COOLING TOWERS

COOLING TOWERS DOE-HDBK-1018/2-93 Miscellaneous Mechanical Components COOLING TOWERS In an effort to lower costs and meet new environmental regulations, companies are developing new ways to do things. One of the developments which meets both cost decrease and environmental awareness is the cooling tower. This chapter will summarize the advantages of cooling towers and how they function. EO 1.9 STATE the purpose of cooling towers. EO 1.10 DESCRIBE the operation of the following types of cooling towers: a. Forced draft b. Natural convection Purpose Before the development of cooling towers, rivers, lakes, and cooling ponds were required to supply cooling. Through the development of the mechanical draft cooling tower, as little as one square foot of area is needed for every 1000 square feet required for a cooling pond or lake. Cooling towers minimize the thermal pollution of the natural water heat sinks and allow the reuse of circulating water. An example of the manner in which a cooling tower can fit into a system is shown in Figure 10. Figure 10 Cooling System Containing Cooling Tower ME-05 Rev. 0 Page 18