DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY

Gokongwei College of Engineering

Mechanical Engineering Department

Mechanical Engineering Laboratory IV

Preliminary/Final Lab Report
AY 2018-19 Term 3

Experiment No. 1
Performance Test of a Mechanical Draft Cooling Tower

Submitted by:
Karl Michael L. Doble

Section:
EE1

______06-18-2019_____ ______06-26-2019____
Date of Performance Date of Submission

Criteria (Points Possible) Score

Content and Ideas (50%)
Organization and Presentation (25%)
Relevance (25%)
Total

Instructor:
Engr. Charles B. Felix
Abstract

Cooling towers enable the cooling of water coming from the condenser through the use of
atmospheric air. Its effectiveness is determined by its cooling range and approach, both of which
are dependent on the temperature of air and water. Considering the parameters, specifications, and
auxiliaries connected to the experimental cooling tower; as well as determining the properties of
the air and water it uses can offer a deeper understanding of how to make these structures more
effective. The goal of this experiment is to determine the efficiency of the experimental cooling
tower and the required amount of make-up water. The work requires determining the following:
dry and wet bulb temperatures of air, water pressure and temperature all of which measured at the
inlet and outlet of the cooling tower and at varying steam turbine loads. Results of the experiment
found that the water pressure throughout the intervals and runs were constant. Furthermore, the
average efficiencies at each varying load were found to be beyond the full efficiency and make-up
water requirements were very minimal. It can be inferred that the cooling tower is doing its purpose
in the entirety of the small-scale power plant.

Introduction

Most refrigeration systems reject heat to the atmosphere because of the natural air changes that
constantly happen. However, water has about one thousand times the specific heat capacity of air,
which makes it more efficient than air in terms of absorbing heat. Furthermore, many heat pumps
commonly use water as the condenser fluid in order to make the heat transfer more efficient.
Depending on the physical reasons, one chooses either an evaporative condenser or a water-cooled
condenser combined with a cooling tower.

A cooling tower is a structure that has the purpose of cooling the water coming from the condenser
through the use of atmospheric air. Figure 1.1 shows a mechanical-draft cooling tower installation.

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 Figure 1.1 A mechanical-draft cooling tower installation [Taken from SPX Cooling Technologies]

The concept of operation of a cooling tower starts with air entering the inlet of the cooling tower
at a certain dry-bulb temperature and relative humidity by which water from the condenser is also
entering the same structure. The water is sprayed throughout the internals of the structure and heat
transfer occurs from the water droplets to the air. The resulting water is recirculated back to the
condenser by a pump while the used air directed outside of the cooling tower. Depending on its
scale and usage, cooling towers are generally classified into two types: natural-draft and
mechanical-draft.

A natural-draft cooling tower, sometimes also known as an atmospheric cooling tower, is a type
of cooling tower that has no installation of fans in order to move the air inside the structure.
Variable wind velocity is what these types of cooling towers depend on in order for air to move.
Economical in terms of maintenance expenditures, the efficiency may also vary as it solely
depends on ambient wind velocity. Figure 1.2 shows the internal parts of a natural-draft cooling
tower.

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 Figure 1.2 Parts of a natural-draft cooling tower [Taken from FansCT]

On the other hand, mechanical-draft cooling towers employ fans or blowers in order to move air
in and out of the cooling tower constantly an example of a mechanical-draft cooling tower was
shown in Figure 1.1. There are two subtypes of this kind of cooling tower according to the
positioning of its fans: forced-draft and induced-draft. A forced-draft cooling tower position its
fans at the base of the cooling tower where excess pressure will build up. An induced-draft
however, positions its fan at the top of the structure where it will apply a suction force to the
internals of the structure.

