Effective Thermal Design Of Cooling Towers

A step-by-step approach to cooling-tower design, with an example calculation to make it clear

Jonny Goyal Air Liquide Engineering and Construction, Lurgi India

Various misconceptions arise when it comes to the thermal design of cooling towers. Sometimes related parameters, such as range, approach, effectiveness, liquid-to-gas ratio ( L/G), wet-bulb temperature, cooling water temperature, relative humidity, number of transfer units (NTU) and other terms create a confusion for the designer in effectively sizing, selecting and evaluating a particular cooling tower. This leads to inadequate design. The objective of this article is to present a stepwise understanding of how to calculate the NTU for a cooling tower, and thus to understand the basis of thermal design of counter-flow cooling towers for optimizing cost and performance.

Definitions
First, lets look at some of the basic terms and briefly describe their significance and role in cooling tower design and performance. Dry-bulb temperature. Dry-bulb temperature (tdb) usually referred to as the air temperature is the property of air that is most commonly used. When people refer to the temperature of the air, they are normally referring to its dry-bulb temperature. The dry-bulb temperature is an indicator of heat content and is shown along the bottom axis of a psychometric chart. The vertical lines extending upward from this axis are constant-temperature lines. Wet-bulb temperature. Wet-bulb temperature (twb) is the reading when the bulb of a thermometer is covered with a wet cloth, and the instrument is whirled around in a sling. The wet-bulb temperature is the lowest temperature that can be reached by evaporation of water only. Relative humidity (RH). RH is the ratio of the partial pressure of water vapor in air over the saturation vapor pressure at a given temperature. When the relative humidity is 100%, the air is saturated and therefore, water will not evaporate further. Therefore, when the RH is 100% the wet-bulb temperature is the same as the dry-bulb temperature, because the water cannot evaporate any more. Range. The range is the difference in temperature of inlet hot water ( t2) and outlet cold water (t1), t2 t1. A high cooling-tower range means that the cooling tower has been able to reduce the water temperature effectively. Approach. The approach is the difference in temperature of outlet cold water and ambient wet-bulb temperature, t1 tw. The lower the approach, the better the cooling tower performance. Although both range and approach should be monitored, the approach is a better indicator of cooling tower performance. Cooling tower capability. The capability of the cooling tower is a measure of how close the tower can bring the hot water temperature to the wet-bulb temperature of the entering air. A larger cooling tower (that is, more air or more fill) will produce a closer approach (colder outlet water) for a given heat load, flowrate and entering air condition. The lower the wet-bulb temperature, which indicates either cool air, low humidity or a combination of the two, the lower the cooling tower can cool the water. Capability tests are conducted per the ATC-105 Code of the Cooling Tower Institute (CTI; Houston; www.cti.org).

The thermal performance of the cooling tower is thus affected by the entering wet-bulb temperature. The entering air dry-bulb temperature has an insignificant effect on thermal performance. Effectiveness. A cooling towers effectiveness is quantified by the ratio of the actual range to the ideal range, that is, the difference between cooling water inlet temperature and ambient wet-bulb temperature. It is defined in terms of percentage.

Nomenclature
t2 Hot water temperature, C t1 Cold water temperature, C twb Wet-bulb temperature, C tdb Dry-bulb temperature, C td Dew point temperature, C ha Enthalpy of moist air, kJ/kg h1 Enthalpy of inlet air, kJ/kg h2 Enthalpy of exit air, kJ/kg h Enthalpy of fin, kJ/kg F Flowrate, m /h L Mass flowrate of liquid, lb/h G Mass flowrate of gas, lb/h Q Heat load, kcal/h Z Altitude above sea level, m p Barometric pressure, kPa pws Saturation pressure of water vapor, kPa pw Partial pressure of water vapor, kPa v Specific volume, m /kg W Humidity ratio, kg water/kg air Ws Humidity ratio at saturation air, kg water/kg moist air
3 3

C Constant related to cooling tower design m Slope of tower characteristic curve

(1)

