Air-to-air heat exchanger bypass for wet cooling tower apparatus and method
AssigneeSPX Cooling Technologies, Inc.
InventorsEldon F. Mockry, Kenneth P. Mortensen, Craig J. Hickman
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Abstract
A cooling tower having an evaporative media along with a liquid distribution system that distributes hot liquid over the evaporative media. The cooling tower includes a pair of heat exchanger modules that each have a first set of passageways in fluid communication with a first flow duct and a second set of passageways in fluid communication with a second flow duct. The heat exchanger module transfers heat from a first air stream into a second air stream. The cooling tower further includes a first bypass flow path that extends between the first heat exchanger module and the second heat exchanger module whereby a bypass door regulates airflow there through.
Claims9
A cooling tower having a vertical axis, comprising:
- an evaporative media located at a first position along the vertical axis;
- a liquid distribution system that distributes hot liquid over said evaporative media;
- a first heat exchanger module having a first set of passageways in fluid communication with a first flow duct and a second set of passageways in fluid communication with a second flow duct, wherein said first air flow duct has a first wet air flow that traverses through said first heat exchanger and wherein said second air flow duct has a first dry ambient air flow;
- a second heat exchanger module having a third set of passageways in fluid communication with a third flow duct and a fourth set of passageways in fluid communication with a fourth flow duct, wherein a third air flow duct has a second wet air flow that traverses through said second heat exchanger and wherein said fourth air flow duct has a second dry ambient air flow;
- a first wet path damper disposed in said first flow duct that regulates flow through said first flow duct, wherein said first wet path damper is located between said evaporative media and said first heat exchanger module;
- and
- an air current generator that directs air through said flow ducts and said passageways.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.