Air-to-air atmospheric exchanger for condensing cooling tower effluent

A cooling tower, comprising:

• a counteflow evaporative media;
• a water distribution system that distributes hot water over the counterflow evaporative media;
• a heat exchanger for absorbing heat from a first air stream into a second air stream, said heat exchanger having a first set of passageways and a second set of passageways, wherein one end of the second set of passageways opens to outside air and the other end opens inside the cooling tower;
• a fan that directs air through the counterflow evaporative media to create said first air stream and directs said first air stream having a flow rate between 10 and 80 pounds of dry air per square foot per minute (pda/ft2/min) and a relative humidity at or above 90% through said first set of passageways and that directs said second air stream having a flow rate between 10 and 80 pda/ft1/min and an entrance dry bulb temperature at least five Fahrenheit degrees below the first stream through said second set of passageways, each passageway of said first set of passageways being separated from at least one passageway of said second set of passageways by a thin heat conductive material;
• and
• a reservoir for capturing water condensed out of the first air stream,
• wherein the heat exchanger extends from the outer edges of the inside of the cooling tower a distance of less than half of the shortest distance across the inside of the cooling tower, said second set of passageways extending from the outer edges of the cooling tower to the innermost edge of the heat exchanger thereby allowing air from outside the cooling tower to pass through the second set of passageways into the center of the cooling tower, and wherein the cooling tower has a wider inner cavity at the portion containing the heat exchanger than at the portion containing the evaporative media.

A cooling tower, comprising:

• a counterflow evaporative media;
• a water distribution system that distributes hot water over the counterflow evaporative media;
• a heat exchanger for absorbing heat from a first air stream into a second air stream, said heat exchanger having a first set of passageways and a second set of passageways, wherein one end of the second set of passageways opens to outside air and the other end opens inside the cooling tower;
• a fan that directs air through the counterflow evaporative media to create said first air stream and directs said first air stream having a flow rate between 10 and 80 pounds of dry air per square foot per minute (pda/ft2/min) and a relative humidity at or above 90% through said first set of passageways and that directs said second air stream having a flow rate between 10 and 80 pda/ft2/min and an entrance dry bulb temperature at least five Fahrenheit degrees below the first stream through said second set of passageways, each passageway of said first set of passageways being separated from at least one passageway of said second set of passageways by a thin heat conductive material;
• and
• a reservoir for capturing water condensed out of the first air stream,
• wherein the heat exchanger extends from the outer edges of the inside of the cooling tower a distance of less than half of the shortest distance across the inside of the cooling tower, said second set of passageways extending from the outer edges of the cooling tower to the innermost edge of the heat exchanger thereby allowing air from outside the cooling tower to pass through the second set of passageways into the center of the cooling tower, and wherein the heat exchanger is stepped to provide a plurality of sections having different cross sectional widths.

A cooling tower, comprising:

• a counterflow evaporative media;
• a water distribution system that distributes hot water over the counterflow evaporative media;
• a heat exchanger for absorbing heat from a first air stream into a second air stream, said heat exchanger having a first set of passageways and a second set of passageways, wherein one end of the second set of passageways opens to outside air and the other end opens inside the cooling tower;
• a fan that directs air through the counteflow evaporative media to create said first air stream and directs said first air stream having a flow rate between 10 and 80 pounds of dry air per square foot per minute (pda/ft1/min) and a relative humidity at or above 90% through said first set of passageways and that directs said second air stream having a flow rate between 10 and 80 pda/ft1/min and an entrance dry bulb temperature at least five Fahrenheit degrees below the first stream through said second set of passageways, each passageway of said first set of passageways being separated from at least one passageway of said second set of passageways by a thin heat conductive material;
• and
• a reservoir for capturing water condensed out of the first air stream,
• wherein the heat exchanger extends from the outer edges of the inside of the cooling tower a distance of less than half of the shortest distance across the inside of the cooling tower, said second set of passageways extending from the outer edges of the cooling tower to the innermost edge of the heat exchanger thereby allowing air from outside the cooling tower to pass through the second set of passageways into the center of the cooling tower and wherein the heat exchanger is comprised of heat exchanger sections that are stacked in a staggered diagonal arrangement within the cooling tower and wherein said second air stream is fed through said second passageways of at least one of said heat exchanger sections through a duct.

