Towers

Performance Parameters
1. Range
2. Approach
3. Effectiveness
4. Cycles of concentration
5. Blow down losses

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Assessment of Cooling Towers

1. Range
Hot Water Temperature (In)
Difference between
cooling water inlet and
outlet temperature:

Range
(In) to the Tower
(Out) from the
Range (°C) = CW inlet Tower

temp – CW outlet temp

Cold Water Temperature (Out)
High range = good
Approach

performance
Wet Bulb Temperature (Ambient)

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 Assessment of Cooling Towers

2. Approach
Difference between Hot Water Temperature (In)

cooling tower outlet cold

water temperature and
ambient wet bulb

Range
(In) to the Tower
temperature: (Out) from the
Tower

Approach (°C) =
CW outlet temp – Wet Cold Water Temperature
(Out)
Approach
bulb temp
Wet Bulb Temperature
Low approach = good (Ambient)

performance 21
Assessment of Cooling Towers

3. Effectiveness
Hot Water Temperature (In)
Effectiveness in %

= Range / (Range +

Range
Approach) (In) to the Tower
(Out) from the
Tower
= 100 x (CW temp – CW
out temp) / (CW in
temp – Wet bulb temp) Cold Water Temperature
(Out)

High effectiveness = Approach

Wet Bulb Temperature
good performance (Ambient)

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Assessment of Cooling Towers

4. Cycles of concentration (C.O.C.)

Ratio of dissolved solids in circulating water to
the dissolved solids in make up water

5. Blowdown

Depend on cycles of concentration and

the evaporation losses

Blow Down =
Evaporation Loss / (C.O.C. – 1) 23
 THANK YOU
FOR YOUR ATTENTION

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