# US 9,039,809 B2 · System and method for reducing mineral buildup on drift eliminators of a cooling tower

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- Number: US 9,039,809 B2
- Document ID: US9039809B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/174,915
- Filed: 2014-02-07
- Published: 2014-06-05
- Granted: 2015-05-26
- Earliest claimed: 2010-12-23
- Assignees: Yahoo! Inc.
- Applicants: Yahoo! Inc.
- Inventors: Ty Sween
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9039809B2

## CPC

- F28C 1/00: Direct-contact trickle coolers, e.g. cooling towers (building construction E04H5/12; enclosed spaces cooled by trickle F25; components parts of trickle coolers F28F25/00; {indirect-contact cooling towers F28B1/06})
- F28C 1/02: with counter-current only
- F28C 1/04: with cross-current only
- F28C 1/16: Arrangements for preventing condensation, precipitation or mist formation, outside the cooler (F28C1/14 takes precedence)
- Y02B 30/70: Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating
- F28C: HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT WITHOUT CHEMICAL INTERACTION (safety devices in general F16P; fluid heaters having heat generating means F24H; with an intermediate heat-transfer medium coming into direct contact with heat-exchange media F28D15/00 - F28D19/00; details of heat-exchange apparatus of general application F28F)
- Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS

## Abstract

A method directed to reducing mineral buildup on drift eliminators of a cooling tower by allowing irrigation of the drift eliminators of the cooling tower with fluid in the basin of the cooling tower to reduce mineral buildup.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method to reduce mineral buildup on drift eliminators coupled with air inlets of a cooling tower, comprising:
supplying fluid from a basin of the cooling tower to one or more irrigators;
irrigating the drift eliminators using the one or more irrigators with the fluid supplied from the basin, wherein each drift eliminator comprises a plurality of openings through which outside air is drawn to the cooling tower; and
collecting the fluid used to irrigate the drift eliminators in the basin of the cooling tower.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising using at least one exhaust fan to draw the outside air to the cooling tower.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein one or more pumps supply the fluid in the basin to irrigate the drift eliminators.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein each irrigator comprises one or more spray nozzles operable to spray the fluid to irrigate the drift eliminators.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the spray nozzles spray the fluid onto the drift eliminators from inside the cooling tower.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the spray nozzles, the pumps and the exhaust fans are responsive to a control unit operable to turn on the spray nozzles, the pumps and the fans when the temperature of the irrigating fluid in the basin reaches a predetermined value.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the control unit is operable to selectively turn on the spray nozzles, the pumps and the exhaust fans based on the temperature of the fluid in the basin.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, further comprising a temperature sensor operably connected to the control unit, wherein the control unit selectively turns on the spray nozzles and the pumps based on the air temperature outside of the cooling tower measured by the temperature sensor.