Confined vortex cooling tower

In an effluent discharge apparatus having a chimney, defined by sidewalls and an open mouth, positioned above a lower cavity containing portion, the improvement comprising:

• at least one slot within said chimney sidewalls extending vertically from above said cavity containing portion to below said mouth of said chimney, providing means of introducing gaseous fluid streams tangentially within and with respect to said sidewalls of said chimney to create a vortex;
• a floor dividing said cavity containing portion and said chimney and defining an upper bound of said cavity containing portion, said cavity containing portion having means to receive effluent constituents and mean to receive effluent removal gaseous fluid stream drafts wherein said effluent constituents are combined with said effluent removal gaseous fluid streams;
• an orifice centrally disposed within said floor to convey said effluent containing gaseous fluid streams from said cavity containing portion to within said chimney to be exhausted from said chimney;
• an iris-type structure bounding said orifice;
• and
• means for adjusting and controlling the fluid stream flow behaviour through each said slot;
• fluid stream flow behavior through said orifice being adjustable and controllable by means of said iris-type structure.

In a tower or other effluent discharge stack apparatus having:

• a chimney defined by sidewalls;
• a lower portion for the introduction of an effluent, containing heat and particulate matter, for discharge through said chimney, said chimney being disposed above said lower portion, the improvement comprising:
• a plurality of vertical slots within said chimney sidewalls extending vertically substantially from above said lower portion to below the mouth of said chimney, said slots providing means for introducing gaseous fluid streams within said sidewalls of said chimney tangentially with respect to said sidewalls to create a vortex;
• a floor dividing said lower portion and said chimney, and defining an upper bound of a cavity within said lower portion, said cavity providing means to receive and combine effluent constituents with effluent removing gaseous fluid streams;
• and
• an orifice, the boundary of said orifice being configued to form a venturi shape, said orifice being centrally disposed within said floor to convey said combined effluent constituents and effluent removing gaseous fluid streams entrained by said vortex from said cavity of said lower portion to within said chimney to be exhausted from said chimney.

In a cooling tower having a chimney, defined by sidewalls and an open mouth, positioned above a lower cavity providing heat transfer means encompassed by a fill, the improvement in combination comprising:

• at least one slot within and through said chimney sidewalls, extending vertically from above said fill cavity to below said mouth of said chimney, providing means for introducing gaseous fluid streams tangentially within and with respect to said chimney sidewalls to create a vortex;
• a floor dividing said chimney portion and said fill cavity, defining the upper bound of said cavity;
• means to introduce effluent, including heat, through said fill into said fill cavity;
• means to introduce cooling gaseous fluid streams through said fill into said fill cavity whereby
• effluent, including heat, is transferred to said cooling gaseous fluid streams;
• an orifice centrally disposed within said floor to convey said cooling gaseous fluid streams containing effluent, including heat, from said fill cavity to within said chimney to be exhausted from the mouth thereof;
• and
• means to augment and adjust said gaseous fluid streams introduced within said chimney and means to augment and adjust gaseous fluid stream flow within said cavity including means for drift elimination.