Performance investigation of the natural draft wet cooling tower at different wet-bulb temperatures

Abstract

This work experimentally investigated a natural draft wet cooling tower by varying the wet-bulb temperatures by shading. In this work, inlet air conditions were changed by shading of it using tripal and aluminium–zinc alloy-coated steel sheets at different water to air flow rate (L/G) ratios. It is observed that shading of cooling tower with tripal increases the tower characteristics up to 1.43 L/G ratio, whereas it increases up to 1.61 L/G ratio, when it is shaded with a steel sheet. Tripal shades increase the tower characteristics from 0.62% to 4.45% up to an L/G ratio of 1.43. Similarly, the steel sheet shading increases the tower characteristics from 1.46% to 14.48% up to an L/G ratio of 1.61. Finally, regression equations were developed for the coefficient of efficiency and water temperature difference with water flow rate at different wet-bulb temperatures.