Energy conservation strategy: The ignored cooling tower

Conference · Tue Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1996

OSTI ID:435597

Burger, R

Cooling towers in electric generating plants are orphans ignored by many engineers and operators. The importance of the cooling water is that more energy is required since hotter water reduces product output at greater energy input to overcome resultant high head pressures and high head temperatures. Generating plants, chemical processes and refrigeration loops, that utilize cooling towers, could be superior money makers if better understood. Towers hardly ever break down. As long as the box stands there and appears solid, with fans constantly rotating, there are numerous engineers that think that all is well with the cooling tower, turn their backs on it, and proceed to spend funds on their power generating and process equipment. Conversely, colder water generates better vacuums, equipment runs cooler which saves energy and makes more dollar profit. This presentation will investigate basic cooling tower technology and compare State-of-the-Art retrofit and upgrading to optimize the different types of cooling towers. Actual field operations hands on slides will be presented with detailed statistics of costs, energy savings generated and payback.

• OSTI ID: 435597
• Report Number(s): CONF-960805--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
COOLING TOWERS
DESIGN
ECONOMICS
ENERGY CONSERVATION
PAYBACK PERIOD
RETROFITTING
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT