Cooling Tower

Normasyitah Nabiha Sainon (2021494784)

Nurul Syazwani Mohd Khairi (2021816504)
Norsyarena Suraya Nazarudin (2021843808)
Nur Mizza Izzaty Eric Susianto (2021617646)
Nurhafiza Hassan (2021619802)

Abstract— This experiment was carried out to calculate used for small or big scales which are crossflow
the mass and energy balance on the cooling tower system cooling towers and counterflow cooling towers. The
and to examine the impact of process factors or variables difference between cooling towers can be seen by
on the water's exit temperature. There are a number of
understanding how air and water interact in crossflow
variables in this experiment that can be changed in order
and counterflow cooling towers. The focus is on
to see how it affects the water evaporation for the cooling
tower system. The blower condition, water flow rate, and prefabricated induced-draft crossflow and
heater power are the variables that can be changed. For counterflow cooling towers.
the first experiment, the parameters that need to be
changed are the heater power, which is set at 0.5 kW, 1.0 The primary difference between both is how
kW, and 1.5 kW while the water flow rate is held constant the air passing through the cooling tower interacts
at 1.0 LPM and the blower is operated at full open. Then, with the cooling process. Air flows horizontally
for the second experiment, the water flow rate is set at 1.0 across the path of the falling water in a crossflow
LPM, 2.0 LPM, and 3.0 LPM, respectively, with the tower, whereas air moves in the opposite direction
heater's power remaining constant at 1.0 kW and the (counter) to the path of the falling water in a
blower operating in its completely open position. counterflow tower (Requirements, n.d.). Furthermore,
it is vital to understand that not all cooling towers can
I.​ INTRODUCTION be serviced in the same way. A crossflow cooling
tower includes two air inlets, while four for a
Cooling towers are a sort of heat exchanger which counterflow cooling tower, based on the application.
enables air and water to interact to reduce the Even with heat loads of less than 750,000 kilograms,
temperature for hot water. A small quantity of water a crossflow cooling tower may require less overall
evaporates during this process, reducing the area than a counterflow cooling tower. This is due to
temperature of the water cycled across the cooling the air inlets on each tower design.
tower (Buecker, 2019). In a nutshell, a cooling tower
cools the water that has become overheated due to
industrial equipment and procedures. By removing a
small quantity of heat from the process, the expense
of this procedure is minimal. Cooling towers were
commonly used in oil refineries, petrochemical
industries, thermal power plants, and chemical
factories. Essentially, the cooling tower system will
be used for the industry's cooling process.

However, not all towers are appropriate for

every application. Cooling towers are designed and
built in a variety of styles and sizes. Generally, there Fig.1. Crossflow cooling tower schematic
are two types of cooling tower systems that can be
 the case of closed circuit dry cooling towers. Cross
flow cooling towers, in which water flows vertically
through the fill and air flows vertically, are one type
of cooling tower.

The cooling tower operates in accordance

with the First Law of Thermodynamics, which states
that conversion energy is conserved where Energy
cannot be produced or destroyed. It can, however, be
moved from one site to another or converted to other
forms of energy (Lucas, 2019). The energy that enters
the system must leave the system before it can
disperse across it. The energy that enters the cooling
tower comes in the form of hot water, and being
Fig. 2. Counterflow cooling tower schematic
cooled from T1 to T2. Convection was used to cool
the heated water, with ambient air at T1 being blasted
For this experiment, a laboratory cooling over the hot water and exiting the cooling tower at
tower unit was employed to carry out the experiment, T2. Enthalpy is the primary part of the energy
which uses a commercial air conditioning system. balance.
The laboratory cooling tower controls the velocity of
the fans that cool down the heated return water and H =U+PV
the pump returns the cooled water to the water heater.
H: enthalpy
This experiment is carried out to demonstrate mass
and heat transfer in a closed system and to investigate U: internal energy
how different parameters can affect the system’s
efficiency in extracting heat from the process. P: pressure

V: volume

II.​ OBJECTIVES

The objective for Experiment 1 is to study the effect

of different heater power towards the cooling range.
The objective for Experiment 2 is to study the effect
of blower opening towards wet bulb approach and
pressure drop through packing.

