A cooling tower is equipment used in cooling systems of large industrial facilities to dissipate the heat generated in the cooling process. The tower uses hot water that has been used in a heat exchanger and circulates it through a series of nozzles at the top of the tower.
Water flows through the nozzles and forms a spray that falls countercurrent with air moving upward through the tower. The rising air makes contact with the water spray and the heat is transferred from the water to the air.
The water that is cooled in the tower is recirculated back to the heat exchanger to absorb more heat. The cooling tower can also use fans to move air through the tower and increase the efficiency of the cooling process.
How does it work?
A cooling tower works on the principle of heat transfer and evaporation. The process begins with the circulation of hot water that needs to be cooled.
This water is evenly distributed through nozzles at the top of the cooling tower and falls in the form of a fine rain through the section of the tower known as “filling” or “filling.” Water flows downstream with air moving upward through the tower.
The air entering the tower can be driven by a fan located at the bottom of the tower, or by a natural current. As the air moves upward through the filling, it comes into contact with the falling hot water. Hot water and air exchange heat, causing some of the water to evaporate and escape into the atmosphere as vapor.
This evaporation process causes a decrease in the temperature of the remaining water in the tower. The chilled water is collected at the bottom of the tower and sent back to the original source for reuse in the cooling process. As the water is recirculated and cooled back into the tower, a continuous cooling cycle is created.
The efficiency of the cooling tower depends on several factors, such as the temperature of the inlet hot water, the relative humidity of the inlet air, the speed of the airflow, and the height of the tower. A well-designed and maintained cooling tower can be a crucial component in an efficient and cost-effective cooling system.
