Method and system for simulating heat and mass transfer in cooling towers

Patent · Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1997

OSTI ID:871123

Bharathan, Desikan ^[1]; Hassani, A Vahab ^[2]

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1. Lakewood, CO
2. Golden, CO

The present invention is a system and method for simulating the performance of a cooling tower. More precisely, the simulator of the present invention predicts values related to the heat and mass transfer from a liquid (e.g., water) to a gas (e.g., air) when provided with input data related to a cooling tower design. In particular, the simulator accepts input data regarding: (a) cooling tower site environmental characteristics; (b) cooling tower operational characteristics; and (c) geometric characteristics of the packing used to increase the surface area within the cooling tower upon which the heat and mass transfer interactions occur. In providing such performance predictions, the simulator performs computations related to the physics of heat and mass transfer within the packing. Thus, instead of relying solely on trial and error wherein various packing geometries are tested during construction of the cooling tower, the packing geometries for a proposed cooling tower can be simulated for use in selecting a desired packing geometry for the cooling tower.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
• Assignee: Midwest Research Institute (Kansas City, MO)
• Patent Number(s): US 5661670
• OSTI ID: 871123
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

method
simulating
heat
mass
transfer
cooling
towers
performance
tower
precisely
simulator
predicts
values
related
liquid
water
gas
air
provided
input
data
design
particular
accepts
regarding
site
environmental
characteristics
operational
geometric
packing
increase
surface
interactions
occur
providing
predictions
performs
computations
physics
relying
solely
trial
error
various
geometries
tested
construction
proposed
simulated
selecting
desired
geometry
mass transfer
input data
cooling tower
accepts input
data regarding
values related
data related
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