Cooling tower

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to reduce so-called dead zones in a cooling tower caused by the placement of a filler in the cooling tower, and to provide a cooling tower in which the size of the cooling tower is minimized and the degree of freedom in the design of the size and shape of the filler is improved by minimizing the dead zones as much as possible. In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides a cooling tower and a cooling liquid for the cooling tower, characterized in that the filler of the cooling tower is formed by overlapping an upper filler for counterflow and a lower filler for crossflow without gaps.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-101376 filed on June 21, 2023. The entire contents of the Japanese Patent Application are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to a cooling tower which cools water by bringing water into contact with air and taking away evaporation heat by gasification of water. Background Art

[0003] The cooling tower allows cooling water to fall into the air flow and evaporates part of the water in contact with the air, thereby reducing the water temperature. The treated water to be cooled flows down along the surface of the filling material in the cooling tower and directly contacts the external air guided into the tower by the exhaust fan. The treated water contacts the external air while flowing along the surface of the filling material. Through the filling material, the treated water efficiently contacts the external air, and part of the treated water evaporates, thereby reducing the temperature of the remaining treated water.

[0004] This type of cooling tower is classified into a counter-flow type and a cross-flow type, depending on the flow direction of the treated water flowing in the plumb direction on the surface of the filling material and the flow direction of the sucked external air.

[0005] In a counterflow cooling tower, while the treated water flows downward from top to bottom along the surface of a member constituting the filler, it is cooled by external air flowing in a direction opposite to the flow direction of the treated water.

[0006] In a cross-flow cooling tower, treated water flows downward along the surface of the member constituting the filler material, similar to a counter-flow cooling tower, but is cooled by external air flowing in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the treated water.

[0007] Patent document 1 discloses a cooling tower in which backflow fillers are arranged on both sides of the tower body of the cooling tower, an air intake is formed on the tower body facing the outer side thereof, and a crossflow filler is provided in the space below the air supply fan.

[0008] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-311690

[0009] like Figure 5 As shown in the figure, the lower part of the tower body of the counterflow cooling tower surrounded by the lower end of the filling material and the air supply louver becomes the space for introducing external air, which is the so-called dead zone. In order to increase the contact time or contact area between water and air in order to improve the cooling capacity, it is necessary to lengthen the filling material in the height direction or width direction. Therefore, there are the following problems: the former case will cause the cooling tower to become higher, and the latter case will cause the installation area of ​​the cooling tower to become larger. Summary of the invention

[0010] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cooling tower which can maintain the miniaturization of the cooling tower and improve the degree of freedom in designing the size and shape of the filling material by utilizing the dead space in the counterflow cooling tower.

[0011] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following means. That is, the invention involved in one embodiment of the present invention is a cooling tower, which cools liquid, characterized in that the filling material of the cooling tower is formed by overlapping the upper counterflow filling material and the lower crossflow filling material without a gap.

[0012] According to this aspect, the cross-flow filler is overlapped and provided without gap in the space below the counter-flow filler. Thus, the dead space in the cooling tower can be minimized.

[0013] In the cooling tower of the above aspect, the filling material may be formed by overlapping an upper counterflow filling material and a lower crossflow filling material, and an air-permeable member may be interposed between the counterflow filling material and the crossflow filling material.

[0014] When stacking the countercurrent packing material and the cross-flow packing material, a gap may be generated depending on the supporting structure of the packing material. By inserting an air-permeable member into the gap, cooling of the treated water can also be expected in the gap, wherein the air-permeable member is composed of a sheet or other porous member that can exchange heat with the treated water like the packing material and has air permeability.

[0015] In the cooling tower of the above-mentioned method, the air-permeable component can be ventilated in any direction of the vertical direction or the horizontal direction. That is, the air-permeable component is inserted into the gap when the countercurrent filling material and the cross-flow filling material are stacked. The air-permeable component that can be expected to cool the treated water can be a component that ventilates in a countercurrent manner or a component that ventilates in a cross-flow manner.

