Design and optimization of cooling towers

冷却塔的设计与优化

• 批准号: 501081-2016
• 负责人: Secanell, Marc
• 金额: $ 8.3万
• 依托单位: University of Alberta
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Collaborative Research and Development Grants
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2019-01-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=692990
• 关键词: Design; optimization; cooling; towers

Cooling towers are widely used to dissipate the low-grade heat of thermo-electric power plants, chemical and petrochemical process industries, and refrigeration and air conditioning plants. Wet cooling tower requirements in the U.S. are about 3 times larger than all domestic water consumption. During cold winter months, wet cooling tower also produce visible plumes of condensed steam above the tower which can pose threats to agriculture and the transportation industries (air and ground) due to reduced visibility and even ice formation on neighbouring roads. Increased regulations on water consumption and plume visibility, combined with the requirement to develop power plants in more arid conditions where a dependable source of make-up water is unavailable, as it is typically the case for solar thermal and geothermal energy applications, requires engineers to develop tools to design improved cooling tower technologies. Numerical modeling and optimization of wet, and especially hybrid cooling towers, has not been the topic of intense research. Hybrid towers combine dry cooling, which do not exploit evaporative cooling, with wet cooling in order to reduce water requirements and visible plumes. In this proposal, analytical and numerical simulation tools to study wet and hybrid cooling towers will be developed. Research will focus on analytical tools for the fill and plume zone, which are critical to both wet and hybrid towers, and numerical tools for the fill and the entire tower. Numerical tools are necessary to study inlet geometries, fill operation under cross-flow, and environmental conditions. The numerical tools will be integrated with optimization algorithms to be able to design optimal cooling towers that limit power consumption and water make-up requirements. Optimal design will be tested experimentally at facilities that will be developed at the University of Alberta. The aim of the project is to provide the cooling tower industry in Canada, and in particular International Cooling Towers Inc., with the numerical tools and highly qualified personnel required to continue to grow and contribute to the Canadian economy.

冷却塔广泛用于散发热电厂、化学和石化加工业、制冷和空调厂的低品位热量。美国的湿式冷却塔需求量大约是所有生活用水量的 3 倍。在寒冷的冬季，湿式冷却塔还会在塔上方产生可见的冷凝蒸汽羽流，由于能见度降低，甚至邻近道路上结冰，可能对农业和运输业（空中和地面）构成威胁。对水消耗和羽流能见度的规定不断增加，再加上在更干旱的条件下开发发电厂的要求，而在这些条件下，无法获得可靠的补充水源（太阳能热和地热能应用的典型情况），要求工程师开发工具来设计改进的冷却塔技术。 湿式冷却塔（尤其是混合式冷却塔）的数值建模和优化尚未成为深入研究的主题。混合塔将不利用蒸发冷却的干式冷却与湿式冷却相结合，以减少水需求和可见羽流。在该提案中，将开发用于研究湿式和混合式冷却塔的分析和数值模拟工具。研究将集中于填充和羽流区域的分析工具（这对于湿式塔和混合塔都至关重要），以及填充和整个塔的数值工具。数值工具对于研究入口几何形状、错流下的填充操作和环境条件是必要的。数值工具将与优化算法集成，以便能够设计出限制功耗和补水要求的最佳冷却塔。最佳设计将在阿尔伯塔大学开发的设施中进行实验测试。该项目的目的是为加拿大冷却塔行业，特别是国际冷却塔公司提供持续发展和为加拿大经济做出贡献所需的数字工具和高素质人员。