Thermal Performance Pre-Upgrade Exit Air Mapping and Engineering Analysis of Cooling Towers Performance

摘要

Optimal operation of the cooling tower significantly rises the efficiency of the entire thermoenergetic system. Since the majority of the fossil-fueled power plants was built back in 60s it was stated, that with reconstruction of cooling towers and introduction of new technologies significant economic and ecological profits could be expected. Thermal performance deficiency in large counterflow cooling towers is usually related to maldistribution of water flow over the plan area of the cooling tower heat exchange (or fill) system. Maldistribution problems in the cooling tower of block 5 of fossil-fueled power plant Sostanj (Slovenia) were isolated through implementation of cooling tower diagnostic testing technique known as "exit air mapping" made by Turboinstitute. In the paper method of aerodynamic and thermodynamic characteristics analysis of the cooling tower performance is presented with results in the form of temperature and velocity field space distributions dependant on integral thermodynamic characteristics of the power station. Strong expressed non-homogeneities and axial symmetry of the observed fields were detected, representing relatively large reserves in attaining of optimal operation of the cooling tower by later upgrading.