Cooling tower fan cylinder

Abstract

A segmented / modular cooling tower fan cylinder having a base section, a motor section, and an access section assembled to form an hourglass-shaped cooling tower fan cylinder to protect fan blades, reduce sound and vibration, and improve performance. The sections are preferably molded fiberglass composite structures having integrally molded vertical and horizontal ribs and horizontal rib stiffeners connecting the horizontal ribs of adjacent sections. A top annular stiffener is provided at the junction of every two adjacent sections in a top annular flange. A riser bar can be provided within the central vertical rib of a section to secure a cable or strap to lift the assembled fan cylinder into its final position or to secure a safety harness for a worker to service equipment in the interior space defined by the fan cylinder.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to fan casings for cooling towers. Summary of the Invention

[0002] This invention relates to an improved modular cooling tower fan casing comprised of multiple modules or "segments," including multiple basic segments, an electric motor segment, and an entry segment. These segments are preferably assembled at ground level to form a generally hourglass-shaped cooling tower fan casing, which can then be lifted onto the top of a cooling tower or other structure. The fan casing according to the invention is configured to house and protect fan blades, reduce noise and vibration, and enhance performance. These segments are preferably molded fiberglass composite structures comprising wall elements having inward and outward facing surfaces. According to a preferred embodiment, the inward-facing surface of the wall element of each basic segment is smooth and relatively featureless (with exceptions in at least some cases of the lifter rod discussed below). The outward-facing surface of the wall element of each segment is characterized by integrally molded vertical and horizontal ribs intersecting each other at right angles. At their lateral edges, the segments have flanges for bolting the segments together. According to a preferred embodiment, the fan barrel of the present invention includes a horizontal rib reinforcement attached at one end to a horizontal rib of one segment and at a second end to a corresponding horizontal rib of an adjacent segment. According to a more preferred embodiment, at least one horizontal rib reinforcement is located at each joint between adjacent segments. According to another embodiment, two rib reinforcements are provided at each joint between adjacent segments to engage two horizontal ribs in the throat region of the fan barrel. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a top annular reinforcement is provided at the joint of every two adjacent segments of the top annular flange.

[0003] According to another embodiment of the invention, at least three sections are provided with lifting rods that are accessible from the inner surface of the wall. In a preferred embodiment, the lifting rods are horizontally fixed to a lifting cup holder, and are integrally molded inside the central vertical rib of the section. The lifting rods can be used to secure cables or straps to lift the assembled fan cylinder to its final position. The lifting rods can also be used to secure safety harnesses for workers maintaining the equipment within the internal space defined by the fan cylinder. The height of the lifting rods from the bottom of the section is preferably arranged such that it is convenient to use as both a lifting point and a safety harness anchoring point. Attached Figure Description

[0004] Figure 1 This is an external side view of the fan barrel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0005] Figure 2 This is an internal view of the fan barrel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0006] Figure 3 This is a plan view of the fan barrel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0007] Figure 4 This is a front view of a basic section of the fan barrel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0008] Figure 5 This is a front view of the motor section of the fan barrel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0009] Figure 6 This is a front view of the entry section of the fan barrel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 7 This is an isometric view of the horizontal rib reinforcement according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 Plan view of the horizontal rib reinforcement.

[0012] Figure 9 It is along Figure 10 A cross-sectional view of line BB.

[0013] Figure 10 It is along Figure 8 Cross-sectional view of line CC

[0014] Figure 11 This is another front view of a basic section of the fan barrel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 12 It is along Figure 11 The cross-sectional view of line AA in the diagram.

[0016] Figure 13 It is along Figure 11 A cross-sectional view of line BB.

[0017] Figure 14 It is along Figure 11 A cross-sectional view of line CC.

[0018] Figure 15 It is along Figure 11 A cross-sectional view of line DD.

[0019] Figure 16 The connection point of the horizontal rib reinforcement is shown. Figure 11 Detailed view.

[0020] Figure 17 This is a perspective view of the horizontal rib reinforcement of two adjacent sections of the joined fan cylinder according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 18 This is a plan view of the top annular reinforcement according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 19 This is an isometric view of the top annular reinforcement according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 20 This is another plan view of the top annular reinforcement according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 21 It is along Figure 20 A cross-sectional view of line AA.

[0025] Figure 22 This is a front view of a section according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 23 It is along Figure 22 A cross-sectional view of line AA.

[0027] Figure 24 It is along Figure 22 A cross-sectional view of line BB.

[0028] Figure 25 This is a detailed view of the lifting rod according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 26 Showing from Figure 24 Detail view Figure 2 and details Figure 3 .

[0030] Figure 27 Showing from Figure 23 Detail view Figure 4 .

[0031] The features in the accompanying drawings are numbered using the following reference numerals: Detailed Implementation

[0032] The cooling tower fan casing 1 of the present invention can be composed of multiple sections, including multiple basic sections 3, a motor section 5, and an inlet section 7. The basic sections 3, motor section 5, and inlet section 7 are assembled to form a generally hourglass-shaped cooling tower fan casing 1, see, for example... Figure 3 The cooling tower fan casing 1 according to the present invention is configured to house and protect the fan blades 9, reduce noise and vibration, and enhance performance.