Liquid-to-gas ratio (L/G). The L/G ratio of a cooling tower is the ratio of the liquid (water) mass flowrate (L) to gas (air) mass flowrate (G). Cooling towers have certain design values, but seasonal variations require adjustment and tuning of water and air flowrates to get the best cooling tower effectiveness. Number of transfer units (NTU). Also called the tower coefficient, the NTU is a numerical value that results from theoretical calculations based on a set of performance characteristics. The value of NTU is also representative of the degree of difficulty for the cooling process. The NTU corresponding to a set of hypothetical conditions is called the required coefficient and is an evaluation of the problem. The same calculations applied to a set of test conditions is called the available coefficient of the tower involved. The available coefficient is not a constant but varies with operating conditions. The operating characteristic of a cooling tower is developed from an empirical correlation that shows how the available coefficient varies with operating conditions. Cooling capacity. The cooling capacity of a tower is the heat rejected [kcal/h or TR (refrigeration tons; 1 TR = 12,000 Btu/h = 3,025.9 kcal/h)], and is determined by the product of mass flowrate of water, times the specific heat times the temperature difference.

Theory the Merkel equation

In a cooling tower operating in counter current flow, there are two basic principles involved for removing heat by the cooling water: 1.sensible heat transfer due to a difference in temperature levels 2. latent heat equivalent of the mass transfer resulting from the evaporation of a portion of the circulating water

Figure 1. The Merkel equation is derived by considering a falling water droplet surrounded by saturated air

Merkel developed the basic equation based on the above principles. The Merkel model is universally accepted for designing and rating of counter-flow cooling towers. The model is based on a drop of water falling through an upstream flow of unsaturated air at a wet-bulb temperature of twb with enthalpy hA (Figure 1), in a counter-flow cooling tower. The drop of water is assumed to be surrounded by a film of saturated air at the water temperature WTwith saturation enthalpy hW . As the drop travels downward, heat and mass transfer takes place from the interface air film to the upstream air, thereby cooling the water from hot temperature to a cold temperature. The main assumptions of Merkel theory are the following: 1. The saturated air film is at the temperature of the bulk water. 2. The saturated air film offers no resistance to heat transfer. 3. The vapor content of the air is proportional to the partial pressure of the water vapor. 4. The heat transferred from the air to the film by convection is proportional to the heat transferred from the film to the ambient air by evaporation. 5. The specific heat of the air-water vapor mixture and the heat of vaporization are constant. 6. The loss of water by evaporation is neglected. 7. The force driving heat transfer is the differential enthalpy between the saturated and bulk air.

Figure 2. This plot, known as the driving force diagram, shows the enthalpy versus temperature for water and air

Figure 3. Solving the Merkel equation (Equation 2), is usually done graphically, where the integral is equal to the area under the curve

This cooling process can best be explained on a psychometric chart, which plots enthalpy versus temperature. The process is illustrated in the so-called driving-force diagram shown in Figure 2. The air film is represented by the water operating line on the saturation curve. The main air is represented by the air operating line, the slope of which is the ratio of liquid (water) to air ( L/G). The cooling characteristic, a degree of difficulty to cooling is represented by the Merkel equation:

(2)

Where: K = overall enthalpy transfer coefficient, lb/h-ft a = Surface area per unit tower volume, ft /ft V = Effective tower volume, ft L = Water mass flowrate, lb/h Equation 2 basically says that at any point in the tower, heat and water vapor are transferred into the air due (approximately) to the difference in the enthalpy of the air at the surface of the water and the main stream of the air. Thus, the driving force at any point is the vertical distance between the two operating lines. And therefore, the performance demanded from the cooling tower is the inverse of this difference. The solution of the Merkel equation can be represented by the performance demand diagram shown in Figure 3. The KaV/L value is equal to the area under the curve, and represents the sum of NTUs defined for a cooling tower range. An increase in the entering twb moves the air operating line towards the right and upward to establish equilibrium. Both the cold water temperature (CWT) and hot water temperature (HWT) increases, while the approach decreases. The curvature of the saturation line is such that the approach decreases at a progressively slower rate as the twb increases. An increase in the heat load increases the cooling ranges and increases the length of the air operating line. To maintain equilibrium, the line shifts to the right
3 2 3 2

increasing theHWT, CWT, and approach. The increase causes the hot water temperature to increase considerably faster than does the cold water temperature. In both these cases, the KaV/L should remain constant. However, a change in L/G will change the KaV/L value.

