Charles F Bowman

US Patent:

54076064, Apr 18, 1995

Filed:

Jan 10, 1994

Appl. No.:

8/179498

Inventors:

Charles F. Bowman - Knoxville TN

Assignee:

Tennessee Valley Authority - Knoxville TN

International Classification:

B01F 304

US Classification:

261109

Abstract:

Apparatus useful for heat exchange by evaporative cooling when employed in conjunction with a conventional cooling tower. The arrangement includes a header pipe which is used to divert a portion of the water in the cooling tower supply conduit up stream of the cooling tower to a multiplicity of vertical pipes and spray nozzles which are evenly spaced external to the cooling tower so as to produce a uniform spray pattern oriented toward the central axis of the cooling tower and thereby induce an air flow into the cooling tower which is greater than otherwise achieved. By spraying the water to be cooled towards the cooling tower in a region external to the cooling tower in a manner such that the spray falls just short of the cooling tower basin, the spray does not interfere with the operation of the cooling tower, proper, and the-maximum increase in air velocity is achieved just above the cooling tower basin where it is most effective. The sprayed water lands on a concrete or asphalt apron which extends from the header pipe to the cooling tower basin and is gently sloped towards the cooling tower basin such that the sprayed water drains into the basin. By diverting a portion of the water to be cooled to a multiplicity of sprays external to the cooling tower, thermal performance is improved.