Cooling tower, packing material and method for managing a cooling tower

Abstract

To solve the above problem, the present application provides a cooling tower for cooling a liquid, characterized by comprising: a driving unit that drives a cooling fan; a detecting unit that detects an operating condition of the driving unit; and a predicting unit that predicts a state of a packing material based on a detection result of the detecting unit.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-054672, filed on March 29, 2022. The entire contents of that Japanese application are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This invention relates to a cooling tower for cooling liquids and a method for managing the cooling tower. More specifically, this invention relates to a cooling tower in which used cooling water, after its temperature has risen, is contacted with external gas to lower its temperature and then recycled, and a method for managing the packing material used in the cooling tower. Background Technology

[0003] A cooling tower is a device that cools a liquid dispersed in a gas-liquid contact packing material by introducing external gas into the tower. The cooling tower is designed with the packing materials installed at predetermined intervals, and external gas is introduced between the individual packing materials. Typically, the liquid for cooling is supplied from the top of the packing materials and cooled by the laterally introduced external gas as it flows down their surface. In a cooling tower, if the amount of liquid flowing over the packing materials decreases, components of the liquid may precipitate in the areas where there is no fluid flow. For example, when water is used as the liquid, calcium or silica may precipitate, causing blockage between the packing materials and leading to problems such as decreased cooling tower performance.

[0004] To address this problem, for example, Patent Document 1 describes an invention in which, when supplying liquid to the filling material, the fluid is preferentially supplied to the portion of the cooling tower that is closer to the outer side of the cooling tower and easier to dry than the portion located inside the cooling tower.

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-80880

[0006] In cooling tower management, if blockages occur between the packing materials, maintenance such as cleaning or replacement is performed. However, the cleaning frequency or replacement interval varies depending on the shape of the packing material. Furthermore, since the cooling efficiency of the packing material varies depending on its shape, various shapes of packing materials are available on the market. This sometimes leads to the use of packing materials with shapes different from those provided by the cooling tower manufacturer. In such cases, inappropriate cleaning frequencies or replacement intervals may occur in cooling tower management. For example, blockages may develop between the packing materials, or the replacement frequency may be set too frequently, leading to increased management costs. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The objective of this invention is to provide a cooling tower that can accurately manage the cleaning frequency or the replacement period of the packing material in the management of the cooling tower, thereby suppressing blockage between the packing materials or increasing management costs.

[0008] The inventors conducted in-depth research on the above-mentioned issues and discovered that the state of the filling material, such as blockage, can be predicted by detecting the operating status of the cooling fan's drive unit, thus completing the present invention.

[0009] That is, the present invention provides a cooling tower and a cooling tower management method as follows.

[0010] To address the aforementioned issues, the present invention provides a cooling tower for cooling liquids, characterized by comprising: a drive unit for driving a cooling fan; a detection unit for detecting the operating status of the drive unit; and a prediction unit for predicting the state of the filling material based on the detection results of the detection unit.

[0011] According to this cooling tower, the load on the drive unit of the cooling fan can be monitored while the state of the filling material can be predicted. Therefore, it has the effect of managing the state of the cooling fan and the filling material with a simple structure.

[0012] Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the cooling tower of the present invention, it is characterized by further comprising a filling material having an identification portion for identifying the installation state of the filling material or the type of the filling material.

[0013] Based on this feature, when filling material with an identification section is installed in a cooling tower, the installation status or type of the filling material can be identified by the identification section, and thus a management method suitable for the installation status or type of the filling material can be applied.

[0014] Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the cooling tower of the present invention, the function of the prediction unit is adjusted based on the information of the marking unit.

[0015] Based on this feature, the identification unit can identify the installation status or type of the packing material. Therefore, if the packing material is not installed correctly or if non-standard packing material is used, the function of the prediction unit can be stopped or limited, thereby preventing operational malfunctions in the cooling tower. In other words, by correctly setting the packing material or using standard packing material, the prediction unit can make accurate predictions about the status of the packing material. Therefore, it can provide a cooling tower that can accurately manage cleaning frequency or packing material replacement periods and suppress increases in management costs.

[0016] Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the cooling tower of the present invention, the user is notified of the state of the filling material predicted by the prediction unit.

[0017] Based on this characteristic, the state of the filling material can be quickly determined.

