What are the parts of a cooling tower?

Author: Minnie

Apr. 29, 2024

how do they work? - the cooling tower components

Cooling tower is a common sight in many parts of the world. They are used for a variety of purposes. But what exactly is a cooling tower? What are its components, and how do they work together?

This article will discuss hybrid cooling towers and cooling tower components in detail and how they are used.

Are you interested in learning more about evapco cooling tower parts breakdown? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!

 

Cooling Tower Parts and their Functions:

A cooling tower is a type of tower that is used to cool water or other fluids. Cooling towers are often used in power plants, chemical plants, refineries and most industrial process plants and factories, where they are used to cool water heated by machinery. Cooling tower works by using the evaporation of water to remove heat from the water.

The main component of a cooling tower is the itself. The cooling tower is typically made of concrete, wood, or fibreglass. The cooling tower is also equipped with mechanical equipment consisting of fans, gears, driveshafts & motors, which help to circulate air throughout the cooling tower. The above mechanical draft and equipment help to evaporate the water, which in turn helps to cool the water.

    Let’s take a closer look at all the important cooling tower parts.

                                                                           

                                                                                         

                                                                                       Instrumentation and Electrical Systems:

A cooling tower’s instrumentation and electrical systems are responsible for monitoring and controlling the operation of the cooling tower’s water distribution system.

                   

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                             

                                                                                                            

                                                                                                   Cooling Tower Fan Motor:

When the cooling tower motor is in operation, the fan motor is responsible for the cooling flow and powering the fan and cooling tower part. The fan motor can be single speed, two-speed or inverter VFD driven motors.

Nozzles:

Cooling tower nozzles are used to spray water onto the fill media. The water sprayed from cooling tower nozzles onto the cooling tower fill media helps evaporate and cool the hot water.

Cooling Tower Float Valve:

As the name float distribution or float valves suggest, a cooling tower float valve distributes water evenly throughout the cooling tower.

Drive Shafts:

Drive shafts are used to connect the cooling tower motor to the fan.

Gear Box:

The gearboxes have many speed ratios and reduce the speed of the motor for optimal fan speed in each applicati

on. From time to time, part of the cooling tower gearboxes will need to be rebuilt or replaced.

Cooling Tower Louvers:

Cooling tower louvers help to eliminate the splashout of hot water from where the air enters the cooling tower.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Fan Deck:

The fan deck is the working surface of the cooling tower motor, which gives you access to the cooling tower mechanicals and entry to the fill pack.

Water Distribution Piping:

Water distribution piping is used to distribute water evenly throughout the cooling tower’s distribution system.

Cooling Tower Fans:

Cooling and cooling tower fans help to circulate air throughout the cooling tower.

Cooling Tower Structure:

This is the framework that supports the cooling tower structure & can be made of fire-retardant FRP, concrete, wood or steel. The lifecycle of the structure depends upon the materials of construction and the care and maintenance of the materials used.

Cold Water Basin:

The cold water basin is where the cooled water is collected and directed to the pump suction line.

Cooling Tower Drift Eliminators:

Cooling tower drift eliminator help to remove any droplets of water that are not evaporated.

Cooling Tower Fill Media:

The cooling tower fill media is the area where the water is mixed with the fan air flow and the main heat transfer takes place. It’s deeply important to have the right type of cooling tower fill media in order to maintain good thermal efficiency and maximize the efficiency of the cooling tower.

As you can see, there are many parts that make up a cooling tower. Each part has an important role to play in the operation of the cooling tower.

In order to keep your cooling tower in good working condition, it’s important to understand all the different part of the cooling tower parts diagram and how they work together.

How Does Cooling Tower Work?

Cooling tower uses the water droplets’ evaporation to remove heat from the water. As the water droplets evaporates, it takes heat away from the water. This process helps to cool the water.

The cooling process works like this:

  1. Warm water is sprayed onto the fill media.
  2. The evaporation process cools the warm water.
  3. The cooled water is collected in the cold water basin.
  4. The cooled water is circulated back to the machinery.

The cooling process is repeated over and over again to maintain the desired process temperature.

What is Cooling Tower Fill Material?

The fill material is one of the most important parts of a cooling tower. The fill material helps to increase the surface area of the cooling tower and maximizes the airflow to the water contact, which in turn helps to increase the evaporation rate.

Many types of fill material can be used in a cooling tower. The most common type of fill material is PVC. PVC is a durable material that is resistant to corrosion. Some other types of fill material that are used in cooling towers include:

  • PP – Polypropylene
  • Fiberglass
  • Stainless steel
  • Wood

The type of cooling tower packing amount of fill material that you use will depend on the specific needs of your cooling tower.

What are the fillings of cooling tower?

The fillings in cooling towers are essential for maximizing the contact area between the air and the water being cooled. They are designed to enhance heat transfer and increase the efficiency of the cooling process.

The fillings are typically made of plastic or other durable materials and are structured to create a large surface area.

Two main types of fillings commonly used in cooling towers are splash fill and film fill.

  1. Splash Fill:

Splash fill consists of slats or bars arranged in a staggered pattern. When the water enters the cooling towers, it is distributed over the splash fill, which breaks the water into small droplets.

As these droplets fall through the open circuit wet cooling tower, they come into contact with the upward-flowing air, promoting efficient heat transfer. The splashing action also helps to increase the mixing of air and water.

  1. Film Fill:

Film fill comprises thin, closely spaced sheets or channels that allow water to form a thin film as it flows over them. This type of filling creates a large surface area for heat exchange, maximizing the contact between the water and the air.

The film fill design facilitates the formation of a thin water film, which increases the exposure of water to the air, resulting in improved heat transfer efficiency.

