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A new scheme for cooling tower water conservation in arid-zone countries

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  • Al-Bassam, E.
  • Maheshwari, G.P.

Abstract

Cooling towers (CTs) that are used for heat rejection in water-cooled (WC) systems consume a large quantity of water, which is generally not available naturally. CTs are selected when the maximal cooling load is desired and under the worst design conditions. Typically, CTs operate under partial-load conditions and/or favorable weather conditions. Moreover, for most of the summer season, the dry bulb temperature (DBT) of the incoming ambient air is significantly greater than the incoming hot water temperature, and the air undergoes sensible cooling. Currently, the control scheme that is commonly used in most CTs maintains a constant exiting water temperature for different cooling loads and a different ambient wet bulb temperature (WBT) by regulating the air circulation through the CT. The air circulation is reduced with the help of a variable frequency drive (VFD), which results in a significant reduction in the fan power of the CT. This paper presents an assessment of CT performance with a VFD application using a computer simulation program and illustrates a proposed scheme for maximal water savings. These theoretical results demonstrated that reducing the air flow by applying a VFD in a CT can achieve at least a 25% reduction in water consumption.

Suggested Citation

  • Al-Bassam, E. & Maheshwari, G.P., 2011. "A new scheme for cooling tower water conservation in arid-zone countries," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(7), pages 3985-3991.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:36:y:2011:i:7:p:3985-3991
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2011.05.003
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Bedekar, S.V & Nithiarasu, P & Seetharamu, K.N, 1998. "Experimental investigation of the performance of a counter-flow, packed-bed mechanical cooling tower," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 23(11), pages 943-947.
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    Cited by:

    1. Wang, Weiliang & Zhang, Hai & Li, Zheng & Lv, Junfu & Ni, Weidou & Li, Yongsheng, 2016. "Adoption of enclosure and windbreaks to prevent the degradation of the cooling performance for a natural draft dry cooling tower under crosswind conditions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 116(P2), pages 1360-1369.
    2. Cui, Haijiao & Li, Nianping & Peng, Jinqing & Cheng, Jianlin & Li, Shengbing, 2016. "Study on the dynamic and thermal performances of a reversibly used cooling tower with upward spraying," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 268-277.
    3. Goudarzi, Mohammad Ali, 2013. "Proposing a new technique to enhance thermal performance and reduce structural design wind loads for natural drought cooling towers," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 164-172.

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