[0018] To address the aforementioned issues, the present invention provides a cooling tower for cooling liquids, characterized in that it comprises: a filling material; and a prediction unit that predicts the state of the filling material, wherein the filling material has an identification part for identifying the setting state or type of the filling material, and the function of the prediction unit is adjusted based on the information of the identification part.

[0019] According to this cooling tower, when filler material with an identification section is installed into the cooling tower, the installation status or type of the filler material is identified by the identification section, thus enabling the application of a management method suitable for the installation status or type of the filler material. Furthermore, since the identification section can identify the installation status or type of the filler material, the function of the prediction unit can be stopped or limited in cases where the filler material is not installed correctly or where non-standard filler material is installed, thereby preventing operational malfunctions in the cooling tower. In other words, by correctly installing the filler material or installing standard filler material, the prediction unit can perform accurate predictions of the filler material's status, thus providing a cooling tower that can accurately manage cleaning frequency or filler material replacement periods and suppress increases in management costs.

[0020] To address the aforementioned issues, the present invention provides a cooling tower for cooling liquids, characterized in that it comprises a filling material having an identification portion for identifying the type of filling material, and the state of the filling material is managed based on information from the identification portion.

[0021] According to this cooling tower, when filling materials with markings are installed, the type of filling material can be identified by the markings, so a management method suitable for the type of filling material can be applied, thereby suppressing blockages between filling materials or increasing management costs.

[0022] To address the aforementioned issues, the present invention provides a filling material disposed in a cooling tower for cooling liquid, characterized in that it has an identification section for identifying the placement status of the filling material or the type of filling material.

[0023] The filling material has an identification section, so when the filling material is installed in the cooling tower, the setting status or type of the filling material can be identified by the identification section. Therefore, a management method suitable for the start-up of the filling material or the type of filling material can be applied, and blockage between filling materials or increased management costs can be suppressed.

[0024] To address the aforementioned issues, the present invention provides a management method for a cooling tower used to cool liquids, characterized by comprising the following steps: a detection step, which checks the operating status of the drive unit that drives the cooling fan; and a prediction step, which predicts the state of the filling material based on the detection results in the detection step.

[0025] According to the management method of this cooling tower, the load of the cooling fan drive unit can be monitored while the state of the filling material can be predicted. Therefore, it has the effect of managing the state of the cooling fan and the filling material with a simple structure.

[0026] To address the aforementioned issues, the present invention provides a management method for a cooling tower used for cooling liquids, characterized by comprising the following steps: an identification step, identifying the setting state or type of filling material; a prediction step, predicting the state of the filling material; and a function adjustment step, adjusting the function of the prediction step based on the information obtained in the identification step.

[0027] According to this cooling tower management method, when filling material with an identification section is installed in the cooling tower, the installation status or type of the filling material is identified by the identification section, thus enabling the application of a management method suitable for the installation status or type of the filling material. Furthermore, by identifying the installation status or type of the filling material through the identification section, the function of the prediction unit is stopped or limited in cases where the filling material is not installed correctly or where non-standard filling material is installed, thereby preventing operational malfunctions in the cooling tower.

[0028] According to the present invention, a cooling tower is provided that can accurately manage the cleaning frequency or the replacement period of the packing material in the management of the cooling tower, thereby suppressing the blockage between the packing materials or the increase in management costs. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a cooling tower according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the filling material used in the cooling tower according to the first embodiment of the present invention. (A) is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the surface of the filling material, and (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in (A).

[0031] Figure 3 This is a side view of the air supply port side of the filling material installed on the cooling tower according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a cooling tower according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a cooling tower according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a cooling tower according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] In the diagram: 1A, 1B - Cooling tower, 2 - Cooling fan, 3 - Identification unit, 4 - Identification unit, 5 - Management unit, 6 - Drive unit, 7 - Detection unit, 8 - Prediction unit, 9 - Exhaust port, 10 - Air supply port, 11 - Louver, 12 - Function adjustment unit, 13 - Water supply tank, 14 - Water supply pipe, 15 - Through hole, 16 - Water storage tank, 17 - Drainage pipe, 18 - Treatment water flow path, 19 - Air passage. Detailed Implementation

[0036] Hereinafter, embodiments of the cooling tower and filling material according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] Furthermore, the cooling tower and filling material described in the embodiments are merely examples used to illustrate the cooling tower and filling material involved in the present invention, and are not limited thereto.

