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
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