III.​ THEORY

A cooling tower is a unique heat exchanger that

Fig. 3. Basic principle of cooling tower
lowers water temperature by interacting air and water.
This happens as a little amount of water evaporates, Heat transfer takes place principally in a
lowering the temperature of the water that is load tank, where water is heated to the feed
transported through the tower (Towers, 2019). temperature. The difference between the vapor
Cooling towers may employ water evaporation to pressure at the liquid surface, the saturation pressure
remove heat and cool the operating fluid to near corresponding to the surface temperature, and the
wet-bulb air temperature, or they can use air to cool vapor pressure in the air around it determines the rate
the working fluid to near dry-bulb air temperature in of evaporation from a surface that is wet into the
surrounding air. It is also influenced by the total psychrometric chart or Mollier diagram. In the
pressure of the air as well as its absolute humidity. psychrometric chart, lines of constant wet bulb
Evaporation may continue in an enclosed space until temperatures run diagonally from higher left to lower
the two-vapor pressures are equal and the air is right (Search, 2019).
saturated and at the same temperature as the surface.
If unsaturated air is consistently circulated, the wet
surface will approach an equilibrium temperature. As
a result, heat transmission occurs predominantly in IV.​ PROCEDURES
the load tank, where water is heated to the feed
General Start-up Procedures
temperature. Convection also loses a tiny amount of
heat to the surroundings, as seen in Figure A. 1.​ Closed the valves V1 to V6 and partially opened the
valve V7
Work is done on water by a pump, and
2.​ The water is poured through the opening at the top of
energy is transferred together with mass loss caused
the load bank once the makeup tank has been
by dry air entering and humid air leaving. The whole
removed. After attaching the load tank to the makeup
system's energy balance formula is as follows:
tank once more, loosely tighten the nuts. Until the
scale reads zero, add distilled or deionized water to
Q + P = Hexit – Hentry​
the tank.
Q = the rate of heating added to the system 3.​ Fill the wet bulb sensor reservoir to the fullest with
distilled or deionized water
P = rate work done by the pump on the water 4.​ All appropriate tubing was connected to the
differential pressure.
Hexit = rate of enthalpy loss in the existing vapor 5.​ The proper cooling tower packaging will be installed
for the experiment.
6.​ The temperature was then raised to 50◦C and the 1.0
Hentry = rate of enthalpy gain due to entering air
kW water heater was turned on, which heated the
and entering water from make up tank water to about 40◦C
7.​ The pump was turned on and the control valve V1
The wet bulb temperature is the temperature was slowly opened, and water flow was adjusted to
measured with a thermometer when the bulb has been 2.0 LPM. the water should be evenly distributed and
wrapped with a thin layer of material called muslin. flowing through the packing in a steady action.
A wet bulb temperature below the dry bulb 8.​ The fan damper was fully opened, and the fun was
temperature in the air indicates adiabatic evaporation turned on. When the valve manifold was turned to
of water from the thermometer bulb and cooling measure the orifice differential pressure, verify that
impact. The rate of evaporation from the wet bandage the differential pressure sensor was providing a
on the bulb and the temperature difference between measurement.
the dry bulb are both affected by air humidity. As the 9.​ The unit was run for about 20 minutes for the float
air includes extra water vapour, evaporation on wet valve to correctly adjust the level in the load tank.
muslin is reduced. The temperature of the wet bulb The makeup tank was refilled as required and when
remains between the dry bulb temperature and the all was done the unit was ready to use.
dew point. There is a dynamic balance for the wet
bulb between heat obtained because the wet bulb is
colder than the surrounding air and heat lost due to
General Shut-Down Procedures.
evaporation. The wet bulb temperature is the
temperature of an object that can be obtained through 1.​ Heaters were turned off, and water was allowed to
evaporative cooling, given good air flow and cool down by circulating through the cooling tower
maintaining the identical ambient air temperature. system for 3 to 5 minutes.
The status of the humid air can be established by
merging the dry bulb and wet bulb temperatures in a
2.​ The fan was turned off, and the fan damper was 4.​ The blower was turned on with the damper half open
entirely closed. after the water had already passed through the
3.​ The power supply and the pump were turned off. cooling tower.
4.​ The water in the reservoir tank was retained for the 5.​ The unit was operated for 20 minutes, this procedure
following experiment. was to make sure that the float valve was correctly
5.​ The water was completely drained off from the unit if adjusted at the level in the load tank.
it is not used 6.​ The temperature of the dry bulb in the tank (T1),
temperature of the wet bulb (T2) in the tank,
temperature of dry bulb on the top of column (T4),
temperature of water supply to the column (T5) and
Experiment 1: Volume flow-rate constant
temperature of water receive from column (T6) were
6.​ The general start-up was completed. recorded.
7.​ The point temperature was fixed at 45◦C. To conduct 7.​ The differential pressure was recorded when it
the experiment, the water was heated to a temperature crossed the orifice by opening valve V4 and V5 and
of 40°C or higher using a 0.5 kw heater. closing the valve V3 and V6.
8.​ The pump was then switched on and the control valve 8.​ The differential pressure was recorded when it
V1 was slowly opened to set the water flow rate to crossed the orifice by opening valve V3
2RPM after the water reached 40◦C. 9.​ and V6 and closing the valve V4 and V5.
9.​ The blower was turned on with the damper half open 10.​ Repeat the step from 1-8 with 1.5 LPM and 2.0LPM
after the water had already passed through the volume flow rate ,with the same heater power at
cooling tower. 1kW.
10.​ The unit was operated for 20 minutes, this procedure
was to make sure that the float valve was correctly
adjusted at the level in the load tank.
11.​ The temperature of the dry bulb in the tank (T1),
temperature of the wet bulb (T2) in the tank, V.​ RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
temperature of dry bulb on the top of column (T4),
temperature of water supply to the column (T5) and Experiment 1
temperature of water receive from column (T6) were Manipulated variable : Heater Power
recorded. Constant variable : Water Flowrate = 2.0 LPM
12.​ The differential pressure was recorded when it Blower opening : Fully opened
crossed the orifice by opening valve V4 and V5 and
closing the Valve V3 and V6. Table 1. Differences of Heater Power
13.​ The differential pressure was recorded when it Heater
crossed the orifice by opening valve V3 and V6 and Power 0.5 1.0 1.5
(kW)
closing the Valve V4 and V5.
14.​ The steps from 1-8 were repeated with 0.1kW and T1 (◦C) 28.2 28.6 29.3
1.5kW water heater , with the same volume of flow
rate at 2 LPM. T2 (◦C) 26.5 26.4 26.6

