Cooling Tower Research Articles

Correction to: Determination of Heat and Mass Emission Coefficients in a Hybrid Cooling Tower with Transversely Finned Radiator Pipes

Correction to: Determination of Heat and Mass Emission Coefficients in a Hybrid Cooling Tower with Transversely Finned Radiator Pipes

Performance analysis of natural draft power plant cooling tower: Mathematical modeling of cross-flow type, application in capital cities of Iranian provinces

Cooling towers are heat exchangers that reduce the hot water temperature produced by process equipment through heat and mass transfer between water and air stream. This study investigates the performance of cross-flow cooling towers under various geometrical, physical, and environmental conditions. For this purpose, thermodynamic modeling of the cross-flow cooling tower was conducted, and the governing equations were numerically solved using the finite difference method. Unlike previous studies, the effects of water droplet deformation into an elliptical shape during its fall along the cooling tower were also considered. This deformation, which influences the drag coefficient, Reynolds number of the water droplets, droplet surface area, and its cross-section area, along with the incorporation of buoyancy force in the droplet momentum equation, led to an improvement in the results. Consequently, the maximum computational error in this case was reduced to 1.97 %, compared to the scenario where droplet deformation and buoyancy force were neglected. The change in geometrical parameters of the tower in Tehran and Rasht was investigated, revealing that increasing the outlet radius of the tower from 20 m to 22.5 m decreased the outlet water temperature by 1.21 °C and 0.67 °C and increased the thermal efficiency of the tower by 4.94 % and 2.88 % respectively, while increasing the tower height from 100 m to 120 m, only decreased the outlet water temperature by 0.47 °C and 0.26 °C, and increased the thermal efficiency of the tower by 1.89 % and 1.09 % respectively. Additionally, the cooling tower performance was assessed in the centers of different provinces .of Iran. Results showed that with an initial droplet radius of 1 mm and an inlet water temperature of 50 °C, the maximum and minimum temperature reductions occurred in Shahrekord by 20.16 °C and Bandarabbas by 12.37 °C, respectively.

Laser Scanner-Based Hyperboloid Cooling Tower Geometry Inspection: Thickness and Deformation Mapping.

Hyperboloid cooling towers are counted among the largest cast-in-place industrial structures. They are an essential element of cooling systems used in many power plants in service today. Their main structural component, a reinforced-concrete shell in the form of a one-sheet hyperboloid with bidirectional curvature continuity, makes them stand out against other towers and poses very high construction and service requirements. The safe service and adequate durability of the hyperboloid structure are guaranteed by the proper geometric parameters of the reinforced-concrete shell and monitoring of their condition over time. This article presents an original concept for employing terrestrial laser scanning to conduct an end-to-end assessment of the geometric condition of a hyperboloid cooling tower as required by industry standards. The novelty of the proposed solution lies in the use of measurements of the interior of the structure to determine the actual thickness of the hyperboloid shell, which is generally disregarded in geometric measurements of such objects. The proposal involves several strategies and procedures for a reliable verification of the structure's verticality, the detection of signs of ovalisation of the shell, the estimation of the parameters of the structure's theoretical model, and the analysis of the distribution of the thickness and geometric imperfections of the reinforced-concrete shell. The idea behind the method for determining the actual thickness of the shell (including its variation due to repairs and reinforcement operations), which is generally disregarded when measuring the geometry of such structures, is to estimate the distance between point clouds of the internal and external surfaces of the structure using the M3C2 algorithm principle. As a particularly dangerous geometric anomaly of hyperboloid cooling towers, shell ovalisation is detected with an innovative analysis of the bimodality of the frequency distribution of radial deviations in horizontal cross-sections. The concept of a complete assessment of the geometry of a hyperboloid cooling tower was devised and validated using three measurement series of a structure that has been continuously in service for fifty years. The results are consistent with data found in design and service documents. We identified a permanent tilt of the structure's axis to the northeast and geometric imperfections of the hyperboloid shell from -0.125 m to +0.136 m. The results also demonstrated no advancing deformation of the hyperboloid shell over a two-year research period, which is vital for its further use.

