Hi friend, in this blog we are going to discuss about cooling tower and its components. Cooling towers are specialized heat exchanging towers which
aid in reducing the temperature of circulating hot water, which gets heated up
during the industrial process.
In this process, the water
stream from an industrial process is pumped into a cooling tower through a
water inlet valve and meets air in a cooling tower. As soon as the heat is
extracted, the water begins to evaporate in small volumes thus plummeting the
water’s temperature, sending out the cooled water to continue with the
industrial process.
Components of Cooling Tower
Some
of the important components are listed below.
Drift Eliminator
Located
at the top of the tower, it avoids escaping of water droplets and vapors into
the atmosphere. Its foremost purpose is to ensure that the tower operates
effectively by maintaining the drift rate at a minimum level and minimize the
occurrence of pressure drop within a tower.
Cooling Tower
Nozzles
These
are made using high-quality plastics that enable and support in distributing
the hot water uniformly inside the tower.
Cooling Tower
Fan Motor
The
tower fan motor with explosion-proof prevents leaky heat exchangers. It offers
features like an overload relay system and an earth fault relay protection
system.
Cooling Tower
Fill
This
type of tower uses efficient fill media that enables to have much more surface
area to expand hot water and allow quick cooling. Two types of cooling tower
fill include splash fill and film fill.
Cold Water Basin
It is
manufactured using RCC. It collects and stores cold water at the bottommost
part or basin of the cooling tower.
Cooling Tower
Mesh
The
mesh prevents the inflow of unwanted particles from the atmosphere into the
cooling water.
Bleed Valve and
Float Valve
These
valves offer long life with less maintenance. Bled valve aids to maintain the
concentration of minerals, while the float valve in upholding the level of salt
and level.
Cooling Tower
Air Inlet
Air
inlet valves inhibit entry of sunlight at the basin, which prevents algae
growth and decreases chemical cost with appropriate maintenance.
Cooling Tower
Structure/Body
Modern
towers are manufactured using FRP (fiber reinforced plastic) or RCC with
regards to the type of application that the tower should process
The designing & classification
of these towers can be done based on build, airflow generation methods,
and heat transfer methods.
Construction
This tower differs in size from
roof-top units to large hyperboloid structures. Based on the type of
application, the structure can be up to 200 meters tall and 100 meters in
diameter, while rectangular structures can be over 40 meters tall and 80 meters
in diameter.
The hyperboloid cooling towers are typically used in nuclear power plants, coal-fired plants, food-processing industry, petrochemical, and other industrial plants. Hyperboloid structures are used in large plants because of superior strength, resistance to external forces and less usage of materials.
For example, the hyperboloid structure in petroleum refineries possesses the capability to circulate about 80,000 cubic meters of water per hour.
The shape of the hyperboloid
offers a wide base to fit both the water and the cooling system. A unique
narrowing effect of the tower helps in the streamlined flow of evaporated water
as it rises and pushes towards the wide opening at the top, where heated air
contacts the atmospheric air.