T3 (◦C) 26.6 27.2 29.2

​ Experiment 2: Heater Power Constant
T4 (◦C) 26.1 27.2 29.4
1.​ The general start-up was completed.
2.​ The point temperature was fixed at 45 oC. To conduct T5 (◦C) 29.4 32.0 26.8
the experiment, the water was heated to a temperature
T6 (◦C) 25.6 26.3 27.7
of 40°C or higher using a 0.5 kw heater.
3.​ The pump was then switched on and the control valve Differential
Pressure 83.0 82.0 80.0
V1 was slowly opened to set the water flow rate to (Orifice)
2RPM after the water reached 40OC.
 Differential
Pressure 91.0 88.0 86.0
(Column)

Experiment 2
Manipulated variable : Water Flowrate
Constant variable : Heater Power = 1.0 kW
Blower opening : Fully opened

Table 2. Differences of Flow Rate

Flow Rate
1.0 1.5 2.0
(Litre/min)
Fig. 5. Water Flowrate vs Changes of Wet Bulb Temperature
T1 (◦C) 29.3 28.9 28.6

T2 (◦C) 26.5 26.4 26.4

T3 (◦C) 26.7 28.1 27.2 Sample calculation

◦
T4 ( C) 26.5 27.7 27.3
Experiment 1
◦
T5 ( C) 36.2 33.5 32.0
The variable is the heater power which are at
◦
T6 ( C) 24.9 26.1 26.3 0.5 kW, 1.0 kW and 1.5 kW
The constant variable is the water flowrate
Differential which is 2.0 LPM
Pressure 85.0 82.0 82.0
(Orifice)
Cooling Range = T5-T6
Differential Approach to Wet Bulb = T6-T2
Pressure 72.0 79.0 88.0
(Column)

At 0.5 kW
∆𝑇𝑐𝑟 = 𝑇5 − 𝑇6
∆𝑇𝑐𝑟 = 29. 4 − 25. 6
∆𝑇𝑐𝑟 = 3. 8 ◦C

∆𝑇𝑤𝑏 = 𝑇6 − 𝑇2
∆𝑇𝑤𝑏 = 25. 6 − 26. 5
∆𝑇𝑤𝑏 =− 0. 9 ◦C

At 1.0 kW
∆𝑇𝑐𝑟 = 32. 0 − 26. 3
∆𝑇𝑐𝑟 = 5. 7 ◦C
Fig. 4. Heater Power vs Changes of Wet Bulb Temperature

∆𝑇𝑤𝑏 = 26. 3 − 26. 4

∆𝑇𝑤𝑏 =− 0. 1◦C
 At 1.5 kW 𝑄 = 𝑚𝐶𝑝∆𝑇
∆𝑇𝑐𝑟 = 26. 8 − 27. 7 𝑄 = 0. 0333 × 4. 186 × 7. 4
◦
∆𝑇𝑐𝑟 =− 0. 9 C 𝑄 = 1. 0315 𝑘𝑊

∆𝑇𝑤𝑏 = 27. 7 − 26. 6

At 2.0 L/min = 0.0500kg/s
∆𝑇𝑤𝑏 = 1. 1 ◦C ∆𝑇𝑐𝑟 = 32. 0 − 26. 3
∆𝑇𝑐𝑟 = 5. 7◦C

Experiment 2
∆𝑇𝑤𝑏 = 26. 3 − 26. 4
The variable is the water flowrate which are
at 1.0 LPM, 1.5 LPM and 2.0 LPM ∆𝑇𝑤𝑏 =− 0. 1◦C

