Cooling Tower Capacity Calculation
The thermal design and sizing of a cooling tower is the mathematical combination of the total heat load to be rejected from the plant and the climatic data of the region where it will be installed.
Step-by-Step Calculation Parameters
1. Determination of Total Heat Load (Q): It is the net thermal load transferred from the machinery to the water. It is calculated in hourly kcal/h or kW using the following basic formula:
Q = V × c × ΔT
Here, V: Water flow rate (m³/h), ΔT: Inlet-outlet temperature difference.
2. Range and Approach: Range: The temperature difference between the hot water entering the tower and the cold water leaving it. Approach: The critical difference between the cold water leaving the tower and the ambient wet-bulb temperature.
3. Required Air Flow Rate: It is the air volume that the fan system must discharge to remove heat from the tower. It is calculated based on the humidity and wet-bulb temperature values of the region.
4. Drift and Blowdown Losses: By determining the evaporated water droplets and losses escaping from the fan, the fresh makeup water requirement to be added to the tower is precisely defined.
Engineering Assurance
Tower capacity is not limited to theoretical formulas alone; plant altitude, relative humidity percentage, and site layout constraints directly affect capacity multipliers. Olcayli Engineering simulates all these parameters using advanced thermodynamic software to engineer the most accurate tower sizing for your facility.