THTR-300

Cooling Towers

A cooling tower in operation.

Cooling towers are heat rejection devices that release waste heat to the atmosphere through the cooling of a water stream to a lower temperature. They are used in various industrial processes, including power generation, petroleum refining, and chemical processing, as well as in HVAC systems for cooling buildings.

Types of Cooling Towers

Cooling towers can be classified into different types based on their design and method of heat transfer:

Natural Draft Cooling Towers

Natural draft cooling towers rely on the natural convection of air to remove heat. These towers are typically large, hyperboloid structures that use the buoyancy of warm air to draw in cooler air from the bottom.

Mechanical Draft Cooling Towers

Mechanical draft cooling towers use fans to force or draw air through the tower. They can be further divided into:

• Induced Draft Cooling Towers: These towers have fans located at the top, which pull air through the tower.
• Forced Draft Cooling Towers: These towers have fans located at the base, which push air through the tower.

Crossflow and Counterflow Cooling Towers

• Crossflow Cooling Towers: In these towers, air flows horizontally across the falling water.
• Counterflow Cooling Towers: In these towers, air flows vertically upward, counter to the downward flow of water.

Components of a Cooling Tower

Cooling towers consist of several key components:

• Fill: Material that increases the surface area for heat exchange between air and water.
• Fan: Used in mechanical draft towers to move air through the tower.
• Basin: Collects cooled water at the bottom of the tower.
• Drift Eliminators: Reduce water loss by capturing water droplets entrained in the air stream.

Applications of Cooling Towers

Cooling towers are essential in various industries:

• Power Plants: Used to dissipate heat from the cooling water of steam turbines.
• Petrochemical Plants: Used to cool process fluids and equipment.
• HVAC Systems: Used in large buildings to provide air conditioning by cooling the condenser water.

Environmental Considerations

Cooling towers can have environmental impacts, such as water consumption and the potential for legionella bacteria growth. Proper maintenance and water treatment are essential to minimize these risks.

Related Pages

• Heat exchanger
• HVAC
• Power station
• Industrial processes