Below are the parameters required in order to determine the following: cooling tower
effectiveness, air flow rate and make-up water flow rate requirements. Applying mass balance to
the cooling tower (assuming on a timely basis) in Figure 1.3 will result to:

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 Figure 1.3 General Energy Diagram of a Cooling Tower

Water in + Air in = Water out + Air out

𝑚̇𝐴 + 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 𝜔1 = 𝑚̇𝐵 + 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 𝜔2
𝑚̇𝐴 − 𝑚̇𝐵 = 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (𝜔2 − 𝜔1 )
Equation (1.1)

Where:
ṁA = mass flow rate of water entering the cooling tower
ṁB = mass flow rate of water exiting the cooling tower
ṁair = mass flow rate of air entering/exiting the cooling tower
ω1 = humidity ratio of air entering the cooling tower
ω2 = humidity ratio of air exiting the cooling tower

However, a part of the supplied water evaporates and mixes with the air as it is being sprayed. As
a result, a make-up water supply must be installed in order to compensate for the evaporation
losses. The amount of make-up water required can be calculated based on equation 1, thus it can
be expressed as:

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 𝑚̇𝑚𝑤 = 𝑚̇𝐴 − 𝑚̇𝐵
or
𝑚̇𝑚𝑤 = 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (𝜔2 − 𝜔1 )
Equations (1.2a) and (1.2b)

Applying energy balance to the cooling tower would yield:

Ewater in + Eair in = Ewater out + Eair out

𝑚̇𝐴 ℎ𝐴 + 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 ℎ1 = 𝑚̇𝐵 ℎ𝐵 + 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 ℎ2
𝑚̇𝐴 ℎ𝐴 − 𝑚̇𝐵 ℎ𝐵 = 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (ℎ2 − ℎ1 )
Equation (1.3)

Where:
hA = specific enthalpy of water, at saturated liquid state, entering the cooling tower
hB = specific enthalpy of water, at saturated liquid state, exiting the cooling tower
h1 = specific enthalpy of air entering the cooling tower
h2 = specific enthalpy of air exiting the cooling tower

Performance of cooling towers are often determined by their cooling range and approach. Cooling
range refers to the temperature difference between the temperature of the water entering and the
temperature of the water leaving. Approach refers to the temperature difference between the
temperature of the water leaving the cooling tower and the wet-bulb temperature of air entering
the cooling tower. Mathematically, this can be expressed as:

𝐶𝑜𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑅𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 = 𝑇𝐴 − 𝑇𝐵
Equation (1.4)

𝐴𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑐ℎ = 𝑇𝐵 − 𝑊𝐵𝑇1
Equation (1.5)

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Where:
TA = water temperature entering the cooling tower
TB = water temperature leaving the cooling tower
WBT1 = air wet-bulb temperature entering the cooling tower

For the cooling tower effectiveness, it is the ratio between the cooling range and the sum of the
cooling range and approach. Combining equations 1.4 and 1.5, this can be expressed as:

𝐶𝑜𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑅𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑇𝐴 − 𝑇𝐵 𝑇𝐴 − 𝑇𝐵
𝜂𝐶𝑇 = = =
𝐶𝑜𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑅𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 + 𝐴𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑇𝐴 − 𝑇𝐵 + 𝑇𝐵 − 𝑊𝐵𝑇1 𝑇𝐴 − 𝑊𝐵𝑇1

Equation (1.6)

Since pressure gages are present throughout the water pipe systems, a consideration on Bernoulli’s
equation and continuity equation is also included in the experiment. Bernoulli’s equation can be
expressed as:

𝑃𝑠 𝑣𝑠 2 𝑃𝑠 𝑣𝑠 2
+ 𝑧𝑠 + = + 𝑧𝑠 +
𝛾𝑤 2𝑔 𝛾𝑤 2𝑔
Equation (1.7)

For continuity equation:

𝜋∅𝑑 2 𝑣𝑑 𝜋∅𝑠 2 𝑣𝑠
𝑉𝑠̇ = 𝑉̇𝑑 = 𝐴𝑠 𝑣𝑠 = 𝐴𝑑 𝑣𝑑 = =
4 4
Equation (1.8)

Where:
Ps and Pd = pressures along the suction and discharge lines
zs and zd = suction and discharge elevation heads
vs and vd = velocity at suction and discharge lines
V̇s and V̇d = volumetric flow rate at suction and discharge lines

