Cooling Tower Fill Pack Beveled Edge Design
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current trickle fill designs for cooling towers experience flooding issues at the interface between stacked packs, leading to increased pressure drop and reduced airflow, especially under high water loading and airflow conditions, which limits the tower's capacity and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The use of open mesh members with corrugations, beveled edges, and planar edges that are secured through connection members, facilitating a chevron or herringbone arrangement to ensure continuous water flow and reduce entrainment, thereby minimizing flooding at the interface between stacked fill packs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional trickle fill designs are used, then water flow surface area is provided, but flooding occurs at the interface between stacked packs leading to increased pressure drop
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing different edge configurations at different locations of the fill packs. The beveled edge is positioned at the interface between stacked packs to prevent flooding, while the planar edge is positioned at the top and bottom surfaces to maintain water flow distribution. This localized differentiation resolves the contradiction by addressing the flooding problem at the interface without compromising the overall water flow surface area.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs asymmetry by using non-symmetric edge configurations (beveled vs. planar) at different positions of the fill pack. The beveled edge creates an asymmetric geometry at the interface that prevents water from pooling and flooding, thereby reducing pressure drop while maintaining the required water flow surface area through the asymmetric arrangement of flow paths.
2Productivity
If higher water loading rate is used to increase cooling capacity, then more water is processed, but flooding at the interface is exacerbated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by incorporating the beveled edge configuration in advance at the interface between stacked packs. This pre-designed geometric feature creates an inherent resistance to flooding before it occurs, allowing the system to handle higher water loading rates without experiencing interface flooding. The beveled edge proactively prevents the harmful effect of flooding, enabling increased cooling capacity with maintained reliability.
3Productivity
If higher airflow is used to increase cooling tower capacity, then more heat is expelled, but pressure drop increases due to flooding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by positioning the beveled edge specifically at the interface region where flooding occurs, while maintaining planar edges at the top and bottom surfaces. This localized modification allows higher airflow rates to pass through without being impeded by interface flooding, thereby increasing heat expulsion capacity without proportionally increasing pressure drop.
4Strength
If mechanical connections are used to assemble fill packs, then structural integrity is achieved, but complexity of assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the connection function into the edge structures themselves by forming integral connection features (such as interlocking profiles or attachment points) as part of the beveled and planar edges. This integration reduces assembly complexity by combining the structural connection requirement with the existing edge geometry, while maintaining the necessary structural integrity through the unified design.
Data Source
AI summary
An open mesh member for insertion into a cooling tower utilizing polluted or clean water and counterflow or crossflow airflow includes a plurality of corrugations including upper support frames, lower support frames and a wall strand. The upper and lower support frames extend at a corrugation angle relative to a height axis. The corrugations have a plurality of openings through a thickness of the mesh member. A planar edge positioned at a first end of the mesh member. A beveled edge positioned at a second end of the mesh member. The beveled edge includes a first bevel extending distally from one of the upper support frames. The bevel includes first and second legs and a distal end. The first and second legs extend substantially parallel relative to the associated upper support frame.