Table of Contents
What are the factors affecting cooling of cooling tower?
Cooling tower performance depends on four factors (1) Range; (2) Heat load; (3) Ambient wet-bulb temperature or relative humidity and (4) Approach. Range is the temperature difference between the hot water inlet and cold water outlet at the tower.
What causes high conductivity in cooling tower water?
As a water’s dissolved solids level increases, corrosion and deposition tendencies increase. Because corrosion is an electrochemical reaction, higher conductivity due to higher dissolved solids increases the corrosion rate (see Chapter 24 for further discussion).
What causes cooling tower plume?
Cooling tower plumes form when water vapor generated in the cooling tower mixes with the colder ambient air as it leaves the tower and condenses. The plume, sometimes called white smoke, consists of small droplets of water that are suspended in the air, similar to fog.
How does Range affect cooling tower performance?
Put simply, range is the difference between the temperature of water entering the cooling tower and leaving the cooling tower. It is determined by the heat load on the tower and the water circulation rate. This means that for a clean, properly functioning tower, wet bulb temperature does not affect cooling tower range.
How does humidity affect a cooling tower?
Relative humidity does NOT affect the performance of an evaporative cooling tower. Relative humidity DOES affect the rate of evaporation from the tower. The relationship is inversely proportional.
What causes high pH in cooling tower?
In cooling towers, the main mineral accumulation is calcium carbonate. This product forms as a result of reactions with calcium, heat and bicarbonate. Calcium carbonate tends to increase the pH of the water, making it more alkaline.
How can the hardness of a cooling tower be reduced?
Depending on what’s causing the issue, some solutions to decreasing the amount of cooling tower blowdown might include:
- Improved feed water filtration.
- Higher-quality side-stream filtration.
- Increased cycle of concentration (depending on quality of makeup and circulation water—not always the right solution)
What is plume abatement cooling tower?
A plume abated tower is essentially a hybrid or wet/dry cooling tower design. The tower contains the wet evaporative section to cool the circulating water and the dry section to abate or reduce the visible plume. Plume is the result of the wet evaporative process that generates heated saturated air.
How does plume abatement work?
The company’s latest plume abatement towers work by passing outside air through a lower warm, wet section of the tower where it is heated. Above that, cool, ambient air flows through ducts. The two then pass through pairs of plates where they are warmed and moisture is removed through condensation.