Both splash fill and film fill play a crucial role in cooling tower operation by facilitating heat exchange between the water and the air.

The choice of fill type depends on factors such as the specific cooling requirements, the design of the cooling towers, and the environmental conditions in which the tower operates.

How are Cooling Tower Components Built?

Cooling towers can be built in a variety of different ways. The two-counterflow or flow cooling tower is the most common type of cooling tower.

Counter flow cooling towers are the most efficient type of cooling tower & therefore, the most cost-effective design.

The second type of cooling tower is the crossflow cooling tower. Crossflow are best suited for dirty water scenarios where the water conditions are unsuitable for film-type fill.

The Bottom Line

Cooling tower is an important part of many types of machinery. They work by using the evaporation of water to remove heat from the water.

In order to keep your cooling and tower parts in good working condition, it’s important to have a good understanding of all the different parts of cooling tower and how they work together.

Want more information on cooling tower nozzle design? Feel free to contact us.

Suggested reading:
Why is spray cooling tower Better?

If you’re in need of a new cooling tower, a cooling tower upgrade or replacement cooling tower parts and functions for your industrial process, be sure to contact Industrial Cooling Solutions.

We offer various cooling towers that are sure to meet your needs. We also offer a wide range of replacement cooling tower parts and accessories, so you can keep your cooling tower in good working condition.

Cooling Tower Parts & Functions - ...

Cooling tower components include: Instrumentation and Electrical Systems, Cooling Tower Nozzles, Cooling Tower Valves, Mechanical Equipment Support, Drive Shafts, Gear Boxes, Cooling Tower Louvers, Fan Deck, Fan Cylinder, Water Distribution Piping, Cooling Tower Fans, Drift Eliminators, Cooling Tower Fill, Cooling Tower Structure, and Cold Water Basin.

Below we go over the individual cooling tower parts and functions.

List Of Cooling Tower Components:

Cooling Tower Parts & Functions

Cooling Tower Instrumentation:

Instrumentation systems found in most cooling towers include Blow Down Rate, Flow Meters For Cooling Tower Makeup Water, Thermocouples for Cold & Hot Water Measurement Of Temperature, Water Level Switches For Cold & Hot Water Basins, Low & High Oil Level Switches, and Vibration Switches.

Cooling Tower Fan Motor:

Refinery & Petrochemical cooling tower applications require explosion proof fan motors due to the potentially leaky heat exchangers. Fan motors should be provided with over load relay and Earth fault relay protection systems.

Cooling Tower Nozzles:

Most cooling tower nozzles are made out of plastic. These plastics include glassfilled nylon, polypropylene, ABS, and PVC plastics. Nozzles allow for uniform distribution of the hot water that’s inside a cooling tower cell.

Distribution Valves:

Distribution Valves are a part of the cooling tower that regulates the flow of hot water to evenly distribute in cells. The valve body in a distribution valve is manufactured to stand up to corrosive environments.

Drive shafts:

Drive shafts transmit power the from the motor’s output shaft to the gear reduction unit’s input shaft.

Gear Box:

Gear boxes reduce the amount of speed depending on your cooling tower fan’s requirements. The torque tube permanently alights the gear reducer, driveshaft, and motor.

Cooling Tower Louvers:

Asbestos sheets are what cooling tower louvers are made out of. Louvers serve 2 purposes:  1. Retain the circulating water within a cooling tower. 2. Distribute air flow equally into the fill media.

Fan Cylinder & Fan Deck:

The fan deck is simply a supporting platform for the fan cylinders and also creates an access way to the water distributions system and fan.

Water Distribution Piping:

Water distribution piping requires burial underground or needs to be supported in ground to avoid thrust loading of the cooling tower due to water pressure in the pipe and self weight.

Cooling Tower Fans:

Cooling tower fans are one the major parts/components of cooling towers. Most cooling tower fans are made out of hot-dipped galvanized steel, Glass Fiber, (FRP) Fiber Reinforced Plastic, and Aluminum. FRP is one of the best options because it is light weight and reduces the energy requirements (energy consumption) of the cooling tower fan. Pinch blade angles of cooling tower fan blades are varied depending on the season. For example, the pinch angle is increases during the summer season when the density is low to increase the capacity of the fan.

Cooling Tower Structure:

The most common cooling tower structure is made up of Wood (Chemically Treated). Although, some newer cooling towers are being manufactured using FRP and Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) depending on the application the cooling tower is need for.

Cold Water Basin:

Cold water basins serve two functions and are normally manufactured using RCC. The first function of a cold water basin is to act as storage and collect cold water from the tower. The second function of a cold water basin is the provide the main structure and foundation for the cooling tower itself. Cold water basins usually lye below ground level or on top of the soil. Cooling tower height is found my measuring the distance between the fan assembly to the top of the water basin.

 

Drift Eliminators:

Eliminators reduce the amount of water that escapes into the discharge air in the cooling tower.  They project air in multiple directions and prevent unnecessary loss of water. These drift eliminators are manufactured using PVC. More passes through the drift eliminator will decrease the amount of drift loss while also increasing the pressure drop which increases the fan power consumption. For larger industrial applications, some use heavy duty drift eliminators.

Cooling Tower Fill Media:

Cooling tower fill media puts as much air in contact with as much water surface area as possible. The film fills make the water form in thing flowing sheets so that the most amount of water surface area interacts with the flow of air. Fill media is manufactured using either wood, polypropylene, or PVC. There are three different types of fill media including: Vertical fill (Splash Fill), Vertical offset fill (Splash Fill), and cross corrugated fill (Film Fill).

Thank you for reading our “Cooling Tower Components” list. Stay tuned for more from the experts at All Kote Lining Inc.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of how does a chiller work with a cooling tower. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

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