Department of Chemical Engineering

& Energy Sustainability

Faculty of Engineering

KNC 3221: Chemical Engineering Laboratory 4

Experiment 4: Water Cooling Unit

by

Ahmad Azim Salihin Bin Saim (45429)

Nur Afifah Binti Tomiran (45830)
Patrick Anak Ajai (45974)

Bachelor of Engineering with Honours

(Chemical Engineering)
2017
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 Introduction 1
1.1 Objectives 1
1.2 Hypothesis/Research Questions 1
2.0 Equipment/Materials 1
3.0 Methodology 2
3.1 Safety Precautions 2
3.2 Experimental Procedures/SOP 2
4.0 Result and analysis 4
4.1 Result data sheets 4
4.2 Calculations 5
4.3 Discussions 6
5.0 Conclusions 8
5.1 Conclusions 8
5.2 Recommendations 8
6.0 References 9
1.0 Introduction
This experiment was conducted in order to perform energy and mass balance
on the cooling tower system and to observe the effect of one of the process
variables on the exit temperature of water. In this experiment, parameters of
temperature, water flowrate, relative humidity and cooling load can be observed
in its effect on the evaporation of water. The steady flow equations which is
energy and mass balances were employed in order to provide an insight on the
amount of the energy transferred between phases under different conditions. The
energy calculated from the experiment for cooling load of 0.5kJ/s and 1.0 kJ/s.
Cooling tower unit is used in conjunction with a residential size water heater to
simulate a cooling tower used to provide cool water to an industrial process.
The cooling experiment tower operate according to the First Law of
Thermodynamics which is the conservation of energy. Energy can neither be
created nor destroyed, and can be only transformed into another form. The energy
that enters cooling tower is in the form of hot water. This hot water was cooled
from temperature T1 to a temperature of T2. The cooling of the hot water was in
the form of forced convection 3 by which ambient air at T1 was blown over the hot
water and exited the cooling tower at certain temperature.

1.1 Objectives
The following are the objectives of this experiment;
i. To determine the end state properties of air and water from tables or
charts.
ii. To determine energy and mass balances using steady state flow equation
on the selected systems.

1.2 Hypothesis / Research Question

In this experiment, there are three hypotheses can be made;
i. The higher the load, the lower evaporating rate.
ii. The higher the air humidity ratio, the lower evaporating rate.
iii. The higher the flowrate, the lower the evaporating rate.

2.0 Equipment / Materials

The equipment and materials that are recommended in carrying out Water
Cooling Unit Experiment are water cooling unit and distilled water.

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3.0 Methodology
3.1 Safety Precautions
The following are the safety precautions in running this experiment;
i. It is strongly recommended that only distilled or ionized water be used
in this unit. The impurities existing in the tap water may cause the
depositing in cover tower.
ii. The pressure tubing must be checked by ensuring that the connection
correctly for differential pressure measurement.
iii. The valve V4 and V5 must be opened and valve V3 and V6 must be
closed in order to measure the differential pressure across the column.
iv. V3 and V6 must be opened and V4 and V5 Must be closed in order to
measure the differential pressure across the column.
v. Mus be aware that no water is in the pressure tubings for the accurate
differential pressure measurement.

3.2 Experimental Procedures

The following are the standard operating procedure (SOP), general start up
and general shut down procedures for carrying out Experiment of water cooling
unit. The general start-up procedures are as followed;
i. V1 and V6 are closed while V7 is partially opened.
ii. The load tank is filled with water distilled water. It is done first
removing the make-up tank and then pouring the water through the
opening at the top of the load tank. The make-up tank is replaced onto
the load tank and lightly tighten the nuts. The tank is filled with
distilled water.
iii. Distilled water is added to the wet-bulb sensor reservoir to the fullest.
iv. The tubing connections are connected well to the differential pressure
sensor.
v. The cooling tower packing is installed in the experiment.
vi. The set point temperature is set by using temperature controller at
50oC. The heater is turned on at 1.0kW and heated up to 40oC.
vii. The pump is turned on and V1 is slowly opened and water flowrate is
set to 2.0LPM. The system is allowed to steady state condition.

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 viii. The fan damper is fully opened and the fan is turned on. The
differential pressure sensor is checked during reading when the valve
manifold is switched to measure the orifice differential pressure.
ix. The system is conducted for about 20 minutes. The level in the tank is
adjusted for the float valve correction.
x. The system is ready to be used.
Next, the safety operating procedures are as followed;
i. The system is set to required conditions of 2.0 LPM water flowrate
and maximum air flow with cooling load 1.0 kW.
ii. The make-up tank is filled with distilled water cup, the initial water
level and time is recorded.
iii. The make-up supply is determined in an interval of 10 minutes.
iv. A few sets of measurements (i.e. temperatures (T1-T7), orifice
differential pressure (DP1), water flowrate (FT1) and heater power
(Q1)) is recorded within this 10 minutes interval. Then, the mean
value for calculation and analysis is obtained.
v. The quantity of make-up water that has been supplied during the
time interval is determined by noting the height reduction in the
make-up tank.
vi. The observation is repeated at different conditions, i.e. at different
water flow rates with different load.
Hence, the general shut down procedure are as followed;
i. The heaters are switched off and the water is allowed to
circulate through the cooling tower system for 3-5 minutes
until the water cooled down.
ii. The fan is switched off and the fan damper is fully closed.
iii. The pump and power supply are switched off.
iv. The water is retained in the reservoir tank for the following
experiment.
v. The water is drained completely from the unit.