[0016] Thus, in the gap generated by the supporting structure of the filling material, it is possible to select either the cooling effect by the counterflow or the cooling effect by the crossflow.

[0017] In the cooling tower of the above aspect, the cross flow filler may be divided into two and provided at both sides of the tower body so as to face each other, and a space may be formed on the facing surfaces.

[0018] Thus, a space without pressure loss can be provided below the counterflow filler between the crossflow fillers disposed on both sides of the tower body in a mutually opposing manner. This space can be used to adjust the balance of design items such as the capacity of the exhaust fan, the specific surface area of ​​the filler required for cooling, and the pressure loss caused by the filler.

[0019] According to the present invention, a cooling tower can be provided which can improve the design and arrangement freedom of filling materials and improve the cooling capacity while maintaining the miniaturization of the cooling tower by minimizing the dead space caused by the internal structure of the counterflow cooling tower or the crossflow cooling tower. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the structure of a cooling tower according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 It is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the structure of a cooling tower according to the second or third embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 3 It is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the structure of a cooling tower according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 4 It is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the structure of a cooling tower according to a modified example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a counterflow cooling tower.

[0025] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a cross-flow cooling tower.

[0026] In the figure: 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E-cooling tower, 11-tower body, 12-exhaust port, 13-spraying device, 14-water tank, 15-exhaust fan, 16a, 16b-air supply port, 17a, 17b-louver, 21-filling material for countercurrent, 22, 22a, 22b-filling material for crossflow, 23-ventilation component, 31-water supply pipe, 32-drain pipe. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Hereinafter, embodiments of a cooling tower and a filling material according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0028] In addition, the cooling tower described in the embodiment is only an example for explaining the cooling tower according to the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this.

[0029] In this specification, treated water refers to water that is cooled in a cooling tower, that is, water that is received from outside the cooling tower and then circulated outside the cooling tower as cooling water. In addition, an exhaust fan is a blower that guides the air in the tower to create an air flow that introduces external air from an air supply port provided in the tower body and exhausts the air in the tower to the outside of the tower.

[0030] The main purpose of a cooling tower is not particularly limited as long as it is a device for cooling a liquid, and examples thereof include cooling cooling water for air conditioning, cooling lubricating oil for a production process, or cooling cooling water for a furnace.

[0031] [First embodiment]

[0032] Below, reference Figure 1 , a cooling tower 10A according to the first embodiment will be described.

[0033] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a cooling tower according to the first embodiment of the present invention. A cooling tower is a device for bringing treated water into contact with air so that a portion of the treated water evaporates and the heat of vaporization is used to cool the treated water itself. In the cooling tower 10A according to the first embodiment, treated water flows down toward the cross-flow filling material 22 after passing through the counter-flow filling material 21 and reaches the water tank 14. External air flowing in from the air supply ports 16a and 16b provided on the side of the cooling tower is attracted into the tower in a manner that crosses the cross-flow filling material 22. Afterwards, the external air changes its flow direction and flows toward the exhaust fan 15 and is discharged from the exhaust port 12 after passing through the counter-flow filling material 21.

[0034] like Figure 1 As shown, the cooling tower 10A includes a tower body 11, an exhaust port 12, and a water tank 14. An exhaust fan 15, a water supply pipe 31, a backflow filler 21, and a crossflow filler 22 are provided inside the tower body 11. There is no gap between the backflow filler 21 and the crossflow filler 22. Air supply ports 16a and 16b for introducing external air are provided on the side of the tower body 11.

[0035] The water supply pipe 31 is a pipe for introducing the treated water supplied from the outside into the tower. A plurality of spray devices 13 are provided at predetermined intervals in the tower interior portion of the water supply pipe 31. The treated water falls from the spray devices 13 into the tower.

