Cooling Towers in Plastic Industry

In comparison with most other industrial equipment, the water cooling tower is a simple device, based on the direct contact of two of the earth’s most common substances:

1. Air
2. Water

Water, which has been heated by an industrial process, is pumped to the cooling tower through pipes. The water sprays through nozzles onto banks of material called “fill,” which slows the flow of water through the cooling tower, and exposes as much water surface area as possible for maximum air-water contact. As the water flows through the cooling tower, it is exposed to air, which is being pulled through the tower by the electric motor-driven fan.

When the water and air meet, a small amount of water is evaporated, creating a cooling action. The cooled water is then pumped back to the condenser or process equipment where it absorbs heat.

Types of cooling towers

Cooling towers are designed and manufactured in several types, with numerous sizes available.

Crossflow cooling towers

In crossflow towers the water flows vertically through the fill while the air flows horizontally, across the flow of the falling water.

Counter flow cooling towers

Counter flow towers are designed so that air flows vertically upward, counter to the flow of falling water in the fill.

Induced draft vs. forced draft

Induced draft cooling towers have fans that are typically mounted on top of the unit and pull air through the fill media. Conversely, air is pushed by blowers located at the base of the air inlet face on forced draft towers.

Performance Drivers

Using a total system approach, every cooling tower and component is designed and engineered to work together as an integrated system for efficient performance and long life.

Variable Flow

Variable flow is a way to maximize the effectiveness of the installed tower capacity for whatever flow the process has.

Fill

One of the single most important components of a cooling tower is the fill. The two basic fill classifications are

1. Splash type fill, breaks up the water
2. Film type fill, spreads the water into a thin layer

Drift eliminators

Designed to remove water droplets from the discharged air and reduce loss of process water, drift eliminators cause the air and droplets to make sudden changes in direction. This causes the drops of water to be separated from the air and deposited back into the tower.

Fans

Cooling tower fans must move large volumes of air efficiently, and with minimum vibration.

Cooling Tower in Plastic Industry

Heat is the key factor in plastic processing as plastic is heated to form any shape. But there are some areas in plastic processing from where removal of excess heat is compulsory. Like heat removal from hydraulic oil and from chilled condenser etc. Water circulating in pipes of heat exchanger to cool hydraulic oil and condenser of chiller goes to cooling tower. In cooling tower temperature of water lowers.

Cooling towers lower the need of water supply.