Investigating the Effects of Tilt Angle and Fill Perforation on the Performance of Forced Draft Wet Cooling Tower

Cooling towers are critical components of the industrial sector, serving a crucial function in dispersing surplus heat to ensure optimal operational efficiency and protect equipment integrity. This study examines the impact of variations in the tilt angle and fill perforations on the performance of forced draft wet cooling towers. The study specifically examines two variables: the tilt angle of fill at θ1= 15°, θ2 = 20°, and θ3 =25°, and the perforation ratios labelled as RP1 = 2.6%, RP2 = 3%, and RP3= 3.6%. The experimental trials involved varying the airflow rates of 0.0203, 0.0263, 0.0299, 0.0377, and 0.0426 kg/s while maintaining a constant water flow rate of 0.0917 kg/s. The results indicate that a tilt angle of θ1° greatly improves the thermal and operational efficiency of the tower. In addition, greater perforation ratios, particularly RP3, significantly enhance the cooling tower's performance at different tilt angles compared to RP1 and RP2.

Multi-Modal Machine Learning to Predict the Energy Discharge Levels from a Multi-Cell Mechanical Draft Cooling Tower

An artificial neural network was developed to augment the accuracy of a physically based computer model in relating heat discharge to visible plume volume of a 12-cell mechanical draft cooling tower. In a previous study, Savannah River National Laboratory developed a 1D model to capture the average power plant discharge levels via analysis of a series of visual images but was unable to accurately predict individual cases, resulting in an overall average error of about 5%, but individual comparisons resulted in an R2 of 0.36. Three optimization algorithms were applied to better fit the entrainment coefficients, and the artificial neural network model was applied to 289 cases of a 12-cell mechanical draft cooling tower power generation facility. Two artificial neural networks configurations consisted of 10 and 47 nodes that used as input readily available plant data, observed cooling tower plume conditions, observed operational conditions, local and regional weather, and the predicted plume volume from the physical model; the individual predictions’ accuracy improved to R2>0.95. This article concludes the sensitivities for the 1D model and additional actions to progress this field of study as well as applications for cooling tower monitoring. This strategy demonstrated an encouraging first step towards using multi-modal artificial neural network machine learning technology for information fusion to estimate power levels from external observations.

Application Potential of a Dew-Point Cooling Tower in Selected Energy Intensive Applications in Temperate Climate

In the article, the application potential of the dew-point cooling tower (DPCT) in selected energy-intensive applications in temperate climates was analyzed and discussed. The applications selected for analysis are power generation with natural gas turbines and chilled water air conditioning systems. The study is based on a mathematical model derived from a modified ε-NTU model. The model was validated against experimental results and showed satisfactory agreement with the experimental data. DPCT was compared with a typical cooling tower limited by the wet-bulb temperature (wet-bulb cooling tower, WBCT). The simulation results showed that DPCT is able to provide significant energy savings in energy-intensive applications; therefore, its application potential in temperate climates can be considered justified. In the case of gas turbines, DPCT was able to generate 2 to 10 percentage points more capacity than operating on outdoor air and 1.8 to 5 percentage points more than operating with WBCT. In the case of air conditioning systems, the system equipped with DPCT achieved EERs (energy efficiency ratios) higher by 1 to 7.2 compared to dry cooling and by 0.3 to 5.1 compared to systems equipped with WBCT. The annual energy savings obtained by the system with DPCT were 14.7 MWh compared to WBCT and 30 MWh compared to dry cooling.

Design and fabrication of a 20 kilogram capacity cassava-based bioethanol distillation apparatus with 2.4 liter bioethanol output

Background: The depletion of fossil fuel resources and growing environmental concerns have sparked interest in renewable energy sources like bioethanol. Cassava, an abundant crop in many tropical regions, shows promise as a feedstock for bioethanol production. This study aimed to design and fabricate an efficient small-scale distillation apparatus for producing bioethanol from cassava. Method: A distillation apparatus with 20 kg cassava capacity was designed and constructed using locally available materials. Key components included a distillation tank, condenser, cooling tower system, and burner. The apparatus was tested using fermented cassava mash to evaluate its performance in bioethanol production. Findings: The fabricated apparatus successfully produced 2.4 liters of bioethanol with 65% purity from 20 kg of cassava feedstock. Optimal distillation temperature was found to be 70°C, balancing ethanol yield and purity. Heat transfer calculations indicated 576 kW of cooling capacity was required in the condenser. The cooling tower system achieved 63% thermal efficiency. Conclusion: The designed distillation apparatus demonstrates the feasibility of small-scale bioethanol production from cassava. Further optimization of the distillation process and heat recovery systems could improve efficiency. This technology shows potential for decentralized biofuel production to meet local energy needs in cassava-producing regions. Novelty/Originality of this study: The study on designing small-scale distillation equipment for bioethanol production from cassava successfully demonstrated practical and affordable applications for decentralized biofuel production in cassava-producing areas.

Assessment of monitoring approaches to control Legionella pneumophila within a complex cooling tower system

Precise and rapid methods are needed to improve monitoring approaches of L. pneumophila (Lp) in cooling towers (CTs) to allow timely operational adjustments and prevent outbreaks. The performance of liquid culture (ASTM D8429-21) and an online qPCR device were first compared to conventional filter plate culture (ISO 11731-2017), qPCR and semi-automated qPCR at three spiked concentrations of Lp (serogroup 1) validated by flow cytometry (total/viable cell count). The most accurate was qPCR, followed by liquid culture, online and semi-automated qPCR, and lastly, by a significant margin, filter plate culture. An industrial CT system was monitored using liquid and direct plate culture by the facility, qPCR and online qPCR. Direct plate and liquid culture results agreed at regulatory sampling point, supporting the use of the faster liquid culture for monitoring culturable Lp. During initial operation, qPCR and online qPCR results were within one log of culture at the primary pump before deviating after first cleaning. Other points revealed high spatial variability of Lp. The secondary pumps and chiller had the most positivity and highest concentrations by both qPCR and liquid culture compared to the basin and infeed tank. Altogether, this suggests that results from monthly compliance sampling at a single location with plate culture are not representative of Lp risks in this CT due to the high temporal and spatial variability. The primary pump, rather than the CT basin, should be designated for sampling, as it is representative of the health risk. An annual multi point survey of the system should be conducted to identify and target Lp hot spots. Generally, a combination of liquid culture for compliance and frequent qPCR for process control provides a more agile and robust monitoring scheme than plate culture alone, enabling early treatment adjustments, due to lower limit of detection (LOD) and turnover time.

Performance Assessment of an Integrated Low-Approach Low-Temperature Open Cooling Tower with Radiant Cooling and Displacement Ventilation for Space Conditioning in Temperate Climates

Cooling towers, by producing chilled water and by integration with radiant and displacement cooling systems, offer a possible alternative method for space conditioning of office buildings in temperate climates. This present study examines the operational feasibility of a cooling tower in conjunction with a radiant and displacement ventilation cooling system for office conditioning in four temperate climates. The climates are: cool and semi-humid (Birmingham, UK), cool and dry (Helsinki, FI), warm and humid (Paris, FR) and warm and dry (Prague, CZ). The system is capable of producing chilled water between 14 and 20 °C, with low approach tower temperatures (1–3 K). A mathematical model of the cooling tower system was developed and integrated with an office building energy simulation model. Using the integrated simulation model, assessment was carried out based on ASHRAE design day specifications, as well as a complete cooling seasonal analysis. Moreover, the performance of the system is benchmarked against a variable-air-volume cooling system. Energy savings for the system when benchmarked against a variable-air-volume air conditioning system, where the chiller COP (coefficient of performance) varies from 2.75 to 6.5, were 62% to 37% in Paris, 56% to 30% in Prague, 52% to 28% in Helsinki and 45% to 13% in Birmingham, respectively.