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 As and Ad = cross-section area at suction and discharge lines
ϕs and ϕd = pipe diameter along the suction and discharge lines

Alternatively, the volumetric flow rate can be attained by properties of water:

𝑉𝑤̇ = 𝑚̇𝑤 𝜐𝑤
(Equation 1.9)

Where:
V̇w = volumetric flow rate of water
ṁw = mass flow rate of water
υw = specific volume, at saturated liquid state, of water

Materials and Methods

A. Materials
 Sling psychrometer
 Digital anemometer
 Pressure gage
 Cooling tower and its auxiliaries
 Steam boiler and turbine and its auxiliaries

B. Methods/Experimental
1. There will be three experimental runs primarily on making the load of the steam
turbine variable. The following steam turbine loads are to be applied: 25%, 50%,
and 75%.
2. For each steam turbine load, there will be four readings required in order to get the
average parameters required in the experiment.
3. Each reading will consist of five-minute intervals, for a total of 20 minutes before
steam turbine load changes. The parameters that are required to be measured are

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 the following: water pressure, water temperature, water velocity, air velocity, and
dry-bulb and wet-bulb air temperatures.
4. Record the following parameters into the data sheet and calculate the remaining
required parameters through the use of theoretical equations mentioned above.

Results and Discussions

Run no. 1 – 25% Load of the Steam Turbine

Table 1.1.1. Recorded properties of water at inlet and outlet of the cooling tower at 25% load of the turbine.
Time Water Pressure (kPa) Water Temperature (°C)
(mins.) Inlet Outlet Inlet Outlet
5 42 42 50 29.5
10 42 42 52 30
15 42 42 52.3 30
20 42 42 52 30
Average 42 42 51.58 29.88

Table 1.1.2. Recorded properties of air at inlet and outlet of the cooling tower at 25% load of the turbine.
Time Air Temperature (°F) Air Velocity Air Mass
(mins.) Inlet Outlet (m/s) Discharge Flow
DBT WBT DBT WBT Inlet Outlet (m3/s) Rate
(kg/s)
5 97 95 100 96 8.3 8.1 1.18 1.31
10 97 94 99 95 8.4 7.9 1.15 1.27
15 97 93 98 94 8.5 8 1.16 1.29
20 95 91 98 94 7.9 7.3 1.06 1.17
Average 96.5 93.25 98.75 94.75 8.28 7.83 1.14 1.26

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Table 1.1.3. Calculated cooling tower requirements based from data from Table 1A and Table 1B.
Time Make-up Water Cooling Approach Cooling
(mins.) mass flow rate Range (°C) Tower
(kg/s) (°C) Efficiency (%)
5 9.53 x 10-4 20.5 -5.5 136.67
10 11.98 x 10-4 22 -4.44 125.32
15 14.45 x 10-4 22.3 -3.89 121.12
20 38.74 x 10-4 22 -2.78 114.45
Average 19.18 x 10-4 21.7 -4.15 123.67

Run no. 2 – 50% Load of the Steam Turbine

Table 1.2.1. Recorded properties of water at inlet and outlet of the cooling tower at 50% load of the turbine.
Time Water Pressure (kPa) Water Temperature (°C)
(mins.) Inlet Outlet Inlet Outlet
5 42 42 50 30
10 42 42 53 30
15 42 42 53.5 30.75
20 42 42 52.5 30
Average 42 42 52.25 30.19

Table 1.2.2. Recorded properties of air at inlet and outlet of the cooling tower at half the load of the turbine.
Time Air Temperature (°F) Air Velocity Air Mass
(mins.) Inlet Outlet (m/s) Discharge Flow
DBT WBT DBT WBT Inlet Outlet (m3/s) Rate
(kg/s)
5 97 88 98 87 8.6 7.9 1.15 1.29
10 96 91 98 93 7.7 8 1.16 1.3
15 98 91 98 94 8.4 7.2 1.05 1.16
20 99 92 98 94 7.5 7.4 1.07 1.19
Average 97.5 90.5 98 92 8.05 7.63 1.11 1.24

