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COOLING TOWER CALCULATIONS

Hampa Energy Engineering & Design Company

Mohammadreza Malek
Senior Engineer Machinery Department

ABSTRUCT :

The method by which heat is removed from an open recirculating cooling water
system is evaporation (E) of some of the water over a tower. The amount of
temperature reduction that can be accomplished by evaporation at any time is limited
to the wet-bulb temperature or simply, the relative humidity. A high relative
humidity lowers the evaporation rate; dry conditions encourage a higher evaporation
rate. Seasonal humidity conditions are an important consideration in tower sizing,
design, and placement.

The recirculation rate and the temperature drop across the cooling tower are the two
pieces of data needed to calculate the amount of water lost from the open
recirculating cooling system (due to evaporation).

Following items will be discussed and calculated in this article :

- Evaporation
- Temperature Drop
- Recirculation Rate
- Concentration Ratio or Cycles of Concentration
- Make Up Water
- Holding Capacity or System Volume
- Blowdown Rate

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Evaporation:

- Evaporation losses will vary depending upon temperature and humidity, but a
general rule is that for every 100 F. (60 C.) temperature drop across the tower,
approximately 0.85% of the recirculation rate will be evaporated.
- Evaporation (Estimation: See Value Added Troubleshooting Guide - Cooling
Section for precise method )
- E = T R 0.00085 when T measured in Fahrenheit
- E = T R 0.00153 when T measured in Centigrade
- Where: R = Recirculation Rate, gpm (m3/hr)
- Units will be equivalent to the R value. Typically gpm or m3/hr.
- This figure can be used for estimating purposes, but should not be used when
more exact information is required (e.g., in a proposal, problem solving, etc.).
Details for calculating evaporation rate based upon temperature and humidity
conditions are provided in the PAC-3 section of the Value Added
Troubleshooting Guide.

Temperature Drop :
The temperature drop ( T ) for a cooling tower can be measured by taking the
temperature of the tower return water (TR) and subtracting the temperature of the
basin supply water (TS). This difference can be used to calculate the approximate
amount of evaporation that has occurred in the cooling tower:
T = T R T S
Recirculation Rate

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To maintain a flow of water through the heat transfer equipment, water must be
pumped or recirculated. The recirculation rate can be determined from information
on pump performance, tower hydraulics, etc. A detailed description of how to
determine recirculating rate is given in the PAC-3 section of the Value Added
Troubleshooting Guide .
It can be grossly misleading to simply use the pump name plate data to determine
recirculating rate. Many times throttling valves, pipe restrictions, and head pressure
restrictions interfere and can produce deviations as great as 50-75% from the name
plate values.
Concentration Ratio or Cycles of Concentration
The concentration ratio of an ion carried in a recirculating system is merely the
concentration of that ion in the recirculating water divided by the concentration of the
ion in the makeup water. Concentration ratio is also referred to as the cycles of
concentration.
C R = Specific Ion Concentration in the Recirculation Water
Specific Ion Concentration in the Make Up Water
Theoretically, evaporation from a cooling tower is pure water. All of the dissolved
ions are left behind to concentrate in the system. If the only system water loss was
through evaporation, the dissolved ions in the recirculating water would continue to
concentrate (from the ions left after evaporation) until the solubility of each ion in the
water was exceeded and massive scale/deposition resulted. Most systems cannot
tolerate any scale; therefore, the level or concentration of critical scaling-prone ions
in the water is usually controlled by a combination of bleeding off a certain portion of
the recirculation water and adding anti-scaling compounds. The rate at which water
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is bled from a system (in gpm; m /hr) compared with the amount of fresh water being
introduced in the system (in gpm; m3/hr) will also determine the concentration ratio.
C R = MU
BD
To check the concentration ratio in a system, select and monitor a soluble ion (such
as silica or magnesium) that is present in sufficient quantity, stable, and easily tested.
Compare its concentration in the makeup water to its concentration in the
recirculating water by dividing the tower content by the makeup content.
Repeating this same testing for scaling species (e.g., calcium) will provide an
indication if scaling is occurring or if the system is in chemical balance. If the cycles
of calcium concentration are consistently lower than the cycles of magnesium
concentration, for example, the calcium can be assumed to be precipitating in the
system. (There may also be scale forming in the heat transfer equipment, thereby
impeding production.) Entry of ions from sources other than the makeup water can
invalidate any ratio being developed. These sources include chlorination, chemical
additives, process leaks, acid additions, and airborne gases.
Make Up Water :

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Water that must be added to replace water lost from the recirculating system by
evaporation and bleed-off (or blowdown) is called makeup water (MU). The amount
of water entering the system must be equal to the amount leaving the system.
MU = E + BD
Where: MU = Makeup Rate, gpm (m3/hr)
E = Evaporation Rate, gpm (m3/hr)
BD = Blowdown Rate. gpm (m3/hr) includes drift, leakage, filter
wastage and export
If the temperature drop across the tower and the recirculation rates are known, the
amounts of water loss through evaporation can be calculated. If the concentration
ratio is also known then the makeup water requirements can be calculated as follows.
E CR
MU =
CR 1
The expression was developed from the following fundamental cooling tower water
balance relationships.
MU = E + BD
CR = MU/BD
Substituting BD = MU/CR in the first equation.
MU = E + MU/CR
(MU)(CR) = (E)(CR) + MU
(MU)(CR) - MU = (E)(CR)
E CR
MU =
CR 1

