Back to results
US 5,958,306 AGranted
Pre-collectors for cooling towers
OwnerHarold D. Curtisinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A collection system for use in cooling towers is disclosed. The collection system includes a plurality of spaced collection troughs with a pre-collector thereabove disposed between the fill material in the cooling tower and the collection troughs. The pre-collector includes a plurality of corrugated sheets positioned laterally and transversely adjacent one another to substantially fill the space between the collection troughs and the fill material. Water falling through the cooling tower will fall on the corrugations and will be directed by the corrugations into vertical discharge drains defined by the corrugated sheets. The vertical discharge drains will direct liquid falling onto the sloped flow surfaces defined by the corrugated sheets into collection troughs therebelow.
Claims26
A cooling tower apparatus comprising:
- a body of fill material;
- a liquid distribution system located above said body of said fill material so that said liquid gravitates downward through said body of fill material;
- a fan for causing cooling air to move upward through said body of fill material to contact and cool said liquid;
- and
- a collection system for collecting said liquid falling from said body of fill material, said collection system comprising:
- a plurality of elongated collection troughs for receiving said liquid;
- and
- a pre-collector disposed between said fill material and said collection troughs for directing said liquid into said collection troughs, said pre-collector comprising a plurality of corrugated sheets, said sheets defining a plurality of spaced, substantially vertical liquid flow paths, said corrugations being disposed between adjacent ones of said flow paths, wherein the corrugations direct said liquid into said vertical flow paths, said collection troughs being located to collect said liquid from said flow paths.
5 more elements
A cooling tower comprising:
- a body of fill material;
- a liquid distribution system located above said body of fill material, wherein said liquid gravitates downward through said fill material;
- a fan located below said body of said fill material for blowing air upward through said body of fill material;
- a plurality of spaced, elongated collection troughs positioned above said fan for collecting said liquid;
- and
- a plurality of spaced-apart pre-collector sheets disposed between said body of fill material and said collection troughs, said sheets comprising corrugated sheets, the corrugations in said corrugated sheets defining a plurality of sloped, overlapping flow surfaces wherein substantially all of said liquid falls onto said sloped and overlapping flow surfaces and is directed into said collection troughs thereby, said sheets being nestable wherein the ridges of said corrugations on a forward side of said sheet will nest in the furrows on the rear side of said sheets for shipping.
3 more elements
A cooling tower apparatus comprising:
- a body of fill material;
- a liquid distribution system located above said body of said fill material so that said liquid gravitates downward through said body of fill material;
- a fan for causing cooling air to move upward through said body of fill material to contact and cool said liquid;
- and
- a collection system for collecting said liquid falling from said body of fill material, said collection system comprising:
- a plurality of elongated collection troughs for receiving said liquid;
- and
- a pre-collector disposed between said fill material and said collection troughs for directing said liquid into said collection troughs, said pre-collector comprising a plurality of corrugated sheets, wherein the corrugations in said corrugated sheets direct said liquid into said collection troughs, said corrugated sheets having opposed outer edges, said collection troughs being positioned below the outer edges of said sheets, wherein said corrugations direct said liquid to said outer edges of said sheets and wherein said liquid gravitates downward at said outer edge into said collection trough.
5 more elements
A cooling tower comprising:
- a body of fill material;
- a liquid distribution system located above said body of fill material, wherein said liquid gravitates downward through said fill material;
- a fan located below said body of said fill material for blowing air upward through said body of fill material;
- a plurality of spaced, elongated collection troughs positioned above said fan for collecting said liquid;
- and
- a plurality of pre-collector sheets disposed between said body of fill material and said collection troughs, each of said sheets defining a plurality of sloped, overlapping flow surfaces wherein substantially all of said liquid falls onto said sloped and overlapping flow surfaces and is directed into said collection troughs thereby, wherein an upper end of each said pre-collector sheet is connected to a lower end of said fill material.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.