INTRODUCTION

Cooling Towers is a Heat Sink device

Steam
HEAT
Turbine Compressor WORK
Boiler
BFW

WR

Condenser SINK
Pump

Condensate WS
Cooling Tower
Demi Water Cooling Water
Make-Up Make-Up
INTRODUCTION

Induced Draft Counter Flow Wet-Cooling Tower

INTRODUCTION

Process involves Heat, Mass & Exergy Transfer between

WATER & MOIST AIR (Dry Air + Water Vapor) Fluids

mw,in & hw,in (ma + ma ɷout)

Tw,in & Xw,in hma,out & Ta,out & Xa,out

QConv
WATER QEvap AIR

mw,out & hw,out (ma + ma ɷin)

Tw,out &Xw,out hma,in & Ta,in & Xa,in
OBJECTIVES

❑ Thermal performance evaluation of CT after long

period of operation (since 1993) by using Rigorous
Mathematical Models (Popp’s Model).

❑ Exergy distribution of Water and Moist Air through

the height of CT based on the laws of thermodynamics
(Second Law) followed by calculation of system’s
performance.

❑ Find the optimal potential for improving the cooling

tower performance and reducing the environmental
impacts of the tower.
UREA COOLING TOWER
UREA COOLING TOWER

Design Data & Dimensions of Urea CT

❑ Works on Counter flow with Induced Fans

❑ Three Identical Cells
❑ Fill Height = 2.6 m/cell
❑ Face Area = 32.76 m2/cell
❑ Area Density of the fill = 0.38 m2/m3/cell
❑ Total Area = 32.76 m2/cell
UREA COOLING TOWER

Conditions of Moist Air & Water Fluids

❑ Inlet Water Temperature (Tw,in) = 33 ºC
❑ Outlet Water Temperature (Tw,out) = 28 ºC
❑ Inlet Dry Air Temperature (Ta,in) = 26.8 ºC
❑ Outlet Dry Air Temperature (Ta,out) = 31.8 ºC
❑ Inlet Wet-Bulb Temperature (Twb,in) = 21.8 ºC
❑ Relative Humidity of Inlet Air (RH) = 65%
❑ Volumetric Air Flow Rate (Va) = 431.4 m3/s
UREA COOLING TOWER

Losses & Make-up Waters

❑ Drift Losses = 14.34 m 3/h
❑ Windage Losses = 36 m3/h
❑ Evaporation Losses = 58 m3/h
❑ Blow-Down Losses = 90-170 m3/h
❑ Circulation Rate = 7,170 m3/h
❑ Make-up Water Flow Rate = 200-275 m3/h
❑ COC = 1.6
UREA COOLING TOWER

Efficiency & Effectiveness Hot Water Temperature

(Into CT)

❑ Heat Duty = 15.2 MW/Cell

❑ Efficiency of CT = 44.6%
Range
❑ Effectiveness of CT = 80.6%
❑ Cooling Tower Approach = 6.2 ºC Cold Water Temperature
(Out from CT)

❑ Cooling Tower Range = 5.0 ºC

Approach
Air Wet-Bulb Temperature
(Ambient)
MODEL FORMULATION

The Assumptions used in the Analysis of Air and Water

Conditions are as follows:

❑ Steady State,
❑ One Dimensional Flow,
❑ Cross Sectional Area of CT is Uniform,
❑ Heat and Mass Transfer Normal to Water and Air Flow,
❑ Isobaric Process under Atmospheric Pressure,
❑ Kinetic and Potential Energies are Negligible,
❑ Water Temp at each Cross Sectional Area is Uniform,
❑ Heat Transfer from CT Fans is Negligible,
❑ Mass Flow Rate of Dry Air is Constant.
MODEL FORMULATION

Three ODEs comprising the Poppe model

Eq. (1): Variation of Humidity Ratio to Water Temp.

 mw 
c pw   ( sw −  )
d  ma 
=
dTw hmasw − hma + (Le − 1) hmasw − hma − ( sw −  ) hv  − ( sw −  )C pw Tw

Eq. (2): Variation of Moist Air Enthalpy to Water Temp.

dhma mw C p w 
 c p w Tw (sw −  ) 

= 1 + 
dTw ma 
 hmasw − hma + ( Le − 1) hmasw − hma − ( sw −  ) hv  − ( sw −  ) C pw w 
T 
MODEL FORMULATION

Three ODEs comprising the Poppe model

Eq. (3): Variation of NTU to Water Temp.

dMeP c pw
=
dTw hmasw − hma + (Le − 1) hmasw − hma − (sw −  ) hv − (sw −  )C pwTw

H d A ma
MeP = =  NTU
mw mw
MODEL FORMULATION

Three ODEs comprising the Poppe Model

d
= f (hma ,  , Tw )
1 dTw

= f (hma ,  , Tw )
dhma
2 dTw

= f (hma ,  , Tw )
dNTU
3 dTw
MODEL FORMULATION

ODEs Converted to Non-Linear Algebraic Eqs by Using 4th

Order RK Method. The Fill is divided into 14 Intervals (dTw= 0.36
ºC & dz= 0.18 m)
mw,in, hw,in ma+maɷout
Tw,in ɷout, hma,out, Ta,out
Level n

ɷn-1 & hman-1 & ma ΔTw

Level n-1

ɷ1 & hma1 & ma ΔTw

Level 1

ɷ0 & hma0 & ma ΔTw

Level 0

mw,out, hw,out ma + maɷin

Tw,out ɷin, hma,in, Ta,in
MODEL VALIDATION

The presented model was validated by using plant data

obtained from Urea III Plant CT

❑ L/G Ratio = 1.665 to 1.678 from the Bottom to the Top

❑ Outlet Air Dry-Bulb Temperature (Field) = 31.8 ºC
❑ Outlet Air Dry-Bulb Temperature (Model) = 31.5 ºC

Error Percentage = 0.94%

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

❑ Air path is curvature line towards saturation

❑ Outlet Air DBT is nearly equals to Inlet Hot Water Tempe.

