Determination of Volumetric Heat and Mass Transfer Coefficients in Filling Unit of Evaporative Cooling Tower

Abstract

Currently, a pressing issue is a research and development of cooling technological equipment with considering water management, including efficient and energy-saving technologies with water-protecting schemes. The authors have proposed a new design of a cooling tower for circulating water with a developed filling unit, consisting of inclined-corrugated contact elements. The design of the filling unit and the operation principle of the cooling tower were described. The paper represents an analysis of the volumetric heat and mass transfer coefficients of inclined-corrugated contact elements in comparison with analogs widely used in the industry. A criteria relationship was obtained, allowing for an engineering assessment of the efficiency of the filling unit. The dependences of the volumetric heat and mass transfer coefficients on the average air velocity at the various wetting densities have been plotted. The high cooling capacity of the inclined-corrugated contact elements due to the uniform distribution of gas-liquid flows in the cross-section of the cooling tower has been proven.