# US 2018/0023905 A1 · Bi-directional fill for use in cooling towers > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0023905 A1 - Document ID: US20180023905A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/666,383 - Filed: 2017-08-01 - Published: 2018-01-25 - Earliest claimed: 2014-12-23 - Assignees: Evapco, Inc. - Applicants: Evapco, Inc. - Inventors: Davey J. Vadder; Sarah L. Ferrari; John W. Lane; Jean-Pierre Libert; Thomas W. Bugler - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180023905A1 ## CPC - F28F 25/087: {Vertical or inclined sheets; Supports or spacers} - F28C 1/14: comprising also a non-direct contact heat exchange - F28D 3/00: Heat-exchange apparatus having stationary conduit assemblies for one heat-exchange medium only, the media being in contact with different sides of the conduit wall, in which the other heat-exchange medium flows in a continuous film, or trickles freely, over the conduits (F28D5/00 takes precedence) - F28F 25/08: Splashing boards or grids, e.g. for converting liquid sprays into liquid films; Elements or beds for increasing the area of the contact surface (packing elements per se B01J19/30, B01J19/32) - F28F 25/10: for feeding gas or vapour - F28C 2001/006: {Systems comprising cooling towers, e.g. for recooling a cooling medium} - F28C 2001/145: {with arrangements of adjacent wet and dry passages} - F28F: DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION (water and air traps, air venting F16) - F28C: HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT WITHOUT CHEMICAL INTERACTION (safety devices in general F16P; fluid heaters having heat generating means F24H; with an intermediate heat-transfer medium coming into direct contact with heat-exchange media F28D15/00 - F28D19/00; details of heat-exchange apparatus of general application F28F) - F28D: HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT (fluid heaters having heat generating means and heat transferring means F24H; furnaces F27; details of heat-exchange apparatus of general) ## Abstract Cooling towers and cooling tower fill configured for the cooling of process water with air by indirect heat exchange, in which the fill is configured with a first set of channels and a second set of channels, said first and second set of channels interleaved with one-another so that heat exchange occurs across material separating said channels from one-another. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A cooling tower comprising cooling tower fill arranged for the cooling of process water with air by indirect heat exchange, in which the fill is configured with a first set of channels and a second set of channels, said first and second set of channels interleaved with one-another so that heat exchange occurs across material separating said channels from one-another. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A cooling tower according to claim 1, comprising a first set of spray heads configured to direct said process water only to said first set of channels, and a second set of spray heads configured to direct said process water only to said second set of channels or to all channels. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A cooling tower according to claim 1, configured to allow heat exchange between process water in said first set of channels and air in said second set of channels when said first set of spray heads is open, permitting process water to flow through said first set of channels, and said second set of spray heads is closed. ### Claim 4 (canceled) ### Claim 5 (canceled) ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A cooling tower according to claim 1 in which said channels are created by one or more fill packs, each fill pack comprising layers of stacked corrugated sheets, each corrugated sheet having a longitudinal axis that is shifted 30° to 90° relative to a longitudinal axis of adjacent corrugated sheets, each corrugated sheet separated from an adjacent corrugated sheet by an intermediate sheet. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A cooling tower according to claim 1, wherein said corrugated sheets are bonded to adjacent intermediate sheets along corrugation ridges of said corrugated sheets. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) A cooling tower according to claim 6, wherein said first set of channels are oriented at an angle of 45° relative to vertical, and where said second set of channels are also oriented at an angle of 45° relative to vertical, but perpendicular to said first set of channels. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) A cooling tower according to claim 6, wherein said fill packs have a length and a width that are approximately equal. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) A cooling tower according to claim 6, wherein said fill packs have a length and a width, and wherein the length of said fill packs is 1 to 3 times the width. ### Claim 11 (depends on 6) A cooling tower according to claim 6, wherein said fill packs are arranged in a plurality of layers across said cooling tower, ### Claim 12 (depends on 6) A cooling tower according to claim 6 comprising open areas between said fill packs. ### Claim 13 (canceled) ### Claim 14 (depends on 6) A cooling tower according to claim 6, wherein said each of said fill packs comprise stacked corrugated and intermediate sheets that extend across a plurality of indirect heat exchange zones of said cooling tower. ### Claim 15 (canceled) ### Claim 16 (depends on 6) A cooling tower according to claim 6, comprising a plurality of fill packs stacked on top of one-another in said cooling tower, and wherein each said fill pack is oriented 180°, horizontally, relative to a fill pack immediately above and/or below. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) A cooling tower according to claim 1, wherein said first and second sets of channels have the same dimensions. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) A cooling tower according to claim 1, wherein said first set of channels is larger in cross-section than said second set of channels. ### Claim 19 A cooling tower fill pack comprising a stack of identical plastic sheets, each sheet having a first face and a second face, said first face having a first set of ridges that define a first set of channels, said second face having a second set of ridges that define a second set of channels, and wherein in said fill pack, said plastic sheets are stacked so that a first face of a first sheet, is mated with a first face of a second sheet, turned upside down, and a second face of said second sheet is mated with a second face of a third sheet, turned upside down relative to said second sheet. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) A cooling tower fill pack according to claim 19, wherein said plastic sheets comprise crenellated portions where at top and bottom sections where said channel-defining-ridges terminate. ### Claim 21 A cooling tower fill pack comprising a stack of two different plastic sheets, each sheet having a first face and a second face, said first face having a first set of ridges that define a first set of channels, said second face having a second set of ridges that define a second set of channels, and wherein in said fill pack, said plastic sheets are stacked so that a first face of a first sheet, is mated with a first face of a second sheet, and a second face of said second sheet is mated with a second face of a third sheet identical to the first sheet to form two sets of channels, said first and second sets of channels interleaved with one-another so that heat exchange occurs across material separating said channels from one-another. ### Claim 22 (depends on 5) A cooling tower according to claim 5, wherein said channels define an odd number of input zones and one fewer columns than input zones. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) A cooling tower according to claim 22, wherein outermost channels are water channels. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) A cooling tower according to claim 22, wherein said input zones have an equal width, and wherein said columns are of unequal width. ### Claim 25 (depends on 22) A cooling tower according to claim 22, wherein the columns are all the same width and outermost input zones have a width that is ½ a width of interior input zones. ### Claim 26 (depends on 22) A cooling tower according to claim 22, wherein the columns are all the same width and the input zones have unequal width. ### Claim 27 (depends on 1) A cooling tower according to claim 1 in which said channels are created by one or more fill packs, each fill pack comprising layers of stacked corrugated sheets, each corrugated sheet having formed thereon at water input zones a plurality of convex ridges and impressions, each ridge corresponding to an impression on an opposite side of a fill sheet on which said ridge is formed; said ridges arranged to direct water that falls in a input zone in which the ridges are formed to move laterally into a corresponding water column. ### Claim 28 (depends on 1) A cooling tower according to claim 1, further comprising adjustable air dampers positioned above water input regions of said fill or below the water exit regions of said fill to restrict the amount of air that passes through water columns of said fill. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) A cooling tower according to claim 28, wherein said adjustable air dampers are automatically controlled in combination with an automatically controlled variable speed fan.