Psychometric Analysis of an Induced Cooling Tower in a Humid Condition

Year : 2025 | Volume : 12 | Issue : 03 | Page : 22 29
    By

    Santosh Kumar Panda,

  • Balaji Kumar Choudhury,

  1. Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) University, Berhampur, Odisha, India
  2. Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Parala Maharaja College of Engineering, Berhampur, Odisha, India

Abstract

An Induced Cooling Tower (ICT) is an energy transformation device that facilitates heat and mass transfer by leveraging ambient conditions. ICTs are particularly effective in applications requiring a large heat transfer surface area, utilizing evaporative cooling of ambient air to cool hot steam. The performance of an ICT is significantly influenced by ambient humidity and temperature, making these environmental factors critical in its design and operation. As such, ICTs are a subject of growing interest in research focused on thermal systems. This study presents an experimental analysis into the heat transfer and psychometric performance of an ICT under humid conditions. The range of the operating parameters considered for the experimental study is as follows: ma=1 to 2 kg/s, mw=5 to 20 L/m, Ta=20 to 30°C, Tw=40 to 60°C. Key observed parameters include evaporation and energy losses, cooling effectiveness, temperature ratio, and the outlet temperatures Ta and Tw. The varying inputs considered are ambient temperature, relative humidity, and the flow rates of ma and mw. The ICT operates on a counter-flow pattern, where air and steam move in opposite directions. The results of this study are expected to contribute to the performance analysis and optimized design of ICT systems.

Keywords: Induced cooling tower, temperature ratio, NTU, psychometric, evaporation losses, energy loss

[This article belongs to Journal of Thermal Engineering and Applications ]

How to cite this article:
Santosh Kumar Panda, Balaji Kumar Choudhury. Psychometric Analysis of an Induced Cooling Tower in a Humid Condition. Journal of Thermal Engineering and Applications. 2025; 12(03):22-29.
How to cite this URL:
Santosh Kumar Panda, Balaji Kumar Choudhury. Psychometric Analysis of an Induced Cooling Tower in a Humid Condition. Journal of Thermal Engineering and Applications. 2025; 12(03):22-29. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/jotea/article=2025/view=227420