[0038] Furthermore, the description of the cooling tower management method of the present invention can be replaced by a structural description of the cooling tower apparatus. For example, the description of the "detection unit" can be replaced by a description of a "detection step that detects the operating status of the drive unit that drives the cooling fan," the description of the "prediction unit" can be replaced by a description of a "prediction step that predicts the state of the filling material based on the detection results in the detection step," and the description of the "function adjustment unit" can be replaced by a description of a "function adjustment step that adjusts the function of the prediction step based on the information obtained in the identification step." Similarly, the descriptions of each structure are also the same.

[0039] [First Implementation]

[0040] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a cooling tower 1A according to a first embodiment of the present invention. A cooling tower is an apparatus for contacting treated water with air, thereby causing a portion of the treated water to evaporate and utilizing its heat of vaporization to cool the treated water itself. The cooling tower 1A of the first embodiment is a crossflow cooling tower in which external gas flowing in from the side of the cooling tower flows laterally across the packed material relative to the treated water flowing down the packed material; however, the flow direction of the treated water and air is not particularly limited. For example, for treated water flowing downwards, air can be allowed to flow upwards to perform heat exchange.

[0041] Regarding the main uses of cooling towers, any device used for cooling liquids is acceptable and is not particularly limited. Examples include: cooling water for air conditioning, cooling lubricating oil for production processes, or cooling water for furnaces.

[0042] like Figure 1 As shown, in cooling tower 1A, two filling materials 2A and 2B are respectively accommodated on two opposite sides of the rectangular tower body (shell).

[0043] Above the filling materials 2A and 2B, a water supply tank 13 is provided for distributing treated water to the filling materials 2A and 2B, and a plurality of through holes 15 are formed at the bottom of the water supply tank 13. Furthermore, the water supply tank 13 is provided with a water supply pipe 14 for supplying treated water to the water supply tank 13. The treated water supplied from the water supply pipe 14 to the water supply tank 13 is distributed through the through holes 15 to the upper part of the filling materials 2A and 2B, thereby flowing along the surface of the filling materials 2A and 2B.

[0044] Furthermore, in the cooling tower 1A, air inlets 10 for introducing external gas are formed on two opposing sides of the rectangular tower body (shell), and an exhaust port 9 is formed in the upper center of the rectangular tower body (shell). A cooling fan 2 is installed at the exhaust port 9. By using the cooling fan 2 to exhaust air from the cooling tower 1A through the exhaust port 9, external gas is introduced into the cooling tower 1A through the air inlets 10. The introduced external gas exchanges heat with the processing water flowing along the surfaces of the filling materials 2A and 2B through the filling materials 2A and 2B, thereby cooling the processing water.

[0045] In addition, a louver 11 is provided at the air supply port 10. The louver 11 can adjust the flow direction of the introduced external gas, so that the external gas passes evenly through the surfaces of the filling materials 2A and 2B. Furthermore, by providing the louver 11, foreign objects can be prevented from entering from the outside.

[0046] Furthermore, a separator capable of removing water droplets contained in the air can be installed between the filling materials 2A and 2B and the exhaust port 9. By installing the separator, the treated water contained in the air that has passed through the filling materials 2A and 2B can be recovered, thereby preventing the treated water from flowing out of the exhaust port 9.

[0047] The bottom of cooling tower 1A includes: a water storage tank 16 for recycling treated water; and a drain pipe 17 for discharging treated water from the water storage tank 16. Treated water cooled by external gas or captured by a separator while flowing down along the packing materials 2A and 2B is collected in the water storage tank 16 and discharged to the outside of cooling tower 1A through the drain pipe 17. The discharged treated water is reused as cooling water for building air conditioning or heating / cooling equipment.

[0048] (Filling material)

[0049] Filler materials 2A and 2B are composed of multiple sheet-like filler materials. For example... Figure 2 As shown in (A) and (B), the plate-shaped filler material 2A has uneven surfaces to form a water flow path 18. The uneven surface of the plate-shaped filler material increases the contact area between the water and air, thereby improving cooling efficiency.

[0050] From the perspective of improving the contact efficiency between treated water and external gas, the filler materials 2A and 2B are usually plate-shaped, but they can also be prismatic or other shapes. The plate-shaped filler materials 2A and 2B are usually made of synthetic resins such as rigid polyvinyl chloride or metals as raw materials and molded into various shapes.

