Drainage collection system

A drainage collection system for use in an evaporative cooling tower, the drainage collection system being disposed within the cooling tower below a gas/liquid heat exchanging contact body to receive liquid gravitating therefrom and to collect the same, the drainage collection system comprising:

• a plurality of liquid collection plates, the collection plates being arranged in parallel and inclined from the vertical, adjacent ones of the collection plates defining therebetween flow through channels for the substantially unimpeded passage of gas therethrough, each of the plates having upper and lower end portions and a main body portion interposed between the upper and lower end portions, the upper end portion of one of the plates overlapping the lower end portion of a respectively adjacent plate, the main body portion of the plates being shaped to form substantially planar upper and lower sections, the lower section being less inclined from the vertical than the upper section, the slopes of the upper and lower sections being selected in dependence upon the vertical distance between the contact body and the upper and lower sections to enable the plates to receive and collect substantially all of the liquid gravitating from the contact body onto the plates, the lower end portion of each of the plates being shaped to form a primary collecting channel and a secondary collecting channel respectively disposed on an upwardly facing and a downwardly facing surface of the plate and extending substantially across the width of the plate for collecting liquid directed thereto by the plate, the primary and secondary collecting channels of each plate having outlet ports formed therein for the drainage of liquid collected thereby, the outlet ports being situated near opposite ends of the primary and secondary collecting channels, the lower end portion of each plate including a bottom wall and side walls extending upwardly from the bottom wall to define the primary collecting channel, the main body portion of each plate having its lowermost end shaped to project partially into the primary collecting channel and joining one of the side walls of the lower end portion of the plate below the peripheral edge of the side wall to define with the side wall to which it is joined the secondary collecting channel and to define with the other side wall a constricted opening for the primary collecting channel;
• and
• a support frame for the liquid collection plates, the frame including substantially vertical side supports disposed on corresponding opposite sides of the collection plates with the collection plates extending between the side supports, the disposition of the plates with respect to the side supports providing the frame with torsional strength, the side supports including upper and lower portions and a substantially planar central portion, the upper portion of each side support including a flattened rim to support the contact body thereabove, the lower portion of each side support including a bottom wall extending inwardly from the center portion toward the collection plates and a free standing side wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall whereby the side and bottom walls and the center section of each side support define a trough disposed below corresponding outlet ports of the collection plates to receive liquid discharged therethrough.