[0036] The tower body 11 is the outer shell of the cooling tower. The shape of the outer shell is rectangular, circular or polygonal, etc. The exhaust port 12 is an opening for discharging the external gas entering the tower to the outside of the cooling tower. An exhaust fan 15 is provided below the exhaust port 12. A water supply pipe 31 for supplying treated water to the cooling tower 10A is arranged below the exhaust fan 15. A backflow filling material is provided below the water supply pipe 31. A crossflow filling material 22 is provided without leaving a gap below the backflow filling material 21. A water tank 14 for receiving treated water is provided at the lower part of the crossflow filling material 22.

[0037] In the cooling tower 10A, the counterflow filler 21 and the crossflow filler are stacked and supported without any gap.

[0038] The backflow filler 21 and the crossflow filler 22 may be supported from below by a structural member formed of a steel section, or may be suspended and supported from above by a structural member such as a steel section or a round steel bar.

[0039] The treated water is introduced into the cooling tower 10A via the water supply pipe 31 and sprayed into the tower from a plurality of spraying devices 13. The treated water sprayed into the tower falls on the countercurrent filler 21. The treated water that has passed through the countercurrent filler 21 passes through the crossflow filler 22 disposed below the countercurrent filler 21 and then reaches the water tank 14. The water tank 14 is provided with a drain pipe 32, which serves as an outlet for draining the cooled treated water to a location where cooling water is required. The discharged treated water is recycled and reused as cooling water for air conditioning or heating and cooling equipment of the building.

[0040] Air supply ports 16a and 16b for introducing external air are provided on two mutually opposing side surfaces of the tower body of the cooling tower 10A. The air inside the cooling tower 10A is discharged from the exhaust port 12 by using the exhaust fan 15 provided below the exhaust port 12, so that the external air is introduced into the interior of the cooling tower 10A from the air supply ports 16a and 16b. The introduced external air passes through the cross-flow packing material 22 and the counter-flow packing material 21, and at the same time, heat is exchanged with the treated water flowing on the surfaces of the plurality of sheet-like members constituting the cross-flow packing material 22 and the counter-flow packing material 21, thereby cooling the treated water.

[0041] The air supply ports 16a and 16b are provided with louvers 17a and 17b. The louvers 17a and 17b can adjust the flow direction of the introduced external air so that the external air evenly passes through the surface of the cross flow filler 22. The louvers 17a and 17b can prevent foreign matter from entering from the outside.

[0042] The exhaust port 12 is an opening for discharging external air including a part of the treated water evaporated by contact with the air, i.e., steam, to the outside of the cooling tower. A separator capable of removing water droplets contained in the air may be provided between the countercurrent packing material 21 and the exhaust port 12. By providing the separator, a part of the treated water contained in the air that has passed through the crossflow packing material 22 and the countercurrent packing material 21 can be recovered, thereby preventing the treated water from flowing out of the exhaust port 12 along with the exhaust flow.

[0043] (Filling material)

[0044] The countercurrent filling material 21 and the crosscurrent filling material 22 are composed of a plurality of sheet-like components not shown. The sheet-like components have a structure with concave and convex surfaces, such as honeycomb panels or corrugated plastics, so that the ratio of the surface area of ​​the sheet-like components to the volume of the filling material (i.e., specific surface area) is increased. By making the surface of the sheet-like components have such concave and convex, the contact area between the treated water and the air can be increased to improve the cooling efficiency, so the value of the specific surface area also becomes an indicator of the cooling capacity of the cooling tower.

[0045] From the viewpoint of improving the contact efficiency between the treated water and the external air, the shape of the countercurrent packing material 21 and the crosscurrent packing material 22 is usually sheet-shaped, but can also be prism-shaped, etc. The material of the countercurrent packing material 21 and the crosscurrent packing material 22 is usually a synthetic resin represented by hard polyvinyl chloride or metal, and is molded into various shapes.

