Method and apparatus for distributing air through a cooling tower
OwnerH. Joe Wilkerson, Dudley J. Bentoninventors
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Abstract
Natural draft water cooling tower heat transfer efficiency is improved by an inlet air flow baffle to divide the inlet cooling air between a first volumetric flow portion channeled directly to the axial core of the tower draft channel under a shielded protection from a water droplet dispersion of descending process water and a second volumetric flow portion of inlet cooling air to an outer annulus of the draft channel surrounding the axial core.
Claims11
A natural draft water cooling tower comprising a substantially vertical axis draft channel above an air inlet volume served by an inlet perimeter of substantially horizontally flow inlet air;
- hot process water dispersion means disposed within said draft channel and above said air inlet volume for direct, heat exchange contact of dispersed hot process water with air flow from said inlet air perimeter;
- and, baffle means disposed within said air inlet volume to divide inlet air flow between a first portion to an axial core section of said draft channel and a second portion to a substantially annular section of draft channel around said core section, said baffle means comprising a substantially annular canopy having an outer rim perimeter proximate of said inlet air perimeter and an interior aperture substantially coaxial with said axial core.
A method of operating a natural draft water cooling tower having a substantially vertical axis draft channel above a substantially cylindrical air inlet volume served by a substantially circular inlet perimeter of substantially radially and horizontally flowing inlet air, said method including the steps of distributing hot process water within said air inlet volume as free falling droplets in direct contact and heat exchange with flowing inlet air and dividing said inlet air flow by a substantially continuous, horizontal dividing plane transversely across said cylindrical inlet volume between a first portion to an axial core section of said draft channel and a second portion to a substantially annular section of draft channel around said core section.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.