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4.0 Result and Analysis
4.1 Result Data Sheets
The following are the result and recorded data based on Experiment 4 on Water
Cooling Unit. Table 1.1 and Table 1.2 show the result of different water flow
rate with cooling load at 0.5kW and 1.0kW respectively.

Table 1.1: Result of different water flow rate with cooling load at 0.5kW
Cooling Load = 0.5 kW
Time Interval = 10 minutes
Description Unit Water Flow Rate, FT1
1.0 LPM 1.5 LPM
Packing Density m-1 110 110
Air Inlet Dry Bulb, T1 oC 30.08 29.78
Air Inlet Dry Bulb, T2 oC 25.63 25.58
Air Outlet Dry Bulb, T3 oC 28.40 28.83
Air Outlet Dry Bulb, T4 oC 27.95 28.50
Air Inlet Temperature, T5 oC 33.90 32.55
Air Outlet Temperature, T6 oC 28.15 28.18
Water Make-Up Temperature, T7 oC 24.65 25.18
Orifice Differential, DP1 Pa 113 113
Heater Power, Q1 kW 514 510
Quantity of Make-up water mL 7.30 7.00

Table 1.2: Result of different water flow rate with cooling load at 1.0kW
Cooling Load = 1.0 kW
Time Interval = 10 minutes
Description Unit Water Flow Rate, FT1
1.0 LPM 1.5 LPM
Packing Density m-1 110 110
Air Inlet Dry Bulb, T1 oC 29.55 29.20
Air Inlet Dry Bulb, T2 oC 25.50 25.40
Air Outlet Dry Bulb, T3 oC 29.60 30.40
Air Outlet Dry Bulb, T4 oC 40.10 29.85
Air Inlet Temperature, T5 oC 28.03 37.50
Air Outlet Temperature, T6 oC 25.93 28.03
Water Make-Up Temperature, T7 oC 25.93 26.28
Orifice Differential, DP1 Pa 113 113
Heater Power, Q1 kW 995 991
Quantity of Make-up water mL 7.00 6.60

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4.2 Calculation
By plotting the air inlet dry bulb and air inlet wet bulb (point A) and air outlet
dry bulb and air outlet wet bulb (point B) on the Psychrometric Chart, the
enthalpy and humidity of air mixture is obtained and the result is showed as
below;
Enthalpy of inlet air, hA = 79.5 kJ/kg
Humidity ratio of inlet air, wA =0.0913 kg water/ kg dry air
Enthalpy of outlet air hB = 91.98 kJ/kg
Humidity ratio of outlet air, wB = 0.02387 kg water/ kg dry air
Specific volume, vaB = 0.894 m3/(kg dry air)
From the orifice calibration,

a = 0.0137
vaB (1+wB)

x = 113Pa 1mm H2O/10.13Pa

x = 11.15 mm H2O
11.15
a = 0.01370.894 (1+0.02387 )

a = 0.0478kg/s

Water Mass Loss,

mE = D2(h1-h2)/4
where h1 and h2 in cm units,
D = 74 mm = O.74 cm (LD of Make-up tank)
= 1000kg/m3 (water density)
mE = 0.0742 (0.07) 1000/4
mE = 0.3011kg

Make up rate,
E = mE /t , Unit kg/s
E = 0.3011/600 kg/s
E = 5.018310-4kg/s

Specific enthalpy of make-up,

hE = 141.15J/kg (at T7)

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 Applying the steady flow equation to the system indicated by the chain
the (System A)
. . .
Q P H KE
.
Q P = 1.0-(-0.065W) =1.065 W (estimated work by pump is -65W)

On the right side of the equation,

KE = 0 (change of air velocity is negligible)
H = HEXIT - HENTRY
. . . .
H m a (h B h A ) m E h E
.
H = O.0478 (91.98-79.5)- ((5.018310-4) 141.15)
.
H = 0.525kW

The discrepancy between the right hand side and left hand side of the equation
may be attributed to errors and heat lost from the system.
Mass Balance
. . .
m E mSB mSA
mE = 2.86710-4kg/s
. .
mE ma (w B w A ) = 0.0478 (0.02387-0.0193) = 2.184510-4kg/s
The values for both sides of the equation slightly differ. This discrepancy may be
attributed to carry over, leak and errors.