[0051] And, as Figure 3 As shown, multiple plate-shaped filler materials 2A are arranged side by side, and ventilation channels 19 are formed in the gaps between the filler materials 2A. Processing water flowing down the surface of the filler materials 2A comes into contact with air passing through the ventilation channels 19, thereby partially vaporizing and cooling the processing water. Additionally, in Figure 2 and Figure 3 The text describes the filling material 2A, but the filling material 2B is also configured to be symmetrical to the filling material 2A.

[0052] The filling materials 2A and 2B of the present invention each have an identification portion 3, and the cooling tower 1A has an identification portion 4 for identifying the presence of the identification portion 3. This allows it to be determined whether the filling material is correctly placed in the cooling tower. The identification portion 3 and the identification portion 4 only need to have the function of identifying the placement state of the filling material; for example, they can have a physical shape-based identification function (e.g., keys and keyholes), or the placement state of the filling material can be identified by a camera such as an optical sensor.

[0053] Furthermore, the marking section 3 may also record information related to the types of filling materials 2A and 2B. The identification section 4 reads the information related to the types of filling materials from the marking section 3 to identify the types of filling materials. Thus, the cooling tower 1A of the present invention can identify the types of filling materials, thereby enabling the management of the operation of the cooling tower corresponding to the types of filling materials.

[0054] Information related to the type of filling material identified by the marking unit 3 includes, for example, the manufacturer, model, batch number, and manufacturing date. The marking unit 3 can distinguish between filling materials manufactured by the cooling tower provider (standard filling materials) and filling materials manufactured by a manufacturer other than the cooling tower provider (non-standard filling materials), or it can distinguish the model number of standard filling materials.

[0055] Information related to the type of filler material in the identification section 3 can be provided using, for example, IC tags or barcodes. Alternatively, the type of filler material can be identified by its physical shape, similar to keys and keyholes.

[0056] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown in (A), the marking part 3 can be positioned at the upper right corner or upper left corner of the filling material, or it can be positioned in the center. For a single sheet of filling material, the marking part 3 is not limited to being placed in one location; it can be placed in multiple locations. Naturally, placing it in multiple locations improves the recognition accuracy of the marking part.

[0057] Regarding the identification section 3, each sheet of filler material may have one identification section, or the stacked filler materials 2A and 2B may each have one identification section 3 as a representative. Alternatively, a single identification section 3 may be used to represent a cooling tower.

[0058] (Cooling fan)

[0059] Cooling fan 2 is a structure used to create airflow inside cooling tower 1A. For example... Figure 1 As indicated by the blackened arrow, if the cooling fan 2 is driven, the air inside the cooling tower 1A is discharged from the exhaust port 9, thereby allowing external gas to flow in from the air supply port 10. The incoming external gas flows through the filling materials 2A and 2B before flowing to the exhaust port 9.

[0060] The drive unit 6 for driving the cooling fan 2 can be, for example, a motor. The drive unit 6 is not particularly limited as long as it can drive the cooling fan 2; however, it is preferable, for example, to use an inverter or similar means to perform output control to keep the exhaust volume constant. By quantitatively controlling the exhaust volume, the treated water can be cooled stably.

[0061] The drive unit 6 of the cooling fan 2 includes: a detection unit 7 for detecting the operating status; and a prediction unit 8 for predicting the state of the filling materials 2A and 2B based on the detection results of the detection unit 7. Furthermore, the prediction unit 8 includes a function adjustment unit 12, which adjusts the function of the prediction unit 8 according to the information of the marking unit 3 on the filling materials.

[0062] (Testing Department)

[0063] The detection unit 7 is a structure used to acquire information related to the blockage of the filler material in the drive unit 6. The information related to the blockage of the filler material in the drive unit 6 refers to indicators representing the load of the quantitatively controlled cooling fan 2, such as the motor current value of the drive unit 6 or the temperature of the drive unit 6. From the viewpoint of quickly detecting the load of the cooling fan 2, detecting the motor current value is preferable.

[0064] In the first embodiment, the detection unit 7 acquires, for example, the motor current value of the drive unit 6 of the cooling fan 2, which is quantitatively controlled, as a detection result. If the filler materials 2A and 2B become blocked, the exhaust volume of the cooling fan 2 will decrease, and therefore the load on the drive unit 6 will increase, which will cause the motor current value to rise. Therefore, in the prediction unit 8, the blockage status of the filler materials can be predicted using the detection results obtained by the detection unit 7.

