Q. What is the basic working of Cooling Tower?
Cooling towers are generally located downwind from process units to adequately disperse vapors (from exchanger leaks) and minimize exposure to water mist (biological hazards such as legionella). Spacing and location should also consider corrosion, ice formation and visibility problems that may result from impingement of the cooling tower exhaust plume on adjacent high structures. The ground area around cooling towers should be suitable for water basins and in the case of natural draft design, substantial foundations are required. Forced draft coolers can be noisy so consideration should be given to positioning them away from populated areas.
Cooling towers require maintenance access to fans and access to the water basin for cleaning. Chemical dosing and algae control facilities are often required. Location of cooling tower should prevent entrainment of particles or vapours from adjacent vents or stacks. Cooling towers are considered an off-plot item and must be located in a safe area away from inflammable vapours. The cooling towers and associated pumping bays are usually located in rows with the water feed channels running either parallel to or at right angles to the row of coolers.