Hybrid Fluid Cooler Nozzle Layout for Low Pressure Drop
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cooling tower designs face limitations in air and water distribution over coils, leading to suboptimal thermal performance, particularly due to pressure drops and uneven liquid distribution at the outboard portions of the coil.
Innovation Solution
The hybrid fluid cooler incorporates a unique liquid distribution system with extended intermediate basin nozzles that create a dry plenum zone, allowing improved air entry and minimizing pressure drops, while the nozzles are designed to evenly disperse cooling water over the indirect heat exchange section, enhancing thermal performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If air flow travels through the spray liquid at the outboard nozzle location, then cooling effect is enhanced, but pressure drop increases and liquid distribution becomes uneven
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is divided into two separate sections: a direct evaporative cooling section and an indirect heat exchange section. The direct section handles the spray cooling with dedicated air flow, while the indirect section receives cooled water for heat exchange, preventing air from traveling through spray liquid at outboard locations and reducing pressure drop while maintaining cooling effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
Cooled water from the direct evaporative section serves as an intermediary medium to transfer cooling effect to the indirect heat exchange section. This mediator approach allows the cooling function to be achieved without requiring air to travel through spray liquid in the indirect section, thereby reducing pressure drop while maintaining thermal performance.
2Temperature
If air flow travels through the spray liquid at the outboard nozzle location, then cooling effect is enhanced, but liquid distribution becomes uneven
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the cooling functions into direct evaporative cooling and indirect heat exchange. The direct section with optimized nozzle placement and air flow patterns ensures uniform liquid distribution, while the indirect section receives pre-cooled water, eliminating the liquid distribution unevenness problem that would occur if air flowed through spray liquid at outboard locations.
3Device complexity
If conventional cocurrent flow arrangement is used, then system simplicity is maintained, but heat exchange efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional cocurrent flow arrangement by implementing countercurrent flow in the indirect heat exchange section, where cool water from the direct section flows upward through serpentine conduits while air flows downward. This inversion maximizes the temperature difference between fluids throughout the heat exchange process, significantly improving heat transfer efficiency while maintaining reasonable system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the flow direction parameters from cocurrent to countercurrent in the indirect heat exchange section. This parameter change optimizes the temperature gradient along the heat exchange path, ensuring that the coldest water and coldest fluid are in thermal interchange during final cooling stages, thereby maximizing heat transfer efficiency.
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 design improves thermal performance by reducing pressure drops and ensuring better air and water distribution, leading to increased heat transfer efficiency and reduced water 'pull back' at the coil inlet, thereby enhancing cooling efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
minimizing pressure drops associated with the air flow traveling through the spray liquid
Implementation Method 2
enhancing thermal performance by ensuring even water distribution
Implementation Method 3
Crossflowing air currents are pulled through the apparatus to evaporatively cool the water not only in the upper cooling section
Implementation Method 4
Countercurrent flow of coolant water and fluid to be collected ensures that the coldest water and coldest fluid are in thermal interchange during the final stages of fluid cooling
Data Source
AI summary
A hybrid fluid cooler or tower that provides enhanced cooler performance by improving air and water distribution to the indirect heat exchange section by utilizing extended flow nozzles.