Cooling Tower & Chilling Plants

What is a Cooling Tower or Chilling Plant
 

Introduction

A chiller is a simple cooling device that works by drawing heat away from the coolant and then transferring it to the ambient air. This mechanism, like a cooling tower, is meant to remove heat from the water before it leaves the condenser. Although chillers and cooling towers accomplish comparable goals, the latter are more commonly utilized due to their more compact size and greater flexibility in installation.

It's likely that the system's efficiency will suffer if you use an inefficient cooling method. One of the two tower options available for cooling is a mechanical draft cooling tower. Large fans are used in this tower design to bring in cooler air from the surrounding environment.

What is the Function of Cooling Tower or Chilling Plant
 

A Cooling Tower Function 

For the purpose of removing excess heat from a coolant (often water) that is being used to cool equipment, process fluids, or structures, a massive heat exchanger unit known as a cooling tower is typically employed. Evaporation of a little amount of water into the air further reduces the temperature of the cooling water. Evaporative cooling describes this method.

To ensure a reliable supply of water for cooling purposes, cooling towers are typically located next to large bodies of water like lakes and rivers.

Water that has been heated in an industrial operation can either be routed through a heat exchanger or condenser before reaching the cooling tower, or it can go straight to the tower. Water is sprayed from nozzles inside the tower onto a fill material, increasing the rate of evaporation due to the greater surface area in contact with the air.

Drift eliminators get rid of the tiny droplets of water that form in the tower air stream as a result of evaporation, and cooling fans inside the tower help with the cooling process.

1. Building a Cooling Tower

Water pumps and a sizable basin are the two main components of a cooling tower. The basin receives the drained water from the system and the pumps supply the water for cooling.

Despite the prevalence of massive cooling towers (often over 200 feet in height and 100 meters in diameter), smaller systems are available for use in more compact locations or atop individual buildings.

2. Uses for Cooling Towers

Power plants, oil refineries, and thermal power plants are just a few of the industrial settings that regularly employ cooling towers. The desired coolant temperature is a crucial consideration when picking between a chiller and a cooling tower.

Conditions in the wet bulb and outside air temperature affect the temperature in cooling towers. In the heat of the summer, a cooling tower's low-temperature coolant can rarely go below 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Chillers can maintain constant temperatures of around 70 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the year.

Industrial Chilling Plant Functions

An industrial Cooling Tower & Chilling Plantsis a device used to remove heat from a hot gaseous coolant produced by a process that employs water or another heat transfer fluid. After being heated by the compressor, the used refrigerant is cooled and regenerated by being exposed to cooler air or water from a tower or other external source before being recycled.

Depending on the medium used to remove heat from the system, industrial chillers may be air-cooled or water-cooled. To reverse the phase transition from gas to a liquid, air-cooled chillers expose the hot coolant that has been transformed into a gas (in the evaporator) to ambient air. A cooling tower supplies water for use in water-cooled chillers, which are then used to cool and condense the coolant.

Working Principle of Cooling Tower or Chilling Plant
 

A great feature of cooling towers and chillers is that they come in a wide range of sizes, making them suitable for a wide variety of applications. Consequently, a smaller chiller and cooling tower can be used together.

When cooling a smaller application or piece of equipment, a water-cooled or air-cooled chiller and a portable cooling tower can be installed on the roof of a factory. Larger water-cooled chillers are often used in tandem with cooling towers.

An effective cooling system consists of a huge cooling tower and a sizable chiller, both of which are used in a microbrewery or power plant. You can expect to make substantial long-term savings if you can afford the initial investments in these two systems.

Central cooling facilities can be built employing these methods in a power plant by positioning the water-cooled chiller on the basement level or the air-cooled chiller on the roof. A cooling tower must be located on the roof at all times for efficient heat dissipation.

However, only extremely big cooling towers benefit from a natural draft and flow of air through the chiller, therefore enormous cooling towers like those found at nuclear power plants must rely on artificial means of circulating air. The airflow in a cooling tower is typically generated by an electrical fan motor. A "Driven or Force Draft" coolant is what you need.

Advantages of Chilling Plant or Cooling Tower
 

1. Longer Lifespan

In general, chillers that are cooled by water don't need to be replaced as frequently as those that are cooled by air. They are protected from the sun, wind, snow, and ice, as well as extremes of temperature because they are not exposed to the elements outside.

As a result of the cooling tower's consistent operation, especially in the face of trying climatic circumstances, the lifespan of the system and the equipment is extended.

2. Quiet Operation

Water-cooled chillers are virtually silent in operation, in contrast to their air-cooled counterparts, which include ducts and vents that generate noise. Because water is being circulated through the system, there is not the same kind of loud expansion and contraction that is experienced in air-cooled chillers. In settings such as hospitals and schools, where excessive noise might be disruptive to the people present, the ability to operate in a quiet manner is of the utmost importance.

3. Energy Efficiency 

When compared to air-cooled chillers, water-cooled chillers have a film coefficient that is anywhere from 10 to 100 times better. This indicates that chillers that are cooled by water do a better job of transferring heat. The end effect for businesses is a reduction in their expenditures for the cost of energy. The plant functions without a hitch thanks to the uninterrupted cooling provided by the circulating water.

In cooling towers, motors operating at low speeds allow for the most efficient use of air in the process of evaporation. 

The water goes through a process called recirculation, which ensures that the system is clean and operating at its maximum capacity, while also reducing the amount of energy needed to attain the desired level of production.

4. No Open Space Needed 

In order to function properly, air-cooled chillers have to be kept outside, in the open and supplied with a sufficient amount of clean air. Chillers that are cooled by water are housed inside buildings, making them an excellent choice for businesses that do not have adequate access to the outside areas.

5. Safety 

Chillers that are cooled by water utilize water as the refrigerant, as opposed to harmful chemicals. People who come into contact with them are consequently less likely to sustain injuries as a result.

6. Less Maintenance 

The amount of required maintenance is cut down since there are components that are resistant to corrosion and has a high tensile strength.

7. Save Water

When cooling towers are equipped with an efficient drift eliminator system and air intake louvers, they are able to conserve a significant amount of water during the process.
 

FAQs: Cooling Tower & Chilling Plant
 

Q. Which chemical is used in cooling tower and chilling plant?
Ans. The cooling tower and chilling plant chemical include borate, nitrite, and silicate. The second substance is a biocide for use in cooling water. Glutaraldehyde and isothiazolin are the two types of biocides that are used the most frequently to kill microorganisms.

Q. How many types of chiller plants are there?
Ans. Here are the types:

- Water-Cooled Chillers

- Air Cooled Chillers

- Screw Chiller

- Vapor Absorption chillers

- Evaporation 

- Vapor Compressor Chillers

Q. What is the function and types of cooling tower?
Ans. When it comes to preventing machinery from overheating and cooling process water, cooling towers are an absolute necessity. Here are the types:

- Crossflow Cooling tower

- Counterflow Cooling Tower

- Natural Draft

- Induced Draft

Q. How do chilled water plants work?
Ans. Chilling facilities, often called chiller plants, are centralized facilities that cool many structures. Chilled water systems use chilled water to remove heat from a building's interior.