Heat-transfer characteristics of a dry and wet/dry advanced condenser for cooling towers

Technical Report · Tue Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1982

OSTI ID:5166554

Fricke, H D; McIlroy, K; Webster, D J

An EPRI-funded, experimental evaluation of two types of advanced, air-cooled ammonia condensers for a phase-change dry/wet cooling system for electric power plants is described. Condensers of similar design, but much bigger, are being tested in a 15 MWe demonstration plant at the Pacific Gas and Electric Kern Power Station in Bakersfield, California. These condensers, featuring different air-side augmentation, were tested in Union Carbide's ammonia phase-change pilot plant (0.3 MWe). The first unit consisted of the Curtiss-Wright integral shaved-fin extruded aluminum tubing designed for dry operation. Heat transfer and air-side pressure loss characteristics were measured under varying air face velocities (600 to 1000 FPM) and initial temperature differences, ITD (20 to 60/sup 0/F). Overall heat transfer coefficients (based on air-side surface), U, ranged between 7.0 to 8.6 Btu/hr ft/sup 2/ F. The second configuration constituted the Hoterv aluminum plate-fin/tube assembly of which two different sizes (5 ft/sup 2/ and 58 ft/sup 2/ frontal area) were performance tested; in both dry and wet modes at 200 to 800 FPM air face velocities, ITD's of 10 to 60/sup 0/F and at water deluge rates up to 3.0 gpm/ft. of core width. In the dry mode, U's ranged from 7.0 to 12.0 Btu/hr ft/sup 2/ F. Increasing water deluge greatly enhanced the heat rejection capacity over dry operation - as high as 4 times, depending on operating conditions. This deluge augmentation was greater for lower air relative humidities and lower ITD's. A brief description of the recently completed ammonia phase-change dry/wet-dry cooling demonstration plant at the Kern Power Station concludes this document.

• Research Organization: Union Carbide Corp., Tonawanda, NY (USA). Linde Div.
• OSTI ID: 5166554
• Report Number(s): EPRI-CS-2476; ON: DE82905811
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS
200101* -- Fossil-Fueled Power Plants-- Cooling & Heat Transfer Equipment & Systems
AMMONIA
CONDENSERS
COOLING TOWERS
DATA
ENERGY TRANSFER
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
HEAT EXCHANGERS
HEAT TRANSFER
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
MECHANICAL STRUCTURES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN HYDRIDES
NUMERICAL DATA
PERFORMANCE
POWER PLANTS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
TOWERS
VAPOR CONDENSERS