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Table 1.2.3. Calculated cooling tower requirements based from data from Table 2A and Table 2B.
Time Make-up Water Cooling Approach Cooling
(mins.) mass flow rate Range (°C) Tower
(kg/s) (°C) Efficiency (%)
5 18.17 x 10-4 20 -1.11 105.88
10 28.18 x 10-4 23 -2.78 113.74
15 46.57 x 10-4 22.75 -2.03 109.79
20 35.55 x 10-4 22.5 -3.33 117.39
Average 23.87 x 10-4 22.06 -2.31 111.71

Run no. 3 – 75% Load of the Steam Turbine

Table 1.3.2. Recorded properties of water at inlet and outlet of cooling tower at 75% the load of the turbine.
Time Water Pressure (kPa) Water Temperature (°C)
(mins.) Inlet Outlet Inlet Outlet
5 42 42 49 29
10 42 42 49 29
15 42 42 53 29
20 42 42 50.2 29
Average 42 42 50.3 29

Table 1.3.3. Recorded properties of air at inlet and outlet of the cooling tower at 75% the load of the turbine.
Time Air Temperature (°F) Air Velocity Air Mass
(mins.) Inlet Outlet (m/s) Discharge Flow
DBT WBT DBT WBT Inlet Outlet (m3/s) Rate
(kg/s)
5 98 93 99 95 8.1 8,5 1.23 1.37
10 98 93 99 93 8.3 7.5 1.09 1.21
15 96 91 98 94 8.5 7.8 1.13 1.26
20 95 89 96 92 8.7 7.7 1.12 1.26
Average 96.75 91.5 98 93.5 8.4 7.88 1.14 1.27

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Table 1.3.1. Calculated cooling tower requirements based from data from Table 3A and Table 3B.
Time Make-up Water Cooling Approach Cooling
(mins.) mass flow rate Range (°C) Tower
(kg/s) (°C) Efficiency (%)
5 34.96 x 10-4 20 -4.89 132.35
10 2.9 x 10-4 20 -4.89 132.35
15 44.41 x 10-4 24 -3.78 118.68
20 38.81 x 10-4 21.2 -2.67 114.39
Average 28.43 x 10-4 21.3 -4.06 123.51

Conclusions and Recommendations

A. Conclusions
The experimental cooling tower was able to cool the water from the condenser at a
significant temperature difference while the atmospheric air being used as the coolant
initially had a high temperature and was released back into the atmosphere with minor
temperature difference as the inlet temperature had. The make-up water required,
considering theoretical calculations, were minimal, thus it can be implied that the cooling
tower is still able to do service to the small-scale experimental power plant.

B. Recommendations
The efficiency being greater than 100% is impossible in this case. Furthermore, the
recorded inlet wet bulb temperatures were significantly greater than the outlet water
temperature, thus calculating the cooling tower’s approach resulted to negative values. The
major error can be attributed to measuring the dry and wet bulb temperatures of air
locations with direct contact to sunlight. This exposure may have significantly increased
the temperature reading of the air. A recommendation of measuring the dry and wet
bulb temperatures at a later time such as at sunset time will correct the data in the future.

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 The difference between the inlet and outlet air temperatures were minor. This can be
attributed to the entrance and exhausts being near each other, thus resulting in a mixing
stream. The mixing of the inlet and outlet air results to a quasi-equilibrium process in terms
of temperature. Relocating either the inlet or the outlet will significantly improve the
reliability of recorded data in the future.

The air velocities along the ducts of the cooling tower were fluctuating by interval. This
can be caused by the holes and slight notches found at the span of the ducts as an effect of
corrosion and rusting through time. Replacement of the compartment can help reduce the
significant fluctuations in the data.

References Cited

Fans Complete Technology. (n.d.). [Natural-draft Cooling Tower Components]. Retrieved June
23, 2019, from https://www.fansct.com/en/natural-draft-cooling-towers/
This image source was used for referencing a natural-draft cooling tower as
displayed in Figure 1.2.
Moran, M. J., & Shapiro, H. N. (2006). Fundamentals of Engineering Thermodynamics (5th ed.).
Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons.
This book was used for determining the properties of water and air through the
use of its steam tables and psychrometric chart as required in the questions and
answers portion of the laboratory report.
SPX Technologies. (n.d.). [Marley 600 Field Cooling Tower]. Retrieved June 23, 2019, from
https://spxcooling.com/products/marley-600
This image source was used for referencing a mechanical-draft cooling tower as
shown in Figure 1.1.
Stoecker, W. F., & Jones, J. W. (1982). Chapter 19: Cooling Towers and Evaporative
Condensers. In Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (2nd ed., pp. 365-367). McGraw-Hill.
This book was used as basis for introducing concepts and theories regarding
cooling towers.

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Raw Data

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Questions and Answers

1. What is the purpose in installing baffling devices in a cooling tower?

Answer: Because drift is reduced when these devices are installed. Drift is a phenomenon when
exhaust air carries droplets of water that is being sprayed throughout the inside of the cooling
tower. It is important to reduce drift in order to minimize the required amount of make-up water
intended to replace the evaporation losses.

2. A power plant using induced draft cooling tower requires 11500 kg/s of condenser water to be
cooled from 42 to 35ºC. Ambient air entering the tower has a dry bulb temperature of 26ºC and a
relative humidity of 35%. If this air leaves the tower at saturated condition with a dry bulb
temperature of 38ºC, determine.

a. The mass flowrate of air in kg/s

b. The amount of make-up water required in kg/s
c. The cooling tower efficiency

Solutions and Answers:

Determine both the humidity ratio of air entering and leaving the cooling tower based
on the psychrometric chart. (Let ω be the symbol for humidity ratio):
ω1 = 7.3 x 10-3 kg H2O/kg dry air
ω2 = 4.36 x 10-2 kg H2O/kg dry air
(Note: Subscripts 1 and 2 refer to inlet and outlet conditions for air)

Determine the specific enthalpies of the water entering and leaving the tower as well the
ones for air using the steam tables and the psychrometric chart:
hA = hf at 42ºC = 175.922 kJ/kg h1 = 44.8 kJ/kg
hB = hf at 35ºC = 146.68 kJ/kg h2 = 150.2 kJ/kg
(Note: Let subscripts A and B be the inlet and outlet conditions for condenser water)

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For letter A:
Apply energy balance in the cooling tower in order to find the mass flow rate at point B:
𝑚̇𝐴 ℎ𝐴 − 𝑚̇𝐵 ℎ𝐵 = 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (ℎ2 − ℎ1 )
𝑚̇𝐴 ℎ𝐴−𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (ℎ2 −ℎ1 )
𝑚̇𝐵 = (Equation 1)
ℎ𝐵

Apply mass balance in the cooling tower in order to find the mass flow rate at point B:
𝑚̇𝐴 − 𝑚̇𝐵 = 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (𝜔2 − 𝜔1 )
𝑚̇𝐵 = 𝑚̇𝐴 − 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (𝜔2 − 𝜔1 ) (Equation 2)

Combine equations 1 and 2, eliminating the ṁB and solve for ṁair.
𝑚̇𝐴 ℎ𝐴 −𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (ℎ2 −ℎ1 )
𝑚̇𝐴 − 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (𝜔2 − 𝜔1 ) =
ℎ𝐵
ℎ
𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 [(ℎ2 − ℎ1 ) − (𝜔2 − 𝜔1 )] = 𝑚̇𝐴 [ℎ𝐴 − 1]
𝐵

ℎ
𝑚̇𝐴 [ 𝐴 −1]
ℎ𝐵
𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 =
ℎ2 −ℎ1 +𝜔1 −𝜔2

𝑘𝐽
𝑘𝑔 (175.922 𝑘𝑔)
(11500 𝑠 )[ 𝑘𝐽 −1]
(146.68 )
𝑘𝑔
𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 = 𝑘𝐽 𝑘𝑔
(150.2−44.8) +(0.0073−0.0436)
𝑘𝑔 𝑘𝑔

