Large Dry Cooling Towers with Spine-Fin Heat Exchange Elements

摘要

An analysis is presented for heat exchanger area, tower exit area, and exchanger tube length and number, for heat exchangers in large dry cooling towers, under very general cooling-cycle constraints. The calculation method is used to show that the 'spine-fin' heat exchanger, in a tube size of about 3/8 in., has excellent prospects for achieving low tower size in a practical device. Calculations, over ranges of water pumping power, approach, ITD, number of passes, tube size, tower shape (natural draft) or fan power (mechanical draft), and ambient pressure altitude are shown to be well represented by a chain of powers of these variables, and certain functions of the ratio of real to ideal tower exit area. This ratio is shown to have a best value, depending on the cost coefficients of heat exchange and exit areas.