Cooling tower design

On the basis of the above discussion, it is clear that there are five parameters that, in combination, dictate and define the performance of a cooling tower, namely: 1. Hot water temperature, HWT 2. Cold water temperature, CWT 3. Wet bulb temperature, t 4. Water mass flowrate, L 5. Air mass flowrate, G The first four parameters are determined by the user of the cooling tower. It is the fifth quantity, G, that is selected by the designer of the cooling tower. Once these five quantities are available, the tower characteristic ( KaV/L), can be calculated through the Merkel equation. The first step in designing a cooling tower is the generation of a demand curve. In this curve, the KaV/L values are plotted against varying L/G ratios. The next step is to superimpose fill-characteristic curves and demand curves. The Cooling Technology Institute has tested a variety of fill configurations and generated fill characteristic curves for each type; CTIs Technical Paper TP88_05 can be referred to in this regard. Cooling tower design is basically an iterative process. The factors that effect the selection of design L/G and consequently the fill height are: cell dimensions, water loading, air velocities across various cooling tower sections and pressure drops, and fan selection. The classical method of thermal rating of cooling towers is to estimate the ratio of liquid to gas first and then find the proper tower volume by the means of trial and error using the tower performance curve. The L/G is the most important factor in designing the cooling tower and related to the construction and operating cost of cooling tower. Finally we can summarize the importance of the L/G ratio with the following points. A high L/G ratio means: More water to less air Air is more saturated driving force is reduced More residence time of water needed Less cooling in given time
wb

 Increase in required fan power Decrease in height of tower Low evaporation loss (under same water flowrate)

An example makes it clear

As an example, let us design a cooling tower with the following data: Capacity ( F): 3,000 m /h Wet bulb temperature (twb Cooling water inlet (t2): 43C Cooling water outlet (t1): 33C Altitude ( Z): 10 m Step I. This step involves heat load calculations as follows: 1. Range = (t2 t1) = 43 33 = 10C 2. Approach = (t1 twb) = 33 29 = 4C 3. Heat load, Q = mCp(t2 t1) = 998.13 x F x Range = 998.13 x 3,000 x 10 = 29,943,900 kcal/h Step II.This step involves total psychometric calculations as follows: 1. Barometric pressure (p) at the given altitude (Z) is calculated by using the following equation: (3) For an altitute of 10 m, this becomes p = 101.2 kPa 2. Assume a dry bulb temperature of say, tdb = 32C 3. Calculate water vapor saturation pressure (pws) at the assumed tdb for the temperature range of 0 to 200C using the equation:
3

(4)
Where: C 1 = 5.8002206 x 10 C 2 = 1.3914993 x 10
0 3

C 3 = 4.8640239 x 10 C 4 = 4.1764768 x 10
5

C 5 =1.4452093 x 10 C 6 =6.5459673 x 10
0

and T represents the dry bulb temperature in Kelvin. This results in the value: pws = 4.7585 kPa 4. The partial pressure of water (pw) at given relative humidity is found using the following equation: (5) pw = 4.3779 kPa 5. The partial pressure (pws) is again calculated using Equation 4. This time T represents the wet bulb temperature in Kelvin, which calculates to: pws = 4.0083 kPa 6. Using pws calculated in Step 5 we recalculate twb using the Carrier equation: (6) which gives the result: t wb = 37.7C 7. This step is an iterative process, whereby the assumed value of tdb in Step 2 is varied in such a way that the calculated twb in Step 6 equals the actual (real) twb. 8. After a number of iterations, the calculated t db value converges to 30.12C. Step III.This step involves the calculation of the inlet air enthalpy ( h1) as follows: 1. The humidity ratio (W) for dry air is calculated using the following equation:

(7)

W = 0.02515 kg water/kg dry air 2. The specific volume (v) for dry air is calculated using the following equation:

(8)

v = 0.89511 m /kg, dry air 3. Calculate the enthalpy of inlet air (h1) using the following equation: (9) h 1 = 94.750 kJ/kg 4. Calculate the humidity ratio at saturation (Ws) for wet air using same Equation 7. Here we now use pws: Ws = 0.02743 kg water/kg moist air 5. Calculate the specific volume (v) for wet air using Equation 8 with Ws. v = 0.89827 m /kg moist air Step IV.This step involves the calculation of the exit air properties, as follows: 1. Assume some value of the L/G ratio, say 1.575, and calculate h2 for exit air using the following equation: (10) h 2 = 160.50 kJ/kg 2. Assume that the exit air has a relative humidity of 9799% (design RH at the outlet), and also assume some value of exit air dry-bulb temperature. 3. Use the same partial pressure and humidity equations as discussed in Step II and Step III, to calculate the enthalpy of exit air at these assumed values in Point 2 above. At an assumed RH of 98.5% and exit air t db of 37C, we recalculate h2 = 141.18 kJ/kg 4. This is again an iterative process. Next, assume the value of exit air tdb in Point 2 (at same relative humidity) in such a way that the calculated h2 in Point 3 equals the h2 calculated in Point 1. 5. After a number of iterations, the calculated exit air tdb value converge to 39.55C.
3