𝒌𝒈
𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 ≅ 𝟐𝟏. 𝟕𝟔 𝒔

For letter B:
Use equation 2 in order to solve the mass flow rate of the make-up water required. Let ṁmw
be the symbol for the mass flow rate of make-up water required:
𝑚̇𝑚𝑤 = 𝑚̇𝐴 − 𝑚̇𝐵 = 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (𝜔2 − 𝜔1 )
𝑘𝑔 𝑘𝑔
𝑚̇𝑚𝑤 = (21.76 ) (0.0436 − 0.0073) 𝑘𝑔
𝑠
𝒌𝒈
𝑚̇𝑚𝑤 ≅ 𝟎. 𝟕𝟗 𝒔

For letter C:
Determine the wet bulb temperature of air at inlet conditions using the psychrometric chart:

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 WBT1 = 16.1ºC (from psychrometric chart)

Calculate the cooling tower efficiency using all the acquired data:
𝐶𝑜𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑅𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑇𝐴 −𝑇𝐵 (42−35)
𝜂𝐶𝑇 = 𝐶𝑜𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑅𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 +𝐴𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑐ℎ = 𝑇 = (42−35+35−16.1)°C
𝐴 −𝑇𝐵 +𝑇𝐵 −𝑊𝐵𝑇1

𝜂𝐶𝑇 ≅ 𝟎. 𝟐𝟕𝟎𝟐𝟕 𝑜𝑟 𝟐𝟕. 𝟎𝟑%

3. Atmospheric air at 24ºC and 70% RH passes through the suction duct of a forced-draft
centrifugal fan on a cooling tower at the rate of 1.4 m3/s. The power input to the fan is 3.5 kW.
The mixture of air and water vapor leaves the tower saturated at 37ºC. The temperature of water
entering the tower is 46ºC and 13.6 kg/s of water leaves the tower. Determine:

a. The exit temperature of water in ºC.

b. The rate at which water is supplied to the tower in kg/s.

Solutions and Answers:

For letter A:
Determine the specific volume, specific enthalpy, humidity ratio of air at inlet conditions
using the psychrometric chart:
υ1 = 0.86 m3/kg h1 = 57.5 kJ/kg ω1 = 0.013 kg H2O/kg dry air
h2 = 142.8 kJ/kg ω2 = 0.041 kg H2O/kg dry air

Calculate the mass flow rate of air given the volumetric flow rate and the specific volume:
𝑚3
𝑉̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 1.4 𝑘𝑔
𝑠
𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 = = 𝑘𝑔 ≅ 1.628
𝜐1 0.86 𝑠
𝑠

Determine the specific enthalpy of water at inlet conditions using the steam tables:
hA = hf at 46ºC = 192.626 kJ/kg (acquired through interpolation)

Apply energy balance along the cooling tower and solve for the mass flow rate of water
entering the cooling tower:
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 𝑚̇𝐴 ℎ𝐴 − 𝑚̇𝐵 ℎ𝐵 = 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (ℎ2 − ℎ1 )
𝑚̇𝐵 ℎ𝐵 + 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (ℎ2 −ℎ1 )
𝑚̇𝐴 = (Equation 1)
ℎ𝐴

Apply a mass balance equation along the cooling tower in order to solve for the mass flow
rate of water entering the cooling tower:
𝑚̇𝐴 − 𝑚̇𝐵 = 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (𝜔2 − 𝜔1 )
𝑚̇𝐴 = 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (𝜔2 − 𝜔1 ) + 𝑚̇𝐵 (Equation 2)

Combine equations 1 and 2 and solve for the specific enthalpy of water leaving:
𝑚̇𝐵 ℎ𝐵 + 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (ℎ2 −ℎ1 )
𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (𝜔2 − 𝜔1 ) + 𝑚̇𝐵 = ℎ𝐴
ℎ𝐴 [𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (𝜔2 −𝜔1 ) + 𝑚̇𝐵 ]− 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (ℎ2 −ℎ1 )
ℎ𝐵 = 𝑚̇𝐵
𝑘𝐽 𝑘𝑔 𝑘𝑔 𝑘𝑔 𝑘𝑔 𝑘𝐽
(192.626 )[(1.628 )(0.041−0.013) +13.6 ]−(1.628 )(142.8−57.5)
𝑘𝑔 𝑠 𝑘𝑔 𝑠 𝑠 𝑘𝑔
ℎ𝐵 = 𝑘𝑔
13.6
𝑠

