Industrial procedures and machines generate such large amounts of heat that continuous radiation is necessary for effective operation. The heat must not be hazardous to the environment. This is by a heat transfer process. That is the foundation of cooling tower technology. It is impressive that despite cooling towers being machines of the 20th century, knowledge about them is limited. Some people even think cooling towers are sources of pollution, yet they release them into the atmosphere as water vapours.
The cooling water can minimize the heat absorbed in the water, so you can use the same water on and often, which can assist you to save the water that remains precious these days. You can see both small cooling towers and large cooling towers to choose from; among that; you should decide what suits your application to the point.
The small cooling towers are designed for habitation. It handles only fewer litres of water, whereas the large cooling towers can wield more litres of water and be used for industrial applications. The industrial cooling tower is a heat exchange system, which helps eliminate the useless heat from the process system fluid that is water. Both manufacturing and commercial industries can use applications of cooling towers.
Kinds of Cooling Towers
After several years of development of this technology, cooling towers are available in varied types and sizes. Each of these is applicable in a particular load configuration, the reason it is essential to outline the options available.
Note that the essential function remains to dissipate heat from a building system or a process to the air through evaporation, notwithstanding the different designs. Here are some categorizations.
- Mechanical design cooling tower
- Climatic cooling tower
- Hybrid draft cooling tower
- Air flow-characterized cooling tower
- Construction-characterized cooling tower
- Shape characterized cooling tower
- Cooling tower based on the system of heat transfer
Each of these could bear several cooling towers. For instance, classifying cooling towers in terms of heat transfer process gives three options: Dry cooling towers, open circuit cooling towers, and closed-circuit cooling towers/ fluid cooling towers.
How a Cooling Tower Functions:
Warm water from industrial machinery, commercial ac system, or any other heat source enters the tower and settles evenly at the top. As the water flows underneath the tower, the machine overflows it over a large area to raise the water-air contact, thus magnifying heat transfer via evaporation.
A large amount of air is uniformly moving along the fill accommodation of large fans in the tower. As vaporization takes place, the water loses heat. It eventually invades the tower sump at the base. The cool water then goes back to freeze the initial heat source, and the cycle repeats.
For the sake of custom dilution, a portion of the system water goes to the drain through a bleed-off valve. The makeup channel feeds the cooling tower with fresh water for replenishment. You will not see these processes clearly because their concurrent occurrence creates a continuous loop. The figure below shows the method in a typical cooling tower.
Effective Operation of the Cooling Tower
Cooling towers may usually be cost-effective for industrial cooling than other options, but the efficiency challenge can be a letdown. Observing the efficiency part is crucial as it ensures the following:
- Decreased water consumption
- Energy preservation
- Expansive equipment service life
- Decreased operating expenses
To keep the cooling tower operating efficiently, three things are essential: know the type of cooling tower you are using, utilize chemicals efficiently and trace down system water loss.
Cooling tower maintenance tasks are a time-consuming process. However, you have to perform it to assure optimized thermal performance and to revoke the growth of biofilm and harmful bacteria, including legionella.
The Industrial Application of Cooling Towers
The cooling tower system is standard in many industries, including power, commercial, HVAC, and industrial. In the industrial setup, the system expels heat from machinery, heated process material, amongst other sources. Specifically, industrial cooling towers are typical in food processing plants, petroleum factories, natural gas plants, and petrochemical plants.
Other industrial employment:
- Water-cooled air compressors
- Plastic Needle & Blow Moulding Machine
- Die shaping machine
- Refrigeration and chilling manufactory
- Cold storehouse
- Anodizing methods plant
- Electrical power production plant
- Water-cooled air conditioning methods and VAM machines
Working Principle of a Basic Cooling Tower
A cooling tower works to cool down the water utilized in the industrial process. The cooling process is done by mixing hot water with air that cools down the heat. The mediocre water gets turned into hot water when it goes into the industrial cycle.
When utilizing a cooling tower, this hot water infiltrates the tower through the pipes. This flow then stalls down by the technology used in the cooling towers. This way, the hot water gets maximum air exposure that produces evaporation, and the water cools down.
Once the water is cool, it gets back to the manufacturing process. Hence, the cooling towers reuse the water by reproducing this process. Only 5% of water is substituted for the part that desiccates during the cooling process.
Cooling Tower Water Quality
Cooling methods rely on water as a heat transfer medium. This indicates that water quality becomes essential for the continuous operation of any cooling arrangement. Knowing the type of cooling system in your application will help define the most effective water treatment plan.
To know more about cooling towers and their application – visit Towertech.