Comparison of cooling tower blowdown and enhanced make up water treatment to minimize cooling water footprint

When water supply restrictions increasingly escalate to water supply risks, developing strategies to minimize the water footprint of wet cooling systems becomes crucial. This study compares two water engineering approaches to minimize the water footprint of a recirculating evaporative cooling tower (CT): (1) reusing cooling tower blowdown and (2) producing demineralized water to increase the cycles of concentration (CoC) of the CT.Our techno-economic analysis across various scenarios and CT settings reveals that reusing blowdown (option 1) is the most feasible approach for an industrial cooling system currently operating at CoCs of > 3, discharging blowdown with a conductivity of 2 mS/cm and a total organic carbon (TOC) concentration of approximately 20 mg/L. Compared to enhanced make up treatment, blowdown reuse allows higher water savings (13 %) and involves lower implementation and operation costs.Pilot scale trials validated the feasibility of both approaches. Blowdown and enhanced make up treatment included biologically activated carbon filtration, ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis, producing high-quality permeate, suitable for (re)use as CT make up or within other processes. The blowdown treatment reached a product quality of 80 μS/cm conductivity and 70 μg/L TOC, make up treatment 20 μS/cm in conductivity and 60 μg/L TOC, respectively.The study's findings underscore the viability of blowdown reuse as a cost-effective and efficient strategy to minimize the water footprint of cooling systems under increasing water scarcity conditions.

Development and evaluation of a hybrid membrane condenser for water recovery from cooling tower plume

Cooling towers discharge a tremendous amount of water vapor from industries into the atmosphere. Recovering this water will increase efficiency, contribute to water security and industrial sustainability. Thus, suitable technology is needed. This study investigates the feasibility of a microporous hydrophobic propylene membrane to recover water from an artificial humid gas, representing water vapor from a cooling tower. Water was used as a cooling medium in the permeate side of the membrane module. Experimental results showed that water vapor condensed on the surface of the membrane on the feed and the permeate sides. Thus, the membrane module worked as a conventional membrane condenser (MCo) and a transport membrane condenser (TMC) simultaneously, resulting in high water recovery, reaching up to four times that of the TMC mode alone. Key factors influencing rate of condensation and water recovery, such as feed velocity and cooling water temperature, are thoroughly investigated. As feed velocity increased, the rate of condensation also increased, but the water recovery decreased. Lowering the cooling water temperature increased the rate of condensation as well as the water recovery. The results show a maximum water recovery of 75 % under optimal conditions, highlighting the novel and improved performance of the proposed configuration for water vapor recovery from cooling tower plumes compared to previous MCo studies.

Analysis of thermal performance characteristics of rotating packed beds using response surface methodology

Cooling towers play a crucial role in various industries to dissipate the heat of circulating water. This process involves the direct contact of atmospheric air and hot water from the condenser within a porous packed bed. The cooling towers suffers from their large size which results in escalating construction and maintenance expenses. In the present work, a rotating packed bed has been investigated experimentally for its evaporative heat transfer performance and is proposed as an alternative to cooling towers. In the chemical and processing sectors, rotating packed beds are being explored as a potential alternative to conventional distillation towers due to their process intensification capabilities. The principal reason behind this adaptation is the enhanced mass transfer rates achievable by rotating packed beds in a compact size. The aim of this study is to lay the foundation for rotating packed beds to achieve similar process intensification in various heat transfer applications. For this purpose, the parameters that describe the performance of a cooling tower such as air pressure drop, cooling range, heat rejection rate from water, cooling effectiveness, and Merkel number were selected to assess the performance of the rotating packed bed. The effect of various factors such as mass flow rate of air, mass flow rate of water, water inlet temperature, and rotational speed on the performance parameters was observed. Response surface methodology was used for the design of experiments, development of the regression equations, and optimization of the performance parameters of rotating packed bed. The cooling effectiveness value of up to 0.59 and the Merkel number of up to 1.88 were achieved in the rotating packed bed.