4.3 Discussion
Based on this experiment, the instrument used is Water Cooling Tower
HE152 Unit. This experiment is conducted in order to investigate the effect of
different water flow rate with cooling load at 0.5kW and 1.0kW respectively. All
cooling towers operate on the principle of removing heat from water by
evaporating a small portion of the water that is recirculated through the unit.
The heat that is eliminated is called as latent heat of vaporization.
There are a few terms need to be considered in principle of cooling tower. First
is cooling range of the system. The difference in the temperature between the hot
water entering the tower and cold water leaving the tower is known as cooling

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range. Second is approach. The difference between the temperature of the cold
water leaving the tower and the wet-bulb temperature of the air is known as the
approach. Establishment of the approach fixes the operating temperature of the
tower and is a most important parameter in determining both tower size and cost.
Others is heat load and wet-bulb temperature. Heat load is the amount of heat to
be removed from the circulating water within the tower. Heat load is equal to
water circulation rate (gpm) times the cooling range times 500 and is expressed
in unit BTU/hr. Heat load is also an important parameter in determining tower
size and cost. Wet-Bulb temperature is the lowest temperature that water
theoretically can reach by evaporation. Wet-Bulb temperature is an extremely
important parameter in tower selection and design and should be measured by a
psychrometer.

Table 1.3: Comparison between the cooling loads

Water
Flow Rate, LPM 1.0 1.5
FT1
Cooling
kW 0.5 1.0 0.5 1.0
Load, Q1
Quantity
of make- ml 7.30 7.00 7.00 6.60
up water
Make-up
kg/s 5.2327x10-4 5.0183x10-4 5.0183x10-4 4.7309x10-4
rate, E

Based on the comparison of cooling load 0.5kW and 1.0kW, the result is
investigated based on relationship between cooling load and the rate of
evaporation. Referring to Table 1.3, at the same flowrate, the lower the cooling
load, the higher the make-up rate, and thus the higher the rate of evaporation.
This phenomenon occurs due to lower cooling load releases lower water molecule
in the air. Thus, lower water vapor content in the air allows more water on the
surface to be eliminated into the air. This shows that the humidity supplied by
0.5kW is lower than that in 1.0 kW. Cooling load of 1.0kW produces more heat
and releases more water vapor into the surrounding air and cause high humidity.
In high humidity, water on the surface evaporates slowly due to high water vapor
content the air. Dryer air allows higher evaporating rate.
Comparing in terms of flowrate, the make-up rate with 1.0 LPM flow rate
is greater than the flowrate of 1.5 LPM. According to theory, humidity of air is
higher in greater flowrate. It means that humidity in 1.5 LPM is much higher

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than that in 1.0 LPM. The increases of the air humidity ratio will lower the
evaporating rate. As water flows from the inlet through the packing, 1.5 LPM
flowrate supplies more water on a surface area as compared to 1.0 LPM. It causes
the surrounding air to be more humid due to higher water contents in the air.
Hence, the evaporating rate is lower. On the other hand, higher humidity causes
the pressure in the air higher than the water surface. Evaporating rate depends
on the pressure difference between the surrounding air and the water surface.
The higher the pressure difference which is lower surround air pressure and
higher water surface pressure cause water surface to evaporate faster.

5.0 Conclusion
5.1 Conclusion
In conclusion, the objectives of the experiment are achieved which mean that this
experiment is well conducted. The students were able to determine the end state
properties of air and water from tables or charts. Besides, the students were able
to investigate and determine energy and mass balances using steady state flow
equation on the selected systems. Last but not least, students were able to carry
out experiment well. The theory of the experiment is achieved as the cooling load
increase, the temperature in of the water flows through the packing increase. It
causes water vapour to be released from the water surface becomes high which
leads to higher humidity. Higher humidity can less pressure difference between
the surrounding air and surface. Thus, the evaporating rate becomes much lower.

5.2 Recommendations
In order to obtain better result, several recommendations must be considered as
following;
1. Use appropriate safety PPE when conducting the experiment.
2. The humidity recording devices were not working properly. So, be recalibrated
or replaced so that more accurate and timely measurements of humidity can
be made.
3. The auxiliary heaters always be used during experiments in order to increase
the temperature difference between the return water from the water heater
and cool supply water. This increase in the possibility of the enthalpy
difference being negligible.
4. Make consultation with lab assistance before run the experiment.

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5. Make sure the students are able to use the equipment.
6. Avoid any mistake and error when conducting the experiment to get the best
result. Stay alert to the time taken of every minutes running.

6.0 References
Hensley, J. C. (2009). Cooling tower fundamentals. Kansas, USA: SPX Cooling
technologies.

School of Engineering. (2011). Why do we sweat more in high humidity? Retrieved

from: http://engineering.mit.edu/ask/why-do-we-sweat-more-high-humidity