𝑘𝐽
ℎ𝐵 ≅ 183.06 𝑘𝑔

Use interpolation among the values of specific enthalpies at saturated liquid state in the
steam tables in order to determine the exiting water’s temperature:
𝑘𝐽
𝑇𝐵 −40°C (183.06−167.57)
𝑘𝑔
(45−40)°𝐶
= 𝑘𝐽
(188.45−167.57)
𝑘𝑔

𝑇𝐵 ≅ 𝟒𝟑. 𝟕𝟏°𝑪

For letter B:
Apply a mass balance equation along the cooling tower in order to solve for the mass flow
rate of water entering the cooling tower:
𝑚̇𝐴 − 𝑚̇𝐵 = 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (𝜔2 − 𝜔1 )
𝑘𝑔 𝑘𝑔 𝑘𝑔
𝑚̇𝐴 = 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (𝜔2 − 𝜔1 ) + 𝑚̇𝐵 = (1.628 ) (0.041 − 0.013) 𝑘𝑔 + 13.6
𝑠 𝑠
𝒌𝒈
𝑚̇𝐴 = 𝟏𝟑. 𝟔𝟓 𝒔

22
4. An induced draft cooling tower is required to cool 0.57 m3/s of entering water from 29ºC to
20ºC. The average conditions of atmospheric air are 100.75 kPa, 21.11ºC DB and 15.56ºC WB. It
leaves the cooling tower saturated at 26.67ºC DB. Determine:

a. The volume of air required in m3/s.

b. The hourly make-up for evaporation losses in kg/hr.

Solutions and Answers:

Determine the properties of air both at the inlet and exit of the cooling tower:
ω1 = 8.3 x 10-3 kg H2O/kg dry air (Calculated based on ANSI/ASHRAE
ω2 = 0.022 kg H2O/kg dry air 41.6-1994 daytonashrae.org due to having
υ1 = 0.87 m3/kg a different atmospheric pressure)
h1 = 43.6 kJ/kg h2 = 83.9 kJ/kg

Determine the properties of water at inlet and exit of cooling tower using the steam tables:
hA = hf at 29ºC = 121.61 kJ/kg υA = 1.004 x 10-3 m3/kg
hB = hf at 20ºC = 83.96 kJ/kg

For letter A:
Apply mass balance on the cooling tower and isolate the mass flow rate of water at exit:
𝑚̇𝐴 − 𝑚̇𝐵 = 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (𝜔2 − 𝜔1 )
𝑚̇𝐵 = 𝑚̇𝐴 − 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (𝜔2 − 𝜔1 ) (Equation 1)

Apply energy balance on the cooling tower and isolate the mass flow rate of water at exit:
𝑚̇𝐴 ℎ𝐴 − 𝑚̇𝐵 ℎ𝐵 = 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (ℎ2 − ℎ1 )
𝑚̇𝐴 ℎ𝐴−𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (ℎ2 −ℎ1 )
𝑚̇𝐵 = (Equation 2)
ℎ𝐵

Combine equations 1 and 2, eliminating ṁB, and solve for the mass flow rate of air:
𝑚̇𝐴 ℎ𝐴 −𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (ℎ2 −ℎ1 )
𝑚̇𝐴 − 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (𝜔2 − 𝜔1 ) =
ℎ𝐵

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 ℎ
𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 [(ℎ2 − ℎ1 ) − (𝜔2 − 𝜔1 )] = 𝑚̇𝐴 [ℎ𝐴 − 1]
𝐵

ℎ 𝑉̇𝐴 ℎ𝐴
𝑚̇𝐴 [ 𝐴 −1] [ −1]
ℎ𝐵 𝜐𝐴 ℎ𝐵
𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 = =
ℎ2 −ℎ1 +𝜔1 −𝜔2 ℎ2 −ℎ1 +𝜔1 −𝜔2