[0065] The abnormal operation of the cooling fan 2 can also be monitored by the motor current value of the drive unit 6. Therefore, by setting the prediction unit 8, the abnormality detection of the cooling fan 2 and the blockage detection of the filling material can be performed simultaneously by using the motor current value of the drive unit 6.

[0066] (Forecasting Department)

[0067] The prediction unit 8 uses the detection results obtained by the detection unit 7 to predict the blockage status of the packing material. The method for predicting the state of the packing material is not particularly limited; for example, it can be a method that pre-determines the state of the packing material relative to the motor current value and predicts that the packing material is in a state requiring maintenance when a predetermined motor current value is reached; or a method that predicts that the packing material is in a state requiring maintenance when the motor current value has increased from the value immediately after replacement or cleaning. By providing the prediction unit 8, information related to the blockage status of the packing material can be easily obtained.

[0068] The prediction unit 8 can notify customers or maintenance companies of the predicted filling material status via a display screen or information. For example, information obtained by the prediction unit 8 regarding the blockage status of the filling material can be notified to managers or other users via wired or wireless communication, or it can be displayed on the operation terminal at the field site.

[0069] (Function Adjustment Department)

[0070] The function adjustment unit 12 adjusts the function of the prediction unit 8 based on the information from the marking unit 3 on the filling material. For example, if filling materials 2A and 2B are installed in the cooling tower 1A, the marking unit 3 on the filling material and the identification unit 4 of the cooling tower 1A identify whether the filling material is correctly installed, and adjust the prediction unit 8 to function according to this information. Thus, if the filling material is not installed correctly, the function of the prediction unit 8 is stopped or limited, thereby preventing the cooling tower from malfunctioning.

[0071] Furthermore, the identification unit 4 reads information from the identification unit 3 related to the type of filling material and adjusts the prediction unit 8 to function accordingly. Thus, in cases where non-standard filling materials are used, the function of the prediction unit 8 is stopped or limited, thereby preventing operational malfunctions in the cooling tower. In other words, by correctly setting the filling material or using standard filling materials, the prediction unit can make accurate predictions about the state of the filling material, thus providing a cooling tower that can accurately manage cleaning frequency or filling material replacement periods and suppress increases in management costs.

[0072] [Second Implementation]

[0073] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a cooling tower 1B according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The cooling tower 1B of the second embodiment removes the detection unit 7, the prediction unit 8, and the function adjustment unit 12 from the cooling tower 1A of the first embodiment, and includes: an identification unit 3 for identifying the type of filling material; an identification unit 4 for reading information related to the type of filling material from the identification unit 3; and a management unit 5 for managing the state of the filling material based on the information obtained from the identification unit 4. Other structures are the same as those of the cooling tower 1A of the first embodiment, and therefore descriptions are omitted.

[0074] (Management Department)

[0075] Information related to the type of packing material read by the identification unit 4 is sent to the management unit 5. The management unit 5 is a structure for managing the status of the packing material according to its type. Packing material status management includes maintenance-related management such as replacement period or cleaning frequency, as well as management related to operational control to prevent precipitation, such as adjusting the supply of treated water or external gas. Furthermore, when using non-standard packing material, it can be excluded from management, thus stopping replacement period management, or the replacement period can be managed using the period for non-standard packing material. Stopping replacement period management prevents cooling tower malfunctions caused by the incorrect use of non-standard materials. Moreover, by managing the replacement period using the period for non-standard packing material, replacement can be prompted within a shorter period than that for standard packing material, ensuring stable operation.

[0076] In the status management of the packing material in Management Unit 5, information related to the blockage of the packing material or the precipitation of treated water can be utilized.

[0077] Information related to the blockage of the filling material refers to information indicating the blockage status of the filling material. Examples include: the detection results of the detection unit 7 that detects the operation of the drive unit 6 of the cooling fan 2, and the pressure difference between the front and rear sections of the airflow direction of the filling material.

[0078] Information related to the precipitation of treated water refers to information that affects the precipitation of treated water, such as the temperature of the treated water, the ion concentration of the treated water, and the temperature or humidity of the external gas.

[0079] By utilizing information related to clogging of the packing material or precipitation of treated water, the state of the packing material can be managed more precisely.

