What is a cooling tower and how does it work in relation to chiller equipment?

Answer 1

*Cooling towers are evaporative coolers used for cooling water or other working medium to near the ambient wet-bulb air temperature. Cooling towers use evaporation of water to reject heat from processes such as cooling the circulating water used in oil refineries, chemical plants, power plants and building cooling, for example. The towers vary in size from small roof-top units to very large hyperboloid structures that can be up to 200 metres tall and 100 metres in diameter, or rectangular structures that can be over 40 metres tall and 80 metres long. Smaller towers are normally factory-built, while larger ones are constructed on site.

comparision between cooling tower and chiller:
Cooling Towers:
*Open system is subject to contamination
from dust and debris.
*Water consumption up to 15% of circulation flow rate.
*Heat exchanger efficiency can be reduced by dirt and mineral deposits. Piping and heat exchangers may require periodic de-scaling.
*Water treatment often necessary to prevent
growth of algae.
*Temperature of cooled water varies with ambient air temperature and humidity. Refer to the cooling tower efficiency chart .
Towers are typically sized at two to three times the actual required capacity to compensate for change in ambient air conditions.
Installation costs typically higher due to larger header sizes and distance of pipe runs.

Chillers:
*Closed system so water remains clean.
*Now water consumption.
*Heat exchanger efficiency remains at a maximum.
*No maintenance duet to dirt and scale buildups is necessary
*No treatment necessary
*Chilled water temperature is constant regardless
of ambient air conditions.
*Chillers are sized at actual required capacity
*Installation costs can be less due to smaller pipe sizes, and inside.

*Please visit:(must visit):(for how does it work in relation to chiller equipment)
http://www.baltaircoil.com/english/info_center/pubs/morrison_200508_CTI.pdf

Answer 2

It is the place where the heat picked up by refrigerant is dumped to the atmosphere so the cooling process can continue. It is a tower in which warmed water is sprayed so that the water's evaporation and the ambient air temperature can take away its heat. The heat originated in the chiller and it is the loss of heat in the cooling tower that completes the chiller's cycle.

Answer 3

Chiller works on gas compression and expansion, thereby creating heat, then removing it in a cycle. Compressing a gas (say Freon) stores heat within it, releasing the pressure gives the opposite effect minus system inefficiency. The choice where the heat is moved to and from is the trick with this system - it is why they are called a heat pump. Pump it from a building, or into it - same diff. A chiller is vastly different. It works on the principle of evaporation of water. The variables for water evaporation are ambient temperature, humidity (probably the most important as it greatly affects evaporation), and how clean the water is amongst other things.

Answer 4

I have seen cooling towers in refineries and generating stations. Both work to cool water down by using heat exchangers. In the first case by using air as the cooling medium and in the second case by using water.Try"howstuffworks.com" for more info.

Answer 5

A cooling tower exposes hot water to the environment to decrease its temperature and make it usable again. The cooled water is circulated back to the chiller in a continuous loop.