References

  1. Hensley JC. Cooling Tower Fundamentals. 2nd Edn. Overland Park, Kansas: SPX Cooling Technology Inc.; 2009; 7.
  2. Zengin G, Onat A. Experimental and theoretical analysis of mechanical draft counter flow wet cooling towers. Sci Technol Built Environ. 2021; 27(1): 14–27. doi:10.1080/23744731.2020.1822084.
  3.  Fisenko SP, Petruchik AI, Solodukhin AD. Evaporative cooling of water in a natural draft cooling tower. Int J Heat Mass Transf. 2002; 45(23): 4683–94.
  4. Yuanbin Z, Fengzhong S, Yan L, Guoqing L, Zhi Y. Numerical study on the cooling performance of natural draft dry cooling tower with vertical delta radiators. Appl Energy. 2015; 149: 225–37. doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.03.119.
  5. Wang W, Zhang H, Liu P, Li Z, Lv J, Ni W. Cooling performance of a natural draft dry cooling tower under crosswind. Appl Energy. 2017; 186(3): 336–46.
  6. Goudarzi MA. Technique to enhance thermal performance and reduce wind loads for natural draft cooling towers. Energy. 2013; 62: 164–72.
  7. Mondal PK, Mukherjee S, Kundu B, Wongwises S. Crosswind-influenced thermal performance of natural draft counterflow cooling tower. Int J Heat Mass Transf. 2015; 85: 1049–57.
  8. Singla RK, Singh K, Das R. Tower characteristics correlation in wet-cooling tower with mesh packing. Appl Therm Eng. 2016; 96: 240–9.
  9. Milosavljevic N, Heikkila P. Cooling tower design approach. Appl Therm Eng. 2001; 21: 899–915.
  10. Papaefthimiou VD, Zannis TC, Rogdakis ED. Thermodynamics of wet cooling tower performance. Int J Energy Res. 2006; 30(6): 411–26.
  11. Naphon P. Heat transfer characteristics of an evaporative cooling tower. Int Commun Heat Mass Transf. 2005; 32(8): 1066–74.
  12. Meneceur N, Boulahrouz S, Khounfais K, Boukhari A. Thermal performance of counter-flow wet cooling tower. J Eng Sci Technol. 2018; 13(11): 3691–709.
  13. Yuan W, Sun F, Liu R, Chen X, Li Y. Air parameters and evaporation loss in cooling towers. Energies. 2020; 13(23): 6174. doi:10.3390/en13236174.
  14. Yu JH, Qu ZG, Zhang JF, Hu SJ, Guan J. Thermal performance of counter-flow wet cooling tower. Energy. 2022; 238(Pt B): 121726.
  15. Yuming G, Fuli W, Mingxing J, Shuning Z. Parallel hybrid model for mechanical draft wet-cooling tower. Appl Therm Eng. 2017; 125: 1379–88.
  16. Naik BK, Choudhury V, Muthukumar P, Somayaji C. Counter flow cooling tower performance assessment. Energy Procedia. 2017; 109: 243–52.
  17. Yang Y, Cui G, Lan CQ. Developments in evaporative cooling: a review. Renew Sustain Energy Rev. 2019; 113: 109230.
  18. Singh K, Das R. Optimization in induced draft cooling towers. Chem Eng Res Des. 2017; 123: 1–13.
  19. Singh K, Das R. Inverse optimization for mechanical draft cooling towers. Appl Therm Eng. 2017; 114: 573–82.
  20. Keyan M, Mingsheng L, Jili Z. Online optimization for cooling water system. Energy. 2021; 231: 120896.
  21. Bedekar SV, Nithiarasu P, Seetharamu KN. Counter-flow packed-bed mechanical cooling tower performance. Energy. 1998; 23(11): 943–7.
  22. Raj K, Yogesh S, Rashmi RM, Dalvir S. Performance enhancement in natural draft cooling tower. Mater Today Proc. 2021; 38(1): 211–7.
  23. Zargar A, Kodkani A, Peris A, Clare E, Cook J, Karupothula P, et al. Numerical analysis of a counter-flow wet cooling tower and its plume. Int J Thermofluids. 2022;14:100139. doi:10.1016/j.ijft.2022.100139.
  24. Xuehong C, Fengzhong S, Youliang C, Ming G. Improving performance of natural draft wet cooling towers. Appl Therm Eng. 2019; 147: 562–70.
  25. Singh K, Das R. Exergy optimization of cooling towers. Energy Convers Manag. 2017; 136: 418–30.
  26. Mehran AG, Alireza H, Mohsen DE. Thermodynamic analysis of lab-scale wet cooling tower. Appl Therm Eng. 2017; 125: 1389–401.
  27. Dmitriev AV, Madyshev IN, Kharkov VV, Dmitrieva OS, Zinurov VE. Fill pack impact on cooling tower performance. Therm Sci Eng Prog. 2021; 22: 100835.
  28.  Li X, Sun F, Chen X, Liu C. Impact mechanism of the chip mufer layout patterns on the cooling performance of wet cooling towers. Appl Therm Eng. 2019;161:114058. doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2019.114058.
  29. Singh K, Das R. An experimental and Multi-objective optimization study of forced draft cooling tower with different fills. Energy Convers Manag. 2016; 111: 417–30.
  30. Shahali P, Rahmati M, Alavi SR, Sedaghat A. Experimental study on improving operating conditions of wet cooling towers using various rib numbers of packing. Int J Refrig. 2016;65:80– 91. doi:10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2015.12.004.
  31. Khan JR, Yaqub M, Zubair SM. Performance characteristics of counter flow wet cooling towers. Energy Convers Manag. 2003; 44(13): 2073–91.
  32. Fraas AP. Heat Exchanger Design. 2nd Edn. New York: John Wiley & Sons; 1989.
Regular Issue Subscription Original Research
Volume 12
Issue 03
Received 11/04/2025
Accepted 18/06/2025
Published 28/07/2025
Publication Time 108 Days
177

Login


My IP

PlumX Metrics