The constant variable is the heater power 𝑄 = 𝑚𝐶𝑝∆𝑇

which is 1.0 kW
𝑄 = 0. 0500 × 4. 186 × 5. 7
𝑄 = 1. 1930 𝑘𝑊
Cooling Range = T5-T6
Approach to Wet Bulb = T6-T2
Heat lost,Q = mCp∆T
The purpose of experiment 1 is to study the effect of
different heater power towards the cooling range
while the objective for experiment 2 is to study the
effect of blower opening towards wet bulb approach
At 1.0 L/min = 0.0167kg/s
and pressure drop through packing. A water cooling
∆𝑇𝑐𝑟 = 𝑇5 − 𝑇6
tower is used to cool water and is a huge heat
∆𝑇𝑐𝑟 = 36. 2 − 24. 9 exchanger, expelling building heat into the
∆𝑇𝑐𝑟 = 11. 3 ◦C atmosphere and returning colder water to the chiller.
A water cooling tower receives warm water from a
chiller. (Philippi, 2022). Water is used in cooling
∆𝑇𝑤𝑏 = 𝑇6 − 𝑇2 tower systems to absorb waste heat from a system
∆𝑇𝑤𝑏 = 24. 9 − 26. 5 and release it mostly through evaporation. Water first
∆𝑇𝑤𝑏 =− 1. 6 ◦C absorbs heat in a heat exchanger. The water is then
dispersed over the top of the cooling tower, where air
passes over the warm water, causing some of it to
Heat loss evaporate. The heat is transmitted from the water
𝑄 = 𝑚𝐶𝑝∆𝑇 stream to the air stream, bringing the air's
𝑄 = 0. 0167 × 4. 186 × 11. 3 temperature and relative humidity to 100%. The
𝑄 = 0. 7899 𝑘𝑊 consequence is a torrent of chilly water after the
warm air is released into the sky. The cycle is
repeated by pumping the cooled water from the basin
At 1.5 L/min = 0.0333kg/s through a heat exchanger once more.
∆𝑇𝑐𝑟 = 33. 5 − 26. 1
​ Experiment 1 was carried out to determine
∆𝑇𝑐𝑟 = 7. 4◦C
the effect of different heater power at power 0.5kW,
1.0kW, and 1.5kW towards the cooling range of the
∆𝑇𝑤𝑏 = 26. 1 − 26. 4 cooling tower while in experiment 2, the experiment
∆𝑇𝑤𝑏 =− 0. 3◦C was conducted to discover the effect of cooling water
with different water flow rate with 1.0 L/min, 1.5
L/min and 2.0 L/min.
VII.​ RECOMMENDATION
​ For experiment 1, we used different power
Although the experiment was carried out
heaters at power 0.5kW, 1.0kW, and 1.5kW. When
satisfactorily, there might still be some flaws in the
power is at 0.5kW, the difference of temperature
results that students can correct. First and foremost,
cooling range is ∆𝑇𝑐𝑟 = 3. 8 ◦C and the temperature
after the experiment has run for 20 minutes, the
approach to wet bulb is ∆𝑇𝑤𝑏 =− 0. 9 ◦C. At 1.0 kW, temperature variations must be noted. Due to their
the ∆𝑇𝑐𝑟 = 5. 7 ◦C and the ∆𝑇𝑤𝑏 =− 0. 1◦C while at impatience to record the temperature before it
became more stable, students may have made some
1.5kW , the the ∆𝑇𝑐𝑟 =− 0. 9 ◦C and the ∆𝑇𝑤𝑏 = 1. 1
mistakes at that very moment. Students can do better
◦
C. The relationship that could be seen from the graph by taking a picture of the control panel precisely 20
in Fig. 1 where it shows the higher power of heater minutes after the machine has been functioning. For
used, the higher changes of temperature. the experiment's results to be accurate, the timer and
running system must be synchronized. To ensure
From experiment 2, , it is to discover the there are no leaks that could taint the results, the
effect of cooling towers with different water flow experiment's equipment should be verified before it
rates with 1.0 L/min, 1.5 L/min and 2.0 L/min. The begins. To obtain an average for each experiment,
result shows the changes of temperature at different students should run the experiment at least three
flow rates are at 11.3 °C, 7.4 °C and 5.7 °C, times.
respectively. The heat load was also calculated which
are 0.7899 kW, 1. 0315 kW and 1. 1930 kW,
respectively. The relationship could be seen from the
References
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VI.​ CONCLUSION
2023, from
In conclusion, the heater power employed
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respectively, producing 3.8 ◦C, 5.7 ◦C, and -0.9 ◦C. We
es-cooling-towers/
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demonstrates that different water flow rates 1.0
[Link]
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was successful.
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-is-a-cooling-tower
 APPENDIX

Fig.6. Signed Raw Data

Fig.7. Signed Raw Data