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BLOWDOWN RATE :
The blowdown (bleed-off) rate is generally defined as the water lost from the system
for all reasons except evaporation. In very tight (low water loss) open recirculating
systems, the two primary areas for system water loss are evaporation and water
blowdown. In practice, however, a lot of water may also be lost through system
water leaks, by water combining with the product or process, or by tower drift. For
calculation purposes, all of these water losses, except for evaporation, are generally
considered together and called tower water blowdown. The blowdown rate is
normally measured in gallons pen minute (m3/hr).
System blowdown (BD) rate can be calculated from the following expression:
E
BD =
CR 1
3
Where: BD = blowdown rate, gpm (m /hr)
E = tower evaporation rate, gpm (m3/hr)
CR = concentration ratio or cycles
This expression was derived from the following cooling tower water balance
relationship: MU = BD + E
Substituting MU = (CR)(BD) in MU = BD + E :
(CR)(BD) = BD + E
(CR)(BD) - BD = E
(BD)(CR-1) = E
E
BD =
CR 1

Non-Blowdown Water Losses Included in Blowdown [ Drift, Leaks, Filter Wastage,

Export ]
If cooling system is operated under ideal conditions all water removed from the
system would be due to evaporation or blowdown. Unfortunately the ideal cooling
system only exist in concept and in operating systems we find other water losses that
need to be understood and factored into the overall cooling system materials balance
equation.
Drift - Tiny droplets of water that become entrained in the airstream and carried
out of the unit in the leaving airstream. Unlike evaporation drift is a
droplet of water and contains solids and bacteria. Drift is the primary
mechanism for transmission of pathogens from a cooling system to a host.
Drift is usually estimated based on a percentage of recirculation. Estimates
vary from 0.002 to 0.01% of recirculation. Splash fill towers tend to have
higher drift rates then film fill towers. Drift eliminator design, unit
maintenance and air flow also have an influence on the amount of drift that
is released from a cooling system.

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Leaks - Uncontrolled water lost from a system. Leaks should be identified,

quantified and corrected where possible. Leak identification and
management is a valuable service to any client operating a cooling
system. Possible sources: pump seals, valves that do not seal, overflow,
tower containment or splash out, exchanger failures . . .
Filter / Separator Wastage - Water wasted from a system due to separator flush or
filter back wash.
Export - Water intentionally removed from the system and used in another
system.
Holding Capacity or System Volume :
The holding capacity of a system is the amount of water in the system expressed in
gallons (cubic meters). Normally most of the capacity of a system is contained in the
cooling tower basin; the exact amount, however, can be determined only by
conducting a TRASAR diagnosis or an ion concentration study. This technique is
described in detail in the Value Added Troubleshooting Guide, PAC-3 .
Assumptions about holding capacities can be dangerous and may lead to incorrect
dosages for biocides, including biological control programs that are ineffective or too
costly.
Holding Time Index or Half-Life
The holding time index (HTI) is a calculated figure that indicates the time required to
reduce the chemical or makeup water added to a system to 50% of its original
concentration. It is essentially the half-life of a chemical added to the system. The
basic method of calculating the holding time index is as follows:
0.693 HC
HTI =
BD

Expressed in the time units used for blowdown BD. Usually reported in hours.
3
Where: BD = Blowdown Rate. gpm (m /hr) includes leakage
3
HC = Holding Capacity or Volume, gal (m )
The holding time index is important in choosing a chemical treatment program. Very
long holding time indexes may preclude the use of certain chemicals, such as
polyphosphates, because of excessive reversion of the polyphosphate species to
orthophosphate and subsequent precipitation as tricalcium phosphate (a compound
that has a very low solubility in water). A short holding time index may limit the use
of some chemicals because of the higher amount of chemical required to maintain the
necessary treatment levels (and the accompanying increased costs). Further, not all
chemical inhibitors will prevent scale, corrosion, and fouling for the same length of
time. Therefore, the particular chemical program chosen and the level at which the
chemicals are applied are influenced by the holding time index.

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Finally, the holding time index is used to determine the required amount of some
biocides to achieve proper control of microorganisms. This is particularly true when
slug feeding slower-acting biocides. Short holding time indexes may not allow
enough time to maintain critical biocide concentration for kill and can result in
developing resistance. We can manage holding time index to some degree by pre-
blowing down prior to biocide dosing to increase the holding time.
TIME PER CYCLE :
The time per cycle is defined as the time it takes all the water in a system to make
one trip around the recirculating loop (from the discharge side of the recirculation
pump back to the suction side of the pump).
HC
Time per Cycle =
R Expressed in the time units used for
recirculation rate R.
3
Where: BD = Blowdown Rate. gpm (m /hr) includes drift and leakage
CR = Concentration Ratio
3
E = Evaporation Rate, gpm (m /hr)
HC = Holding Capacity or Volume, gal (m3)
HTI = Holding Time Index
MU = Makeup Rate, gpm (m3/hr)
R = Recirculation Rate, gpm (m3/hr)
T = Temperature drop across tower, Measured as 0 F. or 0 C.

HC = Holding Capacity or System Volume, gal (m3)

CONCLUSION :
For selecting a cooling tower we shall calculate all the charctristics at first in
order to meet all preocess demands and fulfill the requirments in the best way.

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REFERENCES :
- NalcoHandbook
- Processcalculationhandbook

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