Identification of the Effect of Concrete Carbonation on the Strength of Cooling Tower Structures Using the Monte Carlo Simulation Method

Identification of the Effect of Concrete Carbonation on the Strength of Cooling Tower Structures Using the Monte Carlo Simulation Method

Automated cooling tower detection through deep learning for Legionnaires’ disease outbreak investigations: a model development and validation study

Cooling towers containing Legionella spp are a high-risk source of Legionnaires' disease outbreaks. Manually locating cooling towers from aerial imagery during outbreak investigations requires expertise, is labour intensive, and can be prone to errors. We aimed to train a deep learning computer vision model to automatically detect cooling towers that are aerially visible. Between Jan 1 and 31, 2021, we extracted satellite view images of Philadelphia (PN, USA) and New York state (NY, USA) from Google Maps and annotated cooling towers to create training datasets. We augmented training data with synthetic data and model-assisted labelling of additional cities. Using 2051 images containing 7292 cooling towers, we trained a two-stage model using YOLOv5, a model that detects objects in images, and EfficientNet-b5, a model that classifies images. We assessed the primary outcomes of sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) of the model against manual labelling on test datasets of 548 images, including from two cities not seen in training (Boston [MA, USA] and Athens [GA, USA]). We compared the search speed of the model with that of manual searching by four epidemiologists. The model identified visible cooling towers with 95·1% sensitivity (95% CI 94·0-96·1) and a PPV of 90·1% (95% CI 90·0-90·2) in New York City and Philadelphia. In Boston, sensitivity was 91·6% (89·2-93·7) and PPV was 80·8% (80·5-81·2). In Athens, sensitivity was 86·9% (75·8-94·2) and PPV was 85·5% (84·2-86·7). For an area of New York City encompassing 45 blocks (0·26 square miles), the model searched more than 600 times faster (7·6 s; 351 potential cooling towers identified) than did human investigators (mean 83·75 min [SD 29·5]; mean 310·8 cooling towers [42·2]). The model could be used to accelerate investigation and source control during outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease through the identification of cooling towers from aerial imagery, potentially preventing additional disease spread. The model has already been used by public health teams for outbreak investigations and to initialise cooling tower registries, which are considered best practice for preventing and responding to outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease. None.

Determination of Heat and Mass Emission Coefficients in a Hybrid Cooling Tower with Transversely Finned Radiator Pipes

Determination of Heat and Mass Emission Coefficients in a Hybrid Cooling Tower with Transversely Finned Radiator Pipes

Analysis of effect cooling tower geometric porforation design on the distribution of sound pressure level and temperature

Abstract Noise in a cooling tower system is caused by the cooling system engineering units, namely the tightly closed water circulation pump, fans for air flow needed for heat transfer, and vibrations in the cooling tower structure. Noise in cooling towers can be reduced by paying attention to the mechanical structure of the cooling tower such as stiffness, density and porosity of the cooling tower material. This mechanical control is still not optimal for reducing or controlling noise at low frequencies, depending on the physical properties of the materials used. The objective of the study is to analyze the noise distribution in the cooling tower geometric design and the temperature distribution in the cooling tower geometric design. This research focuses on the geometric design of the cooling tower and selecting the most optimal design to reduce noise and analyze the temperature distribution in the cooling tower. In this paper, simulations were carried out using the Ansys Harmonic Acoustics program and carried out at low frequencies, namely frequencies of 100 - 500 Hz. The simulation is carried out by placing the noise source in a chamber surrounded by a barrier or enclosure. The results of the simulation include the distribution of Sound Pressure Level (SPL) and air temperature distribution in the form of a countour plot which displays color gradations in the geometry which indicate differences in sound intensity values and air temperature values in the cooling tower geometry. After obtaining the simulation results, the most optimal design can be identified to reduce noise in the cooling tower.