6. Now that the dry-bulb temperature and RH are known values, recalculate the wet-bulb temperature using Equation 6. twb = 39.31C 7. Calculate the dry and wet specific volume of exit air using Equation 8. Also calculate the density of dry air and wet air (for inlet and exit). v = 0.9540 m /kg, dry air v = 0.9551 m /kg, moist air Average density dry = 1.0827 kg/m
3 3 3

Average density wet = 1.0801 kg/m

Step V. This step is to help draw the driving force diagram as follows: 1. Take different temperature ranges (covering cooling water inlet and outlet temperature) and calculate the enthalpy of air using Equation 9 and psychometric calculations discussed above. Plot the air saturation curve (enthalpy versus temperature) as shown in Figure 2. 2. Take cooling water outlet temperature and calculate the enthalpy of fin ( h) using Equation 9. Here the partial pressure, saturation pressure and humidity ratio are calculated for the corresponding temperature taken (Table 1). h at 33C = 116.569 kJ/kg This enthalpy specifies Point B on the graph of Figure 2, and is the starting point of the water operating line. 3. Similarly calculate enthalpy of air ha, at wet-bulb temperature (Table 1). ha = 94.667 kJ/kg This enthalpy specifies Point A on the graph of Figure 2 and is the starting point of the air operating line. 4. Take incremental change in temperature (say 0.5 or 1.0) up to the hot water temperature and calculate theh' and ha. The ending points are shown as C and D in Figure 2 on the water operating and air operating line respectively. 5. The difference between h and ha will give you the enthalpy driving force for incremental change in temperature. 6. Take the inverse of enthalpy difference in each incremental step (Table 1). 7. Calculate NTU = 4.18 x t x (Average of incremental increase in inverse of enthalpy difference). Or for 0.5C increment in temperature, calculated NTU = 0.096 8. Similarly, calculate the NTU for each step and add to get the total NTU for the particular assumed L/G ratio (Table 1). Or, for an assumed L/G of 1.575, Total NTU = 1.7533 this is KaV/L.

9. Now to plot the tower characteristic curve, first we vary the L/G ratio and repeat all calculations discussed above to generate the data for various NTU to plot. The curve represents Design NTU on the graph, shown inFigure 4. 10. Take the design L/G ratio and plot the tower characteristic curve by assuming the slope of the line (m), which usually varies between 0.5 to 0.8. One can also consult with vendors for this value as it also depends on the type of fins used. 11. Calculate the value of the constant C, related to cooling tower design using equation: NTU = C x ( L/G) C = 2.522
m

Figure 4. The intersection of the tower characteristic curve and the design NTU curve gives the design L/G ratio

Table 1. Partial Press. of H2O Vapor, pw

Water Vapor Water Saturation Temperature, t Pressure, pws

Humidity Ratio, W

Enthalpy of Film, h'

Enthalpy of Air, ha

Enthalpy Difference, (h'ha)

1/(h'ha) t

NTU

Cumulative NTU Cooling Range

kPa

kPa

kg water/kg dry air 0.0326 0.0335 0.0345 0.0356 0.0366 0.0377

kJ/kg

kJ/kg

kJ/kg

kg/kJ

33 33.5 34 34.5 35 35.5

306.15 306.65 307.15 307.65 308.15 308.65

5.0343 5.1774 5.3239 5.4740 5.6278 5.7853

5.0343 5.1774 5.3239 5.4740 5.6278 5.7853

116.5686 119.5982 122.6986 125.8718 129.1197 132.4444

94.6668 97.9585 101.2503 104.5420 107.8338 111.1255

21.9018 21.6397 21.4483 21.3298 21.2859 21.3189

0.0457 0.0462 0.0466 0.0469 0.0470 0.0469 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.096 0.097 0.098 0.098 0.098 0.096 0.193 0.291 0.389 0.487 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5

