How Does A Cooling Tower Work?
How Does A Cooling Tower Work?
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Want to know how does a cooling towers work? If your property has a cooling tower, it needs regular maintenance and cleaning. Without expertise on staff, the upkeep can be overwhelming and you can fall behind. Many people fail to consider cooling tower maintenance until it’s costing a fortune.
Preventative measures like cooling tower cleaning services maintain towers and reduce the occurrence of costly repair or breakdowns. It can also keep safety, air quality, and water quality levels at industry standards. If you oversee building operations, you need to consider tower cleaning services. The long-term benefits quickly outpace the short term costs. Read below to learn about how cooling towers work and the benefits of consistent upkeep.
What Do Cooling Towers Do?
Cooling towers are used in every building imaginable, including shopping malls, retail locations, supermarkets, office spaces, steel refineries, and power plants. Their main function is to control the climate inside a building. While “cooling” is in the name, cooling towers go beyond heat removal. Cooling tower systems impact all heating, ventilation, and air conditioning operations of a building.
How Do Cooling Towers Work
Cooling towers use methods of heat transfer and air flow generation to control the environment of a building. There are three main forms of heat transfer utilized in cooling towers: dry cooling, wet or open circuit cooling, and fluid or closed circuit cooling. As far as air flow generation, there are four typical methods: natural draft, mechanical draft, cross flow, and counter flow. Depending on the type of heat transfer and air flow feature in a cooling tower, maintenance and cleaning costs can vary.
How To Maintain A Cooling Tower
Cooling towers feature sophisticated systems that need consistent upkeep. A professional can help deliver a plan. An expert in cooling tower cleaning and maintenance will first understand the environment and demands of a cooling tower. Then, they can schedule maintenance and cleaning accordingly.
Benefits Of Cooling Tower Cleaning
There are many benefits of cooling towers that can help ease financial strain and improve building operations. The following list contains the benefits of cooling tower cleaning that routinely produce significant return on investment. It also protects tenants from contracting legionella and other waterborne diseases.
Energy Savings
One major benefit of cooling tower cleaning services is the energy savings they provide. Regular cleaning increases energy efficiency by ensuring the cooling tower is running at full capacity. When towers are dirty and clogged, the system exerts significantly more energy to run. A dirty tower not only consumes energy at a higher rate, but it is also constantly in overdrive trying to keep pace with settings intended for a clean machine.
Improved Safety
HVAC equipment like cooling towers is often located in difficult to reach or elevated places. They use chemicals to operate efficiently but could pose a serious threat to health if consumed or spilled. This can make cleaning water towers hazardous for anyone who is not a trained professional.
Rather than put your employees at risk, a cleaning service can remedy the situation. Cleaning service providers possess the expertise and equipment to ensure safety during cleaning sessions.
Increased Equipment Life
Like any piece of machinery, consistent cleaning of a water tower prolongs its life and reduces the occurrence of expensive repairs. What makes this so important is that breakdowns and repairs cannot be always planned for.
If your business suffers from an unexpected issue with your cooling tower, whether it is in need of repair or completely broken down, your tenants could end up with unwanted downtime of air conditioning or process. This compounds the cost of repair. Regular cleaning of water towers guarantees return on investment and preservation of capital.
Aesthetics
Some cooling towers are placed where anyone can see them. They are very large pieces of industrial equipment that cannot be concealed. Most cooling tower equipment is built outside a facility to maximize indoor space. In addition, many cooling towers require intake of outdoor air.
All of this means that your cooling tower could be an eyesore on your business. As cooling towers utilize chemicals and outdoor elements to function, they quickly become filthy. It could give the appearance that your facility is not well-maintained.
Being A Good Neighbor
If your building location is in a dense area, your HVAC equipment could have an impact on your neighbors’ facilities. Inefficient cooling towers could result in financial or insurance claims from neighboring facilities for damage. Regular maintenance alleviates stress that your water tower is causing on surrounding equipment.
Learn More About Cooling Tower Cleaning
Cooling towers are intricate and expensive pieces of equipment. Without regular cleaning, maintenance costs become exorbitant and permanent damage can occur. Unsanitary cooling towers can harm building residents and neighboring facilities.
At Tower Water, we inspect and clean cooling towers to the highest standards. Our cleaning services eliminate costly repair and energy consumption, increase life expectancy, and improve air quality. If you’re interested in learning more about how cooling towers work and the benefits of cooling tower cleaning services, contact us for a consultation.
How does a cooling tower function?
How does a cooling tower function?
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Thread starter
dRic2
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Start date
Jun 24, 2019 -
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In summary, the article explains that evaporative cooling works by removing heat by vaporizing water, which then diffuses into the air to bring back the latent heat. It discusses how the air is colder than the liquid, and how this causes the water to evaporate. Finally, it provides a resource for cooling tower manufacturers.
dRic2
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So I'm having trouble understanding the physics behind evaporative cooling. This is what I know: I want to cool some water so I nebulize it and I let an air flow (coming from the outside) pass through this mist of water. Now some water has to evaporate. Here I am stuck because I don't understand how water evaporates: since it evaporates it must take energy (sensible heat) from somewhere and convert it into latent heat. Does it take the heat both from the liquid phase and the air ?
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooling_tower
Although many people look down on Wikipedia, it has improved vastly over the last few years, especially for scientific subjects, as stated by Richard Dawkins in his book "Science in the soul" (2017).
A simple search returns several articles about this, on beingAlthough many people look down on Wikipedia, it has improved vastly over the last few years, especially for scientific subjects, as stated by Richard Dawkins in his book "Science in the soul" (2017).
dRic2
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I did read the article but I still do not get it very much, that's why I asked.