A cooling tower, comprising:

• a counterflow evaporative media;
• a water distribution system that distributes hot water over the counterflow evaporative media;
• a heat exchanger for absorbing heat from a first air stream into a second air stream, said heat exchanger having a first set of passageways and a second set of passageways;
• a fan that directs air through the counterflow evaporative media of create said first air stream and directs said first air stream having a flow rate between 10 and 80 pounds of dry air per square foot per minute (pda/ft2/min) and a relative humidity at or above 90% through said first set of passageways and that directs said second air stream having a flow rate between 10 and 80 pda/ft1/min and an entrance dry bulb temperature at least five Fahrenheit degrees below the first stream through said second set of passageways, each passageway of said first set of passageways being separated from at least one passageway of said second set of passageways by a thin heat conductive material;
• a reservoir for capturing water condensed out of the first air stream;
• and
• a heat transfer media disposed in front of the opening in the cooling tower through which the first air stream is drawn into the cooling tower;
• wherein a cool liquid is sprayed over the heat transfer media to cool the first air stream prior to it passing into the heat exchanger.

A cooling tower, comprising:

• a crossflow evaporative media;
• a water distribution system that distributes hot water over the crossflow evaporative media;
• a heat exchanger for absorbing heat from a first air stream into a second air stream, said heat exchanger having a first set of passageways and a second set of passageways;
• a fan that directs air through the crossflow evaporative media to create said first air stream and directs said first air stream having a flow rate between 10 and 80 pounds of dry air per square foot per minute (pda/ft2/min) and a relative humidity at or above 90% through said first set of passageways and that directs said second air stream having a flow rate between 10 and 80 pda/ft2/min and an entrance dry bulb temperature at least five degrees below the first stream through said second set of passageways, each passageway of said first set of passageways being separated from at least one passageway of said second set of passageways by a thin heat conductive material;
• a covering disposed at the bottom of the heat exchanger to prevent effluent from passing around the heat exchanger;
• and
• a reservoir for capturing water condensed out of the first air stream,
• wherein said first air stream from outside the cooling tower mixes with said effluent before leaving the cooling tower, and wherein said heat exchanger extend from the outer edges of the inside of the cooling tower a distance of less than half of the shortest distance across the inside of the cooling tower, said first set of passageways extending from the outer edges of the cooling tower to the innermost edge of the heat exchanger thereby allowing said first air stream to pass through the first set of passageways into the center of the cooling tower.

A cooling tower, comprising:

• a crossflow evaporative media;
• a water distribution system that distributes hot water over the crossflow evaporative media;
• a heat exchanger for absorbing heat from a first air stream into a second air stream, said heat exchanger having a first set of passageways and a second set of passageways, wherein the heat exchanger is stepped to provide a plurality of sections having different cross section widths;
• a fan that directs air through the crossflow evaporative media to create said first air stream and directs said first air stream having a flow rate between 10 and 80 pounds of dry air per square foot per minute (pda/ft2/min) and a relative humidity at or above 90% through said first set of passageways and that directs said second air stream having a flow rate between 10 and 80 pda/ft1/min and an entrance dry bulb temperature at least five degrees below the first stream through said second set of passageways, each passageway of said first set of passageways being separated from at least one passageway of said second set of passageways by a thin heat conductive material;
• and
• a reservoir for capturing water condensed out of the first air stream,
• wherein said first air stream from outside the cooling tower mixes with said effluent before leaving the cooling tower, and wherein said heat exchanger extend from the outer edges of the inside of the cooling tower a distance of less than half of the shortest distance across the inside of the cooling tower, said first set of passageways extending from the outer edges of the cooling tower to the innermost edge of the heat exchanger thereby allowing said first air stream to pass through the first set of passageways into the center of the cooling tower.

A cooling tower, comprising:

• a crossflow evaporative media;
• a water distribution system that distributes hot water over the crossflow evaporative media;
• a heat exchanger for absorbing heat from a first air stream into a second air stream, said heat exchanger having a first set of passageways and a second set of passageways;
• a fan that directs air through the crossflow evaporative media to create said first air stream and directs said first air stream having a flow rate between 10 and 80 pounds of dry air per square foot per minute (pda/ft2/min) and a relative humidity at or above 90% through said first set of passageways and that directs said second air stream having a flow rate between 10 and 80 pda/ft2/min and an entrance dry bulb temperature at least five degrees below the first stream through said second set of passageways, each passageway of said first set of passageways being separated from at least one passageway of said second set of passageways by a thin heat conductive material;
• and
• a reservoir for capturing water condensed out of the first air stream,
• wherein the heat exchanger is comprised of heat exchanger section that are stacked in a staggered diagonal arrangement within the cooling tower and wherein said second air stream is fed through said second passageways of at least one of said heat exchanger sections through a duct.