Types of equipment
Classification of Cooling Towers
Based on air draft Based on air flow pattern
Atmospheric Natural draft Mechanical draft Cross-flow Counter-flow
Induced draft Forced draft
(A) Atmospheric Towers
It is a big rectangular chamber with two opposite ‘louvered’ walls. Tower is packed with a
suitable ‘tower fill’. Atmospheric air enters the tower through louvers driven by its own velocity.
Direction and velocity of wind greatly influence its performance. Figure 5 shows the schematic
of the atmospheric cooling tower.
Hot air out
Hot water in
Louvers
Air in
Air in
Louvers
Cold water out
Figure 5. Schematic of atmospheric cooling tower.
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(B) Natural Draft Towers
A natural draft cooling tower has a large reinforced concrete shell of hyperbolic shape (also
called ‘hyperbolic tower’). Natural flow of air occurs through the tower; hence it is called natural
draft (refer Figure 6).
Factors responsible for creating natural draft
(a) A rise in temperature and humidity of air in the column reduces its density
(b) Wind velocity at the tower bottom
Fan is used to enhance the air flow rate in fan assisted natural draft tower. The typical diameter
of tower is 150 m and capacity is 5,00,000 gallon/minute.
Hot air out
Concrete shell wall
Drift eliminator
Hot water in
Packing material
Air in
Air in
Cold water out
Figure 6. Schematic of natural draft tower.
Why hyperbolic shape?
(i) More packing materials can be placed at the bottom
(ii) The entering air gets smoothly directed towards the centre
(iii) Greater structural strength and stability
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(C) Mechanical Draft Towers: forced draft towers and induced draft towers
Fans are used to move air through the tower in mechanical draft cooling towers. Two types of
mechanical draft towers are there, namely, forced draft tower and induced draft tower.
Forced draft towers: It can be seen from Figure 7 that it has one or more fans located at the
tower bottom to push air into tower.
Advantages:
(a) A part of the velocity head of air thrown by the blower is converted to pressure head on
entering into the tower. It makes energy efficient than induced draft.
(b) Less susceptible to vibrations as fans are installed near the ground.
Disadvantages:
(a) Air flow through the packing may not be uniform
(b) Some of the warm and humid air may be recirculated back. Recirculation rate becomes
low if the wind velocity is high. It is not popular except for small capacities.
Hot warm air out
Drift eliminator
Hot water in
Packing
Air in
Fan Cold water out
Figure 7. Schematic of forced draft towers.
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Induced draft towers: One or more fans are installed at the top of the tower. Depending on the
air inlet and flow pattern, induced draft towers are of two types, cross-flow and counter flow
towers.
Major advantages of countercurrent induced draft cooling tower
(a) Relatively dry air contacts the coldest water at the bottom of the cooling tower
(b) Humid air is in contact with the warm water and hence maximum average driving force
prevails for both heat and mass transfer.
Disadvantage of induced draft towers compared to forced draft towers
It consumes more horse power.
Cross-flow induced draft cooling tower requires less motor horse power than countercurrent
induced draft cooling towers.
(D) Cross-current and counter-current
Cross-flow induced draft cooling tower supplies horizontal air flow along the packed height and
requires less motor horse power than the counter-flow type. Additional ‘cells’ may be added to
raise the capacity. The schematic of induced draft counter-flow and cross-flow cooling towers
are presented in Figure 8 and Figure 9, respectively.
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Hot warm air
out
ID Fan
Drift eliminator
Hot water in
Louver
s
Air in
Cold water out
Figure 8. Schematic of mechanical draft counter-flow tower.
Hot warm air out
Drift eliminator
ID Fan
Hot water in Hot water in
Packing Air in
Air in
Louvers
Cold water out
Figure 9: Schematic of mechanical draft cross-flow tower.
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