36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43

309.15 310.15 311.15 312.15 313.15 314.15 315.15 316.15

5.9466 6.2810 6.6315 6.9987 7.3835 7.7863 8.2080 8.6492

5.9466 6.2810 6.6315 6.9987 7.3835 7.7863 8.2080 8.6492

0.0388 0.0412 0.0436 0.0462 0.0489 0.0518 0.0549 0.0581

135.8480 142.9006 150.2958 158.0530 166.1928 174.7371 183.7094 193.1348

114.4173 121.0008 127.5843 134.1678 140.7513 147.3348 153.9183 160.5018

21.4307 21.8999 22.7116 23.8852 25.4415 27.4023 29.7911 32.6330

0.0467 0.0457 0.0440 0.0419 0.0393 0.0365 0.0336 0.0306

0.5 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0

0.098 0.193 0.187 0.180 0.170 0.158 0.146 0.134

0.585 0.778 0.965 1.145 1.314 1.473 1.619 1.753

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

NTU 1.75334674 Table 2. TYPICAL THERMAL CALCULATIONS OF COUNTER-FLOW COOLING TOWER Flowrate Wet-bulb temperature Approach Assumed dry-bulb temperature Assumed L/G No. of cells Cell length Cell width Air inlet height Design RH Density of water 3,000 29 4 m /h C C
3

Hot water temperature Cold water temperature Range

43 33 10

C C C

30.12

Heat load

29943888.32 kcal/h

1.575 3 14 14 5.5 92% 1,000 kg/m3 m m m

Barometric pressure (p)

101.2

kPa

Water vapor saturation pressure (pws), at tdb Partial pressure of water vapor (pw) Water vapor saturation pressure (pws), at twb Recalculating twb Difference Dew point temperature (td) of moist air (for temperature between 0 and 93C)

4.2754 3.9333 4.0083 29.0 0.0

kPa kPa kPa C C

Altitude

10

28.66

Inlet Air Properties Inlet twb RH Inlet tdb at above RH Humidity ratio (W) 29 92% 30.12 C kg water/kg dry air m3/kg, dry air kg/m3, dry air C

Exit Air Properties Enthalpy Exit air temperature (tdb) Water vapor saturation pressure (pws), at tdb Put some value of exit RH (Assuming it is in between 97 and 99%) Partial pressure of water vapor (pw) Humidity ratio (W) at above tdb 160.50 39.55 7.2097 kJ/kg C kPa

0.0252

98.5

Specific volume (v)

0.8951

7.1016

kPa kg water/kg dry air

Density

1.1172

0.04692

Humidity ratio at saturation (Ws) Specific volume, (v) at saturation Density Enthalpy of moist air

0.0274

kg water/kg moist air

3

Enthalpy of exit air

160.50

kJ/kg

0.8983

m /kg, moist air

3

Difference

0.00

1.1133

kg/m , moist air

Exit twb Water vapor saturation pressure (pws) at exit twb Recalculating twb Difference Dew point temperature (td) of moist air (for temperature between 0 and 93C)

39.31 7.1170

C kPa

94.5702 kJ/kg kg water/kg moist air

Humidity Ratio at twb Enthalpy at twb

0.0256

39.31

94.6668 kJ/kg

0.00

39.24

C
3

Air Flow Average density dry 1.0827 kg/m3

Specific volume (v) Density

0.9540 1.0482

m /kg, dry air kg/m3, dry air kg water/kg moist air m3/kg, moist air kg/m3, moist air

Average density wet

1.0801

kg/m3 m3/s, per cell m3/s, per cell m3/s, per cell

Humidity ratio (Ws) at saturation Specific volume (v) at saturation

0.0477

Air flowrate at fin Air flow at inlet, at rain zone Air flowrate at fan

162.90

0.9551

157.87

Density

1.0470

168.26

KaV/L Constant related to tower design (C)

1.7533 2.522

The significance of these calculations is that now we can directly calculate the cooling tower characteristic by using our equations and can compare with the vendor data if the provided height of the cell is adequate to meet the calculated NTU. Obviously the height also depends on the type of packing, but along with vendor input we can create a complete economical design of our cooling tower. Further, we can develop a calculation sheet in Microsoft Excel, which gives all the results of the psychometric chart as well as the cooling tower design. Typical thermal calculations for a counter-flow cooling tower can be seen in Table 2.