Saturation Line Outlet Point of Air

at the Top of CT
(RH = 100%)
(Hot Air)

Heating Path
Inlet Point of Air at
the Bottom of CT
(Cold Air)
Psychrometric Chart at 1.0 atm
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

100 kJ/kga

al ic
%
30.1 ºC 90
th cif
py
En e
Outlet 0.026
Sp

kgw/kga
36.7 kJ/kga Latent
Heat Specific
Transfer is Humidity
21.8 ºC the Major
Process
5%
6 0.014
Inlet
kgw/kga

26.8 ºC 31.5 ºC
Dry Bulb Temperature
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
34 0.029

Humidity Ratio, kgw/kg da

32 0.027
Tw
Temperature, oC

0.025
30
Ta 0.023
28 Twb
ω 0.021
26
0.019
24
0.017
Tw °C
22 0.015
Ta °C
20 0.013

Height of Packing Tower, m

❑ Latent Heat Transfer from Water to Air (ωsw>ω)

❑ Sensible Heat Transfer from Water to Air (Tw>Ta).
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

Specific Enthalpy kJ/kga

105
hmasw
95

85
hma
75

65 hma kJ/kg da
hmasw kJ/kg da
55

Height of Packing Tower, m

A net Enthalpy Transfer is will from Water to Air

hmasw>hma
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

Lewis Factor reduces along CT due to evaporation of water

which is the main factor that affecting Lewis number.
0.9140

0.9135
Hc
0.9130 Le =
Lewis Factor

0.9125 c pma H d
0.9120

0.9115

0.9110

0.9105

0.9100

Height of Packing Tower, m

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

1120
Qtotal
1020
920
820
QEvaporation
Heat (kW)

720
620
520
420
320
220 QConvection
120
20

Height of Packing Tower (m)

QEvaporation = 84 − 95% Qtotal

EXERGY ANALYSIS
❑ The Exergy of Air expresses the available energy of
air to utilize that supplied by water via Evaporative
(depends on Humidity Ratio) & Convective (depends on
DBT) Energy Transfer.

❑ The Exergy of Water is the amount of Energy

supplied to Air.

EXERGY DESTRUCTION X destruction = X in − X out

X destruction
2nd LAW EFFICIENCY  = 1−
X in
EXERGY ANALYSIS
600.0

AIR EXERGY
Exergy Flow of Air (kW)

500.0

400.0

300.0

200.0 Xair,convective
kW
100.0 Xair,evaporative
kW
0.0

Height of Packing Tower (m)

Exergy of Air due to an Evaporation more dominated function in

the Air Exergy
EXERGY ANALYSIS

WATER EXERGY
6.22E+04 34.0

6.21E+04 33.0

Water Temperature, Tw, (oC)

Exergy of Water, Xw, (kW)

6.20E+04 32.0
6.19E+04
31.0
6.18E+04
30.0
6.17E+04
29.0
6.16E+04
28.0
6.15E+04

6.14E+04
Exergy of Water 27.0
(kW)
6.13E+04 Water 26.0
Temperature (oC)
6.12E+04 25.0

Height of Packing Tower (m)

EXERGY ANALYSIS

The amount of Exergy supplied by WATER is larger than that

absorbed by AIR due to Entropy Generation.

635.00 6.22E+04

6.21E+04

Exergy of Water, Xw, (kW)

535.00
Exergy of Air, Xa, (kW)

6.20E+04

6.19E+04
435.00
6.18E+04

335.00
Xwater 6.17E+04
Xair 6.16E+04
235.00
6.15E+04

Xair kW 6.14E+04
135.00
6.13E+04

35.00 6.12E+04

Height of Packing Tower (m)

EXERGY ANALYSIS

AIR EXERGY is consumed to destroy WATER EXERGY

More EXERGY DESTRUCTION = LOWER Tw Leaving CT
26.00
MORE EFFICIENCY 99.990

24.00
99.985

22.00
Exergy Destruction, XD, (kW)

99.980

Second-Law Efficiency (%)

20.00

18.00 99.975

16.00 99.970

14.00
99.965
12.00

99.960
10.00 Exergy Destruction (kW)
Second-Law Efficiency (%)
8.00 99.955
0.00 0.19 0.37 0.56 0.74 0.93 1.11 1.30 1.49 1.67 1.86 2.04 2.23 2.41
Height of Packing Tower (m)
EXERGY ANALYSIS

WATER EXERGY is NOT completely

absorbed by AIR
The MAXIMUM EXERGY DESTRUCTION
occurs the BOTTOM of CT

The potential of improvements at the

BOTTOM of the UREA PLANT COOLING
TOWER