The article says that air gives sensible heat to the water (so the temperature of air drops) and the water evaporates (thus converting the sensible heat in latent heat). The vapor then goes into the gas phase bringing back the latent heat so, over all, the entalphy of the gas phase does not change (isoentaphic process).
This is fine by me, but then I don't understand how water itself is cooled if the energy is taken from the air and not from the liquid water.
Plus I do not understand the process at the atomic scale. The article mainly uses classical equilibrium thermodynamics and it is completely fine, but I can't picture it. For instance, the air is colder then the liquid, right ?
I know that heat does not flow from colder to hotter so how exactly does the air make the water evaporate? How does the air supply the necessary heat? I suspect the answer lies in diffusion of water molecules from one phase for the other and maybe the surface tension of the droplets plays a role, but I can't figure out an explanation that satisfies me.
Asymptotic
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Not necessarily. If this were so, a cooling tower would be useless during summer months.
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An open loop tower removes heat by evaporating some of the incoming water (it takes energy to convert liquid water to vapor). What isn't evaporated becomes cooler, and returned to the system. Most of what a cooling tower does is to increase evaporation by hiking air flow rate, and increasing water surface area by distributing it over a "fill" material.dRic2 said:
970 BTU is removed per pound of water evaporated (2 MJ/kg), and while leakage and "drift" (small droplets of unevaporated water blown out into the airstream) factor in, it is possible to get an idea of how much cooling a tower provides by monitoring make-up water demand. For example, if 290 gallons per hour is consumed, then (with water at 8.34 lb/gallon, and ignoring losses) approximately 2.35 million BTU/hr (about 195 tons of cooling; 1 cooling ton = 12,000 BTU) of heat is removed.
SPX and other cooling tower manufacturers are a valuable resource. This is a good start.
https://spxcooling.com/library/detail/cooling-tower-fundamentals
Not necessarily. If this were so, a cooling tower would be useless during summer months.An open loop tower removes heat by evaporating some of the incoming water (it takes energy to convert liquid water to vapor). What isn't evaporated becomes cooler, and returned to the system. Most of what a cooling tower does is to increase evaporation by hiking air flow rate, and increasing water surface area by distributing it over a "fill" material.970 BTU is removed per pound of water evaporated (2 MJ/kg), and while leakage and "drift" (small droplets of unevaporated water blown out into the airstream) factor in, it is possible to get an idea of how much cooling a tower provides by monitoring make-up water demand. For example, if 290 gallons per hour is consumed, then (with water at 8.34 lb/gallon, and ignoring losses) approximately 2.35 million BTU/hr (about 195 tons of cooling; 1 cooling ton = 12,000 BTU) of heat is removed.SPX and other cooling tower manufacturers are a valuable resource. This is a good start.
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There is a combination of heat- and mass transfer occurring. The mass-transfer part goes like this: the partial pressure of the water vapor in the air at the water-air interface is the equilibrium vapor pressure of water at the water temperature. This partial pressure is higher than in the bulk of the flowing air, so there is driving force for water molecules to diffuse away from the interface, through the air in the convective mass transfer boundary layer. This water mass transfer must be satisfied by water being caused to evaporate. The heat for this comes from the water (and partly from the air). For a more detailed and quantitative discussion of all this, see Treybel, Mass Transfer Operations.
essenmein
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Reading that paragraph probably saves you a chapter or two in a textbook.
dRic2
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$$\frac { \text{ heat from water } }{ \text{ heat from air} } $$
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That's should tell me which cooling effect is prevalent.@Chestermiller Thank you. In the book you cited, can I find a way to calculate the ratio$$\frac { \text{ heat from water } }{ \text{ heat from air} } $$That's should tell me which cooling effect is prevalent.
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Sure. That would be determined from the overall enthalpy balance on the cooling tower.dRic2 said:
$$\frac { \text{ heat from water } }{ \text{ heat from air} } $$
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That's should tell me which cooling effect is prevalent. @Chestermiller Thank you. In the book you cited, can I find a way to calculate the ratio$$\frac { \text{ heat from water } }{ \text{ heat from air} } $$That's should tell me which cooling effect is prevalent.
Sure. That would be determined from the overall enthalpy balance on the cooling tower.
dRic2
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Thanks. As soon as I have enough free time I'll check the book. Maybe I'll be back for help :D
Related to How does a cooling tower function?
What is a cooling tower?
A cooling tower is a specialized structure that is used to remove heat from a process or building. It is typically used in industrial settings to cool water that has been heated by equipment or processes, but it can also be found in large commercial buildings such as hospitals and hotels.
How does a cooling tower work?
A cooling tower works by using a process called evaporation to remove heat from water. Warm water is pumped into the tower and sprayed over a series of fill material, which increases the surface area of the water. As the water falls through the tower, it is exposed to air, which causes some of it to evaporate, taking heat with it. The cooled water is then collected at the bottom of the tower and circulated back into the system.
What are the different types of cooling towers?
There are two main types of cooling towers: open and closed circuit. Open circuit cooling towers use direct contact between the water and air, while closed circuit cooling towers use a heat exchanger to separate the water from the air. Closed circuit towers are often used in areas where water conservation is important, as they do not lose as much water through evaporation.
What factors affect the efficiency of a cooling tower?
The efficiency of a cooling tower can be affected by several factors, including the temperature and flow rate of the water, the design and size of the tower, and the ambient air temperature and humidity. Additionally, the quality of the fill material and the maintenance of the tower can also impact its efficiency.
Are there any environmental concerns associated with cooling towers?
Cooling towers are generally considered to be environmentally friendly, as they use the natural process of evaporation to cool water rather than relying on electricity or other energy sources. However, some concerns have been raised about the potential for legionella bacteria to grow in cooling towers and the release of chemicals from the tower into the environment. Proper maintenance and monitoring can help mitigate these concerns.
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