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Parts of Cooling Towers

23 February 2017 by Benjamin Rice

Cooling towers are commonly used in oil refineries, chemical plants, and thermal power stations. In buildings, cooling systems find their application in HVAC systems. There are different types of cooling towers – mechanical draft cooling towers, natural draft cooling towers, counterflow towers, and crossflow towers. Cooling towers are designed to reduce high temperatures through evaporation of water. A cooling tower design encompasses various parts making up the entire system, with each part playing vital functions in the overall cooling process. The following are the major parts of a cooling tower.

Cold Water Basin

The basin is made of reinforced cement concrete. One of the key functions of the cold water basin is to collect water from the tower. In addition, the basin acts as the base of the whole cooling tower system.

Fills

This is the main area used for heat transfer. Two major types of fills can be found in a typical cooler – film fills and splash fills.

Fans

These are used to move large volumes of air with minimum vibrations. The materials used to make the fan must be compatible with the design and withstand corrosion. Often, the fans are made of fibre reinforced plastic, aluminium, and glass fibre.

Drift Eliminators

These are used to reduce drift loss. Drift loss occurs when entrained water is lost via hot air into the atmosphere. In essence, drift eliminators help in reducing loss of process water. The eliminators are placed next to fills.

Pipings

These are used for water distribution in the cooling tower system. The pipes used to supply cooling water to the hot basin have to be placed below the ground. Alternatively, the pipes can still be placed on top, albeit with support mechanisms to minimise the impact of thrust loading that's usually caused by the weight of the tower and water pressure in pipes.

Nozzles

Various materials can be used to make the nozzles. They include polypropylene, ABS, glass-filled nylon, and PVC. The main function of the nozzles is to uniformly distribute hot water inside a cell of cooling water.

Distribution Valves

These are used to regulate the flow of hot water to ensure even distribution in cells. The valves are designed to withstand a corrosive environment.

Cooling Tower Structure

The main materials used in making the tower structure include chemically treated timber, fibre reinforced plastic, and reinforced cement concrete. The louvers of the tower are made of asbestos sheets.

The main instrumentation of the cooling tower includes vibration switches, level switches – for the basins – flow metres, and thermocouples.

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