[0046] The backflow filler 21 and the crossflow filler 22 may be integrally formed as a whole, or may be formed by arranging a plurality of unit fillers in the horizontal direction or in the vertical direction.

[0047] (Exhaust fan)

[0048] The exhaust fan 15 is a structure for forming an air flow inside the cooling tower 10A. When the exhaust fan 15 is driven, the air inside the cooling tower 10A is exhausted from the exhaust port 12, thereby, the external air flows in from the air supply ports 16a and 16b. The inflowing external air passes through the crossflow packing material 22 and the counterflow packing material 21 and then flows to the exhaust port 12.

[0049] The driving unit for driving the exhaust fan 15 may be, for example, a motor. The driving unit is not particularly limited as long as it can drive the exhaust fan 15, but it is preferred that output control be performed to keep the exhaust volume constant, for example, by using an inverter. By quantitatively controlling the exhaust volume, the treated water can be stably cooled.

[0050] [Second embodiment]

[0051] Below, reference Figure 2A cooling tower 10B according to the second embodiment will be described. Figure 2 It is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the structure of a cooling tower according to the second or third embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] The packing material of the cooling tower 10B according to the second embodiment is provided such that an air-permeable member 23 is interposed between a backflow packing material 21 and a crossflow packing material 22 .

[0053] The other structures are the same as those of the cooling tower 10A according to the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

[0054] When the countercurrent filling material 21 and the crosscurrent filling material 22 are stacked in the tower body 11 of the cooling tower 10B, gaps may sometimes occur due to design considerations such as the supporting structure of the countercurrent filling material 21 and the crosscurrent filling material 22, the space inside the tower body 11, the dimensions in the height direction, and the dimensions of the filling materials.

[0055] Even when such a gap is generated, by inserting an air-permeable component, a certain degree of cooling of the treated water can be expected when the treated water passes through the air-permeable component 23. The air-permeable component is composed of a sheet-like or other porous body that can exchange heat with the treated water like the filling material and has air permeability.

[0056] The location where the cooling tower is installed may have design constraints on the outer shape or internal structure of the cooling tower due to limitations on the installation area or height, the arrangement or size of the air supply port based on the conditions of the surrounding space, etc. Even in this case, by adjusting the size of the air-permeable member 23, the arrangement freedom of the counterflow filling material 21 and the crossflow filling material 22 can be increased, and the dead zone can be minimized.

[0057] [Third embodiment]

[0058] The shape of the cooling tower according to the third embodiment is Figure 2 The cooling tower 10B shown is identical.

[0059] The air-permeable member 23 of the cooling tower 10B of the third embodiment may be configured as a backflow filler or a crossflow filler.

[0060] The other structures are the same as those of the cooling tower 10B of the second embodiment.

[0061] From a design point of view, the air-permeable member 23 can be selected to provide a cooling effect based on a backflow or a cooling effect based on a crossflow.

[0062] When the air-permeable member 23 is used as the backflow filling material, the backflow filling material 21 disposed at the upper portion is added in the height direction, so the contact time between water and air is prolonged, and the cooling capacity can be improved more effectively compared to when the air-permeable member 23 is used as the backflow filling material. In addition, when the air-permeable member 23 is used as the backflow filling material, the uniformity of the air flowing into the backflow filling material 21 disposed at the upper portion can be improved.

[0063] [Fourth embodiment]

[0064] Below, reference Figure 3 A cooling tower 10C according to a fourth embodiment will be described. Figure 3 It is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the structure of a cooling tower according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0065] In the cooling tower 10C of the fourth embodiment, cross-flow fillers 22a and 22b are provided on both side walls of the tower body 11 below the counter-flow filler 21. A space is formed between the cross-flow fillers 22a and 22b.

