Browsing by Author "Michaels, Alain Juan-Pierre"

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    Investigation of the effect of a new splash grid on natural drought wet cooling tower (NDWCT) performance
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-03) Michaels, Alain Juan-Pierre; Reuter, Hanno Carl Rudolph; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A thermal power plant's efficiency is greatly dependent on the temperature of the saturated steam in the condenser. Wet-cooling provides low temperatures economically where water is readily available. Increasing the effectiveness of these wet-cooling towers through performance enhancement could result in a decrease in life cycle cost. Reuter has found that the rain zone, often overlooked as a region for performance enhancement, can have a considerable effect on the performance characteristics of a cooling tower. In this thesis, the effect of installing a newly developed splash type grid below a conventional film type fill on the performance characteristics of the rain zone is investigated experimentally. The proposed grid reduces the mean drop size in the rain zone to enhance the performance characteristics. The following experimental performance tests are conducted in a fill test facility: film fill only, fill with rain zone, fill with rain zone and one layer of splash grids for different placements and inclination angles below the fill, fill with rain zone and two layers of splash grids for different placements below the fill. From the experimental performance characteristics, a Sauter mean drop diameter is calculated, which shows that a significant reduction in drop size is achieved by means of the grid. The experimental results are ultimately used in a natural draught wet cooling tower one dimensional performance model to determine the effect of different fills and the grid below the fill on the cooling tower re-cooled water temperature and range.