Crossflow Cooling Towers An Advantageous Choice For Various Industries

Cooling towers are devices that cool water to extract heat and reject it into the atmosphere

. The rejection of heat is obtained through a natural process called evaporation. This occurs when the water is brought into direct contact with air within the tower. Efficiency of cooling is an important factor, and the maximum efficiency is brought about by exposing the maximum water surface to the maximum flow of air for the longest possible time.

Cooling towers that work with water are designed in two different configurations. The first configuration is called counterflow cooling tower while the second configuration is the crossflow cooling tower. These are just configurations, which indicate the direction of the airflow when related to the direction of the water flow. These two factors are equally important while calculating the efficiency of the tower and the heat rejection.

In the crossflow type, the flow of air is perpendicular to the flow of water as the water moves downward through the fill. The airflow enters the vertical faces of the tower and meets the fill material through which the water flows downwards by gravity. The air flows past the fill and through the water thus cooling the water stream to a lower temperature and further providing the cooled water for purposes such as air conditioning or electricity generation.

Depending upon the purpose of cooling, these devices can be small, designed to cool only a few gallons of water per minute or can be very large, cooling hundreds of thousands of gallons of water every minute. Such types are utilized in large industrial concerns such as power plants.

Crossflow cooling towers are in contrast to counter-flow towers where the air travels upwards through the tubes or the fills, which is opposite to the downward movement of the water. The rule of the thumb is to not replace a crossflow cooling tower with a counter-flow tower or do the reverse. The chief requisite for such a change is a thorough engineering evaluation of the entire cooling system along with its pump systems.

Crossflow towers have certain benefits over other types of cooling towers, which work towards the benefit of the company. To begin with, they have a lower pumping head, and thus have lower operational costs. Additionally, they accept water flow variations with ease without changing the distribution system. They are also easy to maintain as it is easy to access the vital parts. These are best for situations where the requirement is more towards minimal pumping and piping costs. Crossflow towers also operate with minimal noise and have minimal operational costs.

Thus, they are also best indicated in situations where easy maintenance is a concern. For these reasons, they are a practical choice for many industries where cooling is of prime concern while concentrating on concerns like ease of use, operational costs, and maintenance of the cooling device.

by: John Tweak

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