𝑚3
(0.57 ) (121.61 𝑘𝐽 )
𝑠 𝑘𝑔
3 [ 𝑘𝐽 −1]
1.004 𝑚
( ) (83.96 𝑘𝑔)
1000 𝑘𝑔
𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 = 𝑘𝐽 𝑘𝑔
(83.9−43.6) +(0.0083−0.022)𝑘𝑔
𝑘𝑔
𝑘𝑔
𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 ≅ 6.32
𝑠

Calculate the volumetric flow rate of air given the specific volume and the mass flow rate:
𝑘𝑔 𝑚3
𝑉̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 = 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 𝜐𝑎𝑖𝑟 = (6.32 ) (0.87 )
𝑠 𝑘𝑔

𝒎 𝟑
𝑉̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 ≅ 𝟓. 𝟓 𝒔

For letter B:
Use equation 1 and solve for the make-up water required:
𝑘𝑔 𝑘𝑔 3600 𝑠
𝑚̇𝑚𝑤 = 𝑚̇𝑎𝑖𝑟 (𝜔2 − 𝜔1 ) = (6.32 ) (0.022 − 0.0083) 𝑘𝑔 ( )
𝑠 1 ℎ𝑟
𝒌𝒈
𝑚̇𝑚𝑤 ≅ 𝟑𝟏𝟏. 𝟔𝟕 𝒉𝒓

5. Water at 55ºC is cooled in a cooling tower which has an efficiency of 65%. The temperature of
the surrounding air is 32ºC DB, 27.4ºC WB and 70% RH. The heat dissipated from the condenser
is 2 300 000 kJ/hr. Find:

a. The temperature of water leaving the tower in ºC.

b. The capacity of the pump used in the cooling tower in L/s. The specific volume of water
leaving the tower is 1.0067 L/kg.

24
Solutions and Answers:

For letter A:
Use the given efficiency in order to get the exit water temperature:
𝑇𝐴 −𝑇𝐵 𝑇𝐴 −𝑇𝐵
𝜂𝐶𝑇 = 𝑇 =𝑇
𝐴 −𝑇𝐵 +𝑇𝐵 −𝑊𝐵𝑇1 𝐴 −𝑊𝐵𝑇1

𝑇𝐵 = 𝑇𝐴 − 𝜂𝐶𝑇 (𝑇𝐴 − 𝑊𝐵𝑇1 ) = 55°𝐶 − 0.65(55 − 32)°𝐶

𝑇𝐵 = 𝟒𝟎. 𝟎𝟓°𝑪

For letter B:
Determine the specific enthalpies of water entering and exiting the cooling tower using the
steam tables assuming the water remains at saturated liquid state:
hA = hf at 55ºC = 230.23 kJ/kg
hB = hf at 40.05ºC = 167.7788 kJ/kg

Use the heat absorbed by the water from the condenser and the specific enthalpies in order
to get the mass flow rate of water:
𝑄𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑒𝑟 = 𝑚̇𝑐𝑤 (ℎ𝐴 − ℎ𝐵 )
𝑘𝐽 1 ℎ𝑟
𝑄𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑒𝑟 (2 300 000 )( )
ℎ𝑟 3600 𝑠
𝑚̇𝑐𝑤 = (ℎ𝐴 −ℎ𝐵 )
= 𝑘𝐽
(230.23−167.7788)
𝑘𝑔

𝑘𝑔
𝑚̇𝑐𝑤 ≅ 10.23 𝑠

Calculate the volumetric flow rate of the cooling water using the given specific volume of
water and the solved mass flow rate:
̇ = 𝑚̇𝑐𝑤 𝜐𝑐𝑤 = (10.23 𝑘𝑔) (1.0067
𝑉𝑐𝑤
𝐿
)
𝑠 𝑘𝑔

̇ ≅ 𝟏𝟎. 𝟑 𝑳
𝑉𝑐𝑤 𝒔

25