[0066] The other structures are the same as those of the cooling tower 10A according to the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

[0067] In a counterflow cooling tower, the closer to the end of the counterflow filling material, the more air flows in, and the closer to the center, the less air flows in. By arranging the crossflow filling material at the bottom of the counterflow filling material, the phenomenon of the biased flow, in which the air flows less closer to the center, becomes more significant. By providing a space without pressure loss in the center of the crossflow filling material, the biased flow of air can be alleviated, thereby achieving the effect of making the air flowing into the counterflow filling material uniform.

[0068] [Other embodiments]

[0069] Below, reference Figure 4 , a cooling tower 10D according to a modified example of the fourth embodiment will be described. Figure 4 It is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the structure of a cooling tower according to a modified example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0070] In a cooling tower 10D according to a modification of the fourth embodiment, cross-flow fillers 22a and 22b are provided on both side walls of the tower body 11 below the counter-flow filler 21. A space is formed between the cross-flow fillers 22a and 22b, and the space has a substantially isosceles triangle shape.

[0071] The other structures are the same as those of the cooling tower 10A according to the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

[0072] Here, consider the streamlines of the air that flows horizontally into the tower through the air supply ports 16a and 16b and gradually flows upward while passing through the cross-flow packing materials 22a and 22b. For example, the air flowing in from the upper part of the air supply port 16a passes through the upper part of the cross-flow packing material 22a and then flows into the upper counter-flow packing material 21. On the other hand, the air flowing in from the lower part of the air supply port 16a changes its flow direction upward while passing through the lower part of the cross-flow packing material 22a. However, before flowing into the upper counter-flow packing material 21, the air passes through a longer distance in the cross-flow packing material 22a than the air flowing in from the upper part of the air supply port 16a, so the pressure loss becomes larger.

[0073] Since the portion (i.e., space) where the pressure loss of the external gas flow is reduced when flowing in the tower is substantially an isosceles triangle, it has the effect of alleviating uneven pressure loss between the air flowing in from the upper part of the air supply port 16a and the air flowing in from the lower part of the air supply port 16a.

[0074] Furthermore, this has the effect of making the air flowing into the counterflow filler uniform.

[0075] Furthermore, since the substantially isosceles triangle portion is a portion where heat exchange by the filling material cannot be expected, there is no need to provide the filling material in the substantially isosceles triangle portion, thereby achieving an effect of reducing the amount of the filling material.

[0076] Consider the streamlines of the air as the external air flows into the tower at a low level through the air supply ports 16a and 16b and gradually flows upward while passing through the cross-flow fillers 22a and 22b. For example, the air flowing in from the upper part of the air supply port 16a passes through the upper part of the cross-flow filler 22a and then flows into the upper counter-flow filler 21. On the other hand, the air flowing in from the lower part of the air supply port 16a changes its flow direction upward while passing through the lower part of the cross-flow filler 22a. Therefore, in the above-mentioned roughly isosceles triangle-shaped space, it is not easy for the air to flow, and even if there is a filler, heat exchange through gas-liquid contact cannot be expected. Therefore, by not providing fillers in the roughly isosceles triangle portion, the amount of fillers that do not contribute to the cooling capacity can be reduced.

[0077] On the other hand, the presence of the substantially isosceles triangle-shaped space can reduce the pressure loss of the entire cooling tower, thereby increasing the amount of air flowing in and making the air flowing into the counterflow filler uniform.

Claims

1. A cooling tower for cooling liquid, characterized in that: The packing material of the cooling tower is formed by overlapping a counterflow packing material on the upper side and a crossflow packing material on the lower side without any gap.

2. The cooling tower according to claim 1, characterized in that The packing material is formed by stacking an upper counterflow packing material and a lower crossflow packing material, and an air-permeable member is interposed between the counterflow packing material and the crossflow packing material.

3. The cooling tower according to claim 2, characterized in that: The air-permeable member has a structure as a backflow filler or a structure as a crossflow filler.

4. The cooling tower according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The cross-flow filler is divided into two and is disposed at two side portions of the tower body, respectively, and faces each other, and a space is formed on the facing surface sides.

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