Tornado-induced instability assessment of super large hyperbolic reinforced concrete cooling towers

Cooling towers are typical high-rise thin-walled structures which are of hyperbolic rotating shell structure type and significantly sensitive to wind loads. Wind-related local instability is the key control factor in the design of structural geometric shape and tower shell thickness optimization. In fact, this kind of stability analysis has only conducted aiming at normal climate (such as monsoon, etc.) under the guideline of series of national Codes. In order to deal with the issues under disaster climate, physical and numerical investigation to evaluate local stability performance of a super large cooling tower (SLCT) under tornado environments based on Buckling Stress State (BSS) method is implemented. Besides, whole process elastic–plastic collapse simulation of the SLCT exposed to the tornados was also carried out to study the failure mechanism and re-evaluated the reasonability of the well-accepted BSS method for structural wind-resistant design. The results revealed that the tornados would have obvious adverse effects on the structural local stability when the SLCT is located at the tornado vortex core radius compared with those under traditional synoptic winds. The swirl ratios and the central distances between the SLCT and the tornado vortex core have significant effects on the local instability of the SLCT. The extended elastic–plastic collapse simulation discovered that the position of the first crack during SLCT collapse process is basically consistent with the critical position from the elastic local stability analysis of the SLCT, indicating that strengthening measures can be carried out in advance at the critical position for structural local stability improvement under tornado conditions. Besides, the extended elastic–plastic collapse numerical simulation of the SLCT could be as the effective supplement to the structural elastic stability assessment (such as BSS method) in the wind-resistant design of the SLCT.

Utilizing Reversed Brayton Cycle for Enhanced Cooling Tower Technology

This study demonstrates an enhanced cooling tower technology (ECTT) under which the ambient air is precooled and dehumidified to improve the cooling tower efficiency. The reverse Brayton cycle, comprising a compressor, an air cooler, an expander, and a heat and mass exchanger, is used to precondition the ambient air before entering the cooling tower. A plant-scale thermodynamic model is constructed for ECTT, and the system parameters are optimized through genetic algorithm based on the maximum power gained from the system, including the effects of reducing the makeup water for the cooling tower. Compared to conventional cooling towers, the ECTT achieved sub-wet bulb cooling of water, which is 9.5 °C below the wet bulb temperature of ambient air, reduces steam condensation temperature by 34%, and increases steam turbine power output by 4.3%. It also reduces evaporative losses in the cooling tower and reduces the makeup water by 36%. With cooling tower exhaust recirculated in a closed loop, makeup water requirements are further reduced with additional gains in power output.

Nanofluid Applications of the Thermal Performance of a Forced Cooling Tower: A Review

Nanofluid Applications of the Thermal Performance of a Forced Cooling Tower: A Review

Data-Monitoring Solution for Desalination Processes: Cooling Tower and Mechanical Vapor Compression Hybrid System.

The advancement of novel water treatment technologies requires the implementation of both accurate data measurement and recording processes. These procedures are essential for acquiring results and conducting thorough analyses to enhance operational efficiency. In addition, accurate sensor data facilitate precise control over chemical treatment dosages, ensuring optimal water quality and corrosion inhibition while minimizing chemical usage and associated costs. Under this framework, this paper describes the sensoring and monitoring solution for a hybrid system based on a cooling tower (CT) connected to mechanical vapor compression (MVC) equipment for desalination and brine concentration purposes. Sensors connected to the data commercial logger solution, Almemo 2890-9, are also discussed in detail such as temperature, relative humidity, pressure, flow rate, etc. The monitoring system allows remote control of the MVC based on a server, GateManager, and TightVNC. In this way, the proposed solution provides remote access to the hybrid system, being able to visualize gathered data in real time. A case study located in Cartagena (Spain) is used to assess the proposed solution. Collected data from temperature transmitters, pneumatic valves, level sensors, and power demand are included and discussed in the paper. These variables allow a subsequent forecasting process to estimate brine concentration values. Different sample times are included in this paper to minimize the collected data from the hybrid system within suitable operation conditions. This solution is suitable to be applied to other desalination processes and locations.