A CRITICAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER ANALYSIS OF CROSSFLOW WET-COOLING TOWERS

Abstract

The heat and mass transfer process of evaporative cooling in crossflow wet-cooling tower fills is investigated. The governing equations of the crossflow evaporative process are derived from first principles. A detailed account is given of how to solve these equations. The governing equations, according to the Poppe, Merkel, and e-NTU methods of analysis, are considered. The equations of the Poppe method of analysis are extended to give a more detailed representation of the transfer characteristic or Merkel number. The results of a crossflow wet-cooling tower fill analysis according to the Merket, Poppe, and e-NTU methods of analysis are presented. The differences between the results of these methods are evaluated.