Refinement of the Transfer Characteristic Correlation of Wet-Cooling Tower Fills

Abstract

Transfer characteristic correlations given in the literature for wet-cooling tower fills are generally only a function of the air and water mass flow rates. This is a gross simplification of a very complex heat and mass transfer (evaporative cooling) process. In addition to the effects of the air and water mass flow rates, effects of the inlet water temperature, air drybulb temperature, wetbulb temperature, and fill height on the transfer characteristic, or Merkel number, are investigated in the present study. The accuracy of two different empirical equations is also evaluated. It is found that the transfer characteristic correlations for wet-cooling tower fills are functions of the inlet water temperature and fill height but not of the air drybulb and wetbulb temperatures.