Countercurrent Cooling Tower Gas Flow Guides
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling devices for hot bulk materials, such as ring drop-down and ring wiper coolers, inefficiently utilize waste heat as the exhaust air temperature decreases constantly, limiting the effectiveness of heat recovery.
Innovation Solution
The cooling device features multiple radially inward gas flow guides with outlets arranged on the underside, creating a countercurrent gas flow through the cooling tower, and a blower-based gas conveying system, minimizing leakage losses and optimizing waste heat utilization by arranging the discharge device in the upper area and the feed device as a rotary chute for better material distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If cross-flow coolers (ring drop-down or ring wiper coolers) are used, then the cooling function is provided, but the waste heat utilization efficiency is reduced due to decreasing exhaust air temperature and mixing of hot and warm exhaust air
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional cooling approach by implementing countercurrent flow where cold air enters at the top and hot bulk material moves downward, allowing the coldest air to contact the hottest material. This reversal optimizes heat exchange efficiency and maintains high exhaust air temperature throughout the cooling process, thereby improving waste heat utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling tower is divided into multiple cooling zones with gas flow guides arranged at different heights and radial positions. This segmentation creates multiple countercurrent flow paths, ensuring efficient heat exchange throughout the entire tower volume and preventing mixing of hot and warm exhaust air, thus maximizing waste heat recovery.
2Loss of energy
If multiple gas flow guides are arranged radially inwards in the cooling tower, then countercurrent gas flow is achieved improving heat exchange, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gas flow guides serve multiple functions simultaneously: they distribute cold air radially inward, create countercurrent flow patterns, divide the cooling tower into efficient zones, and maintain structural support. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity despite the sophisticated flow arrangement.
3Reliability
If the outlets of gas flow guides are arranged on the underside, then the risk of outlets becoming clogged is minimized, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The underside outlet arrangement allows the natural flow of gas and bulk material to self-clean the outlet openings. The countercurrent flow pattern and material movement automatically prevent debris accumulation, eliminating the need for additional cleaning mechanisms or complex outlet designs, thus maintaining ease of manufacture while improving reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enhances waste heat utilization efficiency, reduces mechanical components, and requires less cooling air, resulting in a more efficient and cost-effective cooling process with improved heat recovery across the entire cooling tower.
Implementation Method 1
the gas flow guides are arranged in the central area of the cooling tower as seen in the direction of the main axis and the discharge device is arranged in the upper area of the cooling tower, so that the gas flow in the cooling tower located hot bulk material flows through from bottom to top
Implementation Method 2
the hot bulk material is cooled by means of a gas flow
Implementation Method 3
a plurality of gas flow guides are arranged in the cooling tower, which, starting from inlets arranged in the outer wall of the tower, extend radially inwards towards the main axis
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4
AI summary
A cooling device for hot bulk material (1) has a cooling tower (2) with a vertical main axis (3), said hot bulk material (1) being cooled in the cooling tower by means of a gas flow (4). The device has a feeding device (5) by means of which the hot bulk material (1) is poured into the cooling tower (2) from above such that the hot bulk material (1) is accumulated in the cooling tower (2). The device has a removing device (7) by means of which the bulk material (1) in the cold state is removed from below from the cooling tower (2) such that the bulk material (1) that remains in the cooling tower (2) slides downward. The device has a gas delivering device (8) by means of which the gas flow (4) is delivered through the cooling tower (2). The device has a discharging device (9) via which the gas flow (4) is discharged from the cooling tower (2). The cooling tower (2) is equipped with a plurality of gas flow guides (13) which extend radially inwards towards the main axis (3) starting from inlets (14) that lie in the tower outer wall (6). The gas flow guides (13) are designed as elongated guides that have outlets (15) for the gas flow (4) along the guide length when viewed in the respective extending direction of the guide such that the gas flow (4) is led into the hot bulk material (1) that is located in the cooling tower (2). The gas flow guides (13) lie in the central region (16) of the cooling tower (2) when viewed in the direction of the main axis (3), and the discharging device (9) lies in the upper region of the cooling tower (2). The gas flow (4) thus flows through the hot bulk material (1) that is located in the cooling tower (2) from bottom to top.