All industrial facilities as well as those of HVAC, Energy Production, Air conditioning, and Refrigeration systems or Heat Exchangers have one common thing i.e., heat emission. They are more or less significant in quantitative terms. Due to its low energy content and being residual, its recovery is not possible as well as worthwhile. So, it is externally dissipated.
In this article, we will discuss cooling towers as one of the solutions which are recognized as the most economical and efficient technology/solutions available in the market. At the end of your reading, you will be able to understand what is cooling towers, types of cooling towers, the top 5 benefits of cooling towers. Here in this article, we will discuss their working principle, area of applications.
Introduction
The primary purpose of cooling towers is to extract heat from hot water coming from the industrial application and use the evaporation principle to make it cool for recirculation. It is mainly used in large factories and power plants etc., where a heavy cooling effect is required. With the advent of time, these cooling towers are used actively in both small and large plants by considering requirements and applications.
What is cooling tower?
People ask “what is cooling tower”
It is a device used to remove heat from hot water. It is mainly used in large factories, power plants, process plants, and many types of manufacturing industries. It is very large in size and very efficient in cooling. They are cylindrical or cuboid in shape with a narrow cross-section in middle. In simpler words cooling tower is defined as a device used to remove heat from the hot water. It uses the technology of air and heat exchange by means of evaporation.
What is the purpose of the cooling tower?
The purpose of a cooling tower is to cool down the water so that it can return to the industrial application for reuse. The heated water is again pumped to the cooling tower for cooling.
What are the Cooling Towers Used For?
In simple language, cooling towers are made/used for the dissipation of unwanted heat from the industrial water.
Cooling towers are used for the removal of unnecessary /unwanted heat from the circulating water. They mainly work on the principle of disposing of/rejecting extra heat from the heat exchanger, condensers, vessels, etc.
Application of Cooling Towers
Cooling towers are mainly used in various industries which have high heat dissipation. Some of them are as below:
Air conditioning equipment
Cold storage/cold rooms
Petroleum Refineries
Food processing plants
Chemical industries
Textile industries
Glass manufacturing industries
Rubber manufacturing plants
Pharma Industry
Plastics Industry
Steel Mill
Hydraulic Processes
Air Compressors
Generators
Welding Machines
Oxygen Plants
Dry Cleaning Machines
Process Cooling
Metal Industries/metal casting etc.
How does the cooling tower work?
Here air and water are brought in direct contact with each other to reduce water’s temperature. In this process, a small volume of water is evaporated and creates cooling action, and cooled water is pumped back to the condenser/process equipment where heat is absorbed. It will then be pumped back to the cooling tower to be cooled once again and as a result temperature of the water is reduced.
Types of cooling towers
Based on plant requirements and functions, there are various types of cooling towers. Classification of cooling tower is done based on Air Draft and Air Flow Pattern.
(a). Based on Air Draft:
On-air draft pattern, there are two types of cooling towers:
Natural Draft Cooling Towers
It depends on a natural arrangements to circulate air in the tower, which cools water in the system.
Mechanical Draft Cooling Towers
It uses fans to control the circulation of air in the tower. They are more efficient than natural draft cooling towers. Although they are more expensive and use more power than natural cooling towers, they are considered the most suited ones.
Mechanical Draft Cooling Towers can be classified in two further types: induced cooling towers and forced cooling towers.
(b). Based on Air Flow Pattern
On airflow pattern, there are two types of cooling towers:
Crossflow Cooling Towers:
In crossflow, air moves horizontally, while the hot water flows in a downward direction.
Counterflow Cooling Towers:
In counterflow, air moves vertically upward, and water flows downward.
For details of types of cooling towers read here
How Can Cooling Towers Help Businesses Save Money?
Water consumption can be a major operating expense. Cooling towers have the ability to recycle about 98 % of the water used in the process. If the unit is made from Fibreglass in place of metal or wood and uses water instead of air as a cooling method, business owners can expect reduced energy costs, little/low maintenance, and an extended product life cycle.
Benefits of cooling towers
Cooling towers are a significant component of various industries and manufacturing units. To understand more about the benefits of cooling towers, let’s have a look at some of the major advantages discussed below:
Efficient System:
Continuous cooling of circulating water makes the plant run smoothly.
Less Maintenance:
As there are corrosion-resistant parts with high tensile strength maintenance requirement is reduced.
Life of System:
The life of the system /equipment is increased as the cooling tower runs continuously even in challenging weather conditions.
Less Energy Consumption:
With low-speed motors in cooling towers, maximum air is utilized for evaporation. Water is recirculated again and again to ensure that system is clean and works at full capacity and less energy are used to achieve better output.
Saves Water:
Using an effective drift eliminator system and air intake louvers, cooling towers can saves huge amount of water in the process.
Disadvantages of cooling towers
Despite various advantages, there are few disadvantages as well of cooling towers. There is always a chance of formation of scale and corrosion at the base and body of cooling towers.
Why do you need a cooling tower
You can save resources. It is used to cool down water during process of industrial processes. After cooling down, water can be recycled and thus save water resource and energy.
Summary
Cooling towers are structures that are used to cool hot water from power plants and industrial equipment’s/processes.
They save energy, water and increase equipment’s life.
Conclusion
The above article provides an overview of a Cooling Tower. In this article, we have discussed what is cooling towers, its types, uses, applications and its top benefits. Here classification of cooling towers is discussed along with working principle of cooling towers.
For specific information on how Delta Cooling Towers can meet your cooling tower needs, contact Delta Cooling Towers Pvt. Ltd.