[0080] The packing material can have various shapes, and depending on the surface shape, the areas that are easy to dry also differ. Therefore, in the maintenance of the packing material, it is necessary to determine the cleaning or replacement frequency based on the type of packing material. According to the cooling tower and packing material of the present invention, the type of packing material installed in the cooling tower can be identified, thereby enabling management corresponding to its type.

[0081] Information related to the maintenance of the cooling tower, such as the replacement period or cleaning frequency of the packing material, or information related to operational control to prevent precipitation, obtained from Management Department 5, can be communicated to managers and other users via wired or wireless communication, or displayed on the on-site operation terminal. Furthermore, automatic operation control of the cooling tower can be performed based on this management-related information.

[0082] [Third Implementation Method]

[0083] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a cooling tower 1C according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The cooling tower 1C of the third embodiment removes the identification unit 4, the marking unit 3, and the function adjustment unit 12 from the cooling tower 1A of the first embodiment, and includes a management unit 5. This management unit 5 manages the state of the packing material using information related to the blockage status of the packing material obtained by the prediction unit 8. Other structures are the same as those of the cooling tower 1A of the first embodiment, and therefore descriptions are omitted.

[0084] According to the cooling tower 1C of the third embodiment, information related to the clogging status of the packing material is sent to the management unit 5, thereby enabling its use in management related to packing material maintenance, such as replacement period or cleaning frequency, or in management related to operation control to prevent precipitation. For example, in the management unit 5, the motor current value of the drive unit 6 is used to monitor the clogging status of the packing material and determine the maintenance period for the packing material, such as cleaning or replacement. This allows for accurate management of the packing material.

[0085] In Management Unit 5, after determining the maintenance period for the packing material, such as cleaning or replacement, it can notify customers or maintenance companies through displays or information. For example, information related to packing material maintenance, such as replacement periods or cleaning frequencies, or information related to operational control to prevent precipitation, obtained from Management Unit 5 can be communicated to managers or other users via wired or wireless communication. This information can also be displayed on the on-site operation terminals. Furthermore, automatic operation control of the cooling tower can be performed based on this management-related information.

[0086] [Fourth Implementation Method]

[0087] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a cooling tower 1D according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The cooling tower 1D of the fourth embodiment is formed by providing a detection unit 7 and a prediction unit 8 to the cooling tower 1B of the second embodiment. Other structures are the same as those of the cooling tower 1B of the second embodiment, and therefore descriptions are omitted.

[0088] According to the cooling tower 1D of the fourth embodiment, information related to the clogging status of the packing material obtained by the prediction unit 8 is sent to the management unit 5. This information, along with information related to the type of packing material or the precipitation of treated water, can be used in management related to packing material maintenance, such as the replacement period or cleaning frequency. For example, in the management unit 5, in the management of the cooling tower corresponding to the type of packing material, the timing of packing material maintenance, such as cleaning or replacement, can be accurately managed based on the clogging status of the packing material predicted from the motor current value of the drive unit 6.

[0089] The cooling tower of the present invention can be used in the treatment of cooling liquids. Specifically, it can be used for cooling water in air conditioning or heating / cooling equipment in buildings.

[0090] Furthermore, the cooling tower and filling material of the present invention can be used for accurate management corresponding to the type of filling material.

Claims

1. A cooling tower for cooling liquids, characterized in that, have: Drive unit, drives the cooling fan; The detection unit detects the operating status of the drive unit; The prediction unit predicts the state of the filling material based on the detection results of the detection unit; and Filler material, The filling material has an identification section for identifying the setting status or type of the filling material. The function of the prediction unit is stopped or limited based on the information obtained from the identification unit.

2. The cooling tower according to claim 1, characterized in that, The status of the filling material predicted by the prediction unit is notified to the user.

3. A cooling tower for cooling liquids, characterized in that, have: Filler material; and The prediction unit predicts the state of the filling material. The filling material has an identification section for identifying the setting state or type of the filling material, and the function of the prediction section is stopped or limited based on the information in the identification section.

4. A method for managing a cooling tower, the cooling tower being used to cool liquid, the method being characterized by comprising the following steps: The identification step involves identifying the setting status or type of the filling material through the markings on the filling material. Prediction steps include predicting the state of the filler material; and The function adjustment step stops or limits the function of the prediction step based on the information obtained in the identification step.

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