[0033] The basic section 3, the motor section 5, and the entry section 7 are preferably molded glass fiber composite structures, comprising wall elements 11 having an inward-facing surface 13 and an outward-facing surface 15. The inward-facing surface 13 of the wall element 11 in each basic section 3 is smooth and relatively featureless (with exceptions in at least some examples of the lifter rod discussed below). See reference. Figure 4 and Figures 11 to 15 The outward-facing surface 15 of each section's wall element 11 is characterized by integrally molded vertical ribs 17 and integrally molded horizontal ribs 19 intersecting each other at right angles. At their lateral edges, the sections have flanges 21 for bolting the sections together. See, for example, Figure 17 .

[0034] The cooling tower fan casing 1 may further include a horizontal rib reinforcement 23, one end of which is attached to a horizontal rib 19a of one section and the second end of which is attached to a corresponding horizontal rib 19b of an adjacent section. See also Figures 4 to 10 and Figure 17 A horizontal rib reinforcement 23 is preferably installed at each joint between adjacent sections. Alternatively, two horizontal rib reinforcements 23 may be provided at each joint between adjacent sections to engage two integrally molded horizontal ribs 19 in the throat region of the cooling tower fan casing 1, as shown below. Figures 4 to 6 As shown.

[0035] Access slots 25 can be provided at each end of the bottom side of the horizontal rib to facilitate bolting the horizontal rib stiffeners 23 to adjacent sections of the horizontal ribs 19a and 19b, see [reference]. Figure 11 , Figure 16 and Figure 17 The top annular reinforcement 27 can be installed at the joint of every two adjacent segments in the top annular flange, see [reference needed]. Figures 18 to 21 .

[0036] According to another embodiment of the invention, at least three sections are provided with lifting rods 29, which can be accessed from the inner surface of the wall. For example... Figures 22-27 As shown. The lifter rod 29 can be horizontally fixed to the lift cup holder 31, which is integrally molded inside the central vertical rib of the section. The lifter rod 29 can be used to secure cables or straps to lift the assembled fan cylinder to its final position. The lifter rod 29 can also be used to secure a safety harness for workers maintaining the equipment within the internal space defined by the fan cylinder. The height of the lifter rod 29 from the bottom of the section can be positioned to serve as both a lifting point and a safety harness anchoring point.

[0037] Specifically, it is anticipated that each feature embodiment disclosed herein can be used in conjunction with each of the other features and embodiments disclosed herein.

[0038] The description of this invention is merely exemplary in nature, and therefore, variations that do not depart from the concept of a segmented cooling tower fan casing are intended to be within the scope of this invention. Any variations of the specific embodiments described herein, but which segment the cooling tower fan casing in other ways, should not be considered as departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A cooling tower fan casing, comprising: Multiple modular sections, each of the multiple modular sections having a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge and a second side edge, a first side edge flange on the first side edge and a second side edge flange on the second side edge, the multiple modular sections including a motor section, an entry section and multiple standard sections; The motor section is configured to allow the passage of power and mechanical components associated with the drive fan motor; The access section is configured to allow technicians to enter the interior of the cooling tower fan casing; The multiple standard sections, the motor section, and the entry section are configured to be horizontally assembled adjacent to each other into the cooling tower fan casing; Each of the plurality of standard sections, the motor section, and the entry section includes, on its outward-facing surface, a plurality of integrally molded vertical ribs between the first side edge and the second side edge, and a plurality of integrally molded horizontal ribs between the top edge and the bottom edge. The cooling tower fan casing also includes: A plurality of horizontal rib reinforcements, the plurality of horizontal rib reinforcements being configured to connect the horizontal ribs on adjacent modular segments of the plurality of modular segments; and A lifter rod is disposed within a central vertical rib of each of three modular sections of a plurality of modular sections equidistantly spaced around the cooling tower fan cylinder and is configured to access from the inner surface of the wall of the cooling tower fan cylinder. A lifter cup is integrally molded inside the central vertical rib, and the lifter rod is horizontally fixed to the lifter cup.

2. A method for assembling and installing modular fan casings on a cooling tower, the method comprising: The multiple fan barrel sections are assembled into the modular fan barrel by arranging them in a ring adjacent to each other at ground level. Each of the multiple fan barrel sections has a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge and a second side edge, and a side edge flange on each of the first side edge and the second side edge. The side edge flanges on adjacent fan barrel sections are connected to each other. The multiple fan barrel sections include a standard fan barrel section, a fan barrel motor section, and a fan barrel inlet section. The plurality of standard fan barrel sections, the fan barrel motor section, and the fan barrel inlet section each include, on their outward-facing surfaces, a plurality of integrally molded vertical ribs between the first side edge and the second side edge, and integrally molded horizontal ribs between the top edge and the bottom edge. The method further includes attaching horizontal rib reinforcements to the integrally molded horizontal ribs of adjacent fan barrel sections in the plurality of fan barrel sections; The lifting equipment is attached to the lifting rod, which is arranged in at least three of the plurality of standard fan cylinder sections. The lifting rod can be accessed from the inner surface of at least three of the plurality of standard fan barrel sections of the modular fan barrel. Each of the lifting rods is located inside the central vertical rib, and the interior of the central vertical rib is integrally molded with a lifting cup holder, and The lifting rod is horizontally fixed to the lifting cup holder; the lifting equipment and the lifting rod are used to lift the modular fan cylinder and place the modular fan cylinder on top of the cooling tower.

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