A cooling tower extracts heat from process cooling water.

Common applications for cooling towers provide cooled water for air conditioning, manufacturing, and electric power generation. Application Challenges Energy savings Reduce maintenance requirements (personnel and equipment replacement costs) recisely control process water temperature sta!ili"ation

Applicable Products Drives Products E# $rive %amily or # $rive Features &uilt'in ($ control Benefits )perate the drive directly with !uilt'in *'+, mA terminals. -aintain temperature and lower energy consumption. .et the frequency reference lower limit. /he motor continues running even after a (+ sec) momentary power loss. Eliminate condensation in the motor.

-aintain a minimum speed. Continue running after momentary power loss. -otor preheat

.witch to a line power supply. )peration is not interrupted.

Application Details A starter and a control unit to provide start0stop control and speed control are required for cooling tower fan operation. 1as2awa AC varia!le frequency drives are equipped with !uilt'in ($ control and speed search technology to restart the drive after a momentary power loss. %or maximum energy savings, the drive should provide the coldest temperature that the system will tolerate !efore reducing motor speed. 3aria!le frequency drives can !e the solution in noise sensitive applications. .oft starting and gradual speed changes ma2e cooling tower noise less noticea!le and reduce mechanical wear. A varia!le frequency drive can correctly identify the cooling tower fan rotation, slow the motor speed to "ero (when opposite rotation is detected), and accelerate the fan in the correct direction. /he 3%$ drive eliminates !ra2es, anti'ratcheting devices, and time delays. Running the fan slower, which raises tower and water temperatures, can prevent icing in cold weather. A 3%$ can reverse a cooling tower fan and 2eep the heat in the tower, if necessary. (n warm weather, fans can !e run faster, providing additional cooling capacity. Additional Information

/he pdf contains the same information as the we!, !ut in some cases may contain more and should !e used if a printed version is required.

The greater the range of allowable humidity, the greater the energy savings. As the allowable humidity range increases, the use of energy-efficient indirect-direct evaporative cooling becomes more appropriate. Depending upon climate, when a laboratory's required relative humidity range is 4 to ! percent, evaporative cooling can be used. This approach can consume as little as two-thirds of the energy necessary to provide a range of 4! to 4 percent ".#., assuming this lower humidity range requires the use of a chiller. $aboratories in warmer climates benefit from raising the allowable ".#.% laboratories in colder climates benefit most from lower minimum ".#. specifications as well as a wider range. &ee 'hapter ( and . )$ynn, *++*, -vaporative cooling systems have been used to condition facilities since before refrigerated cooling was invented. There are two types of evaporative cooling techniques. indirect and direct. The indirect approach removes sensible energy only from the air stream with an e/changer that has the air stream flow on one side of a plate and water on the other. The direct approach removes energy from the air stream adiabatically by adding moisture to the air stream. These approaches can be combined to provide cooling and humidification that displaces energy from a conventional compressor-type #0A' system. Annual energy savings of more than * percent for a one-stage, direct system and over (1 percent for a two-stage indirect2direct system can be reali3ed when compared to a conventional #0A' system. 4rown 5*++(6 says, 7The use of direct evaporative cooling to humidify increases the opportunity to recover heat by (8 percent and reduce energy consumption during the heating season.7 9ne- to two-year paybac:s are possible. The ;ustification of evaporative cooling should not be based solely on the ability to replace mechanical cooling but should be considered as an opportunity to displace mechanical cooling2humidification energy. )4rown, *++<% 4rown, *++(, -vaporative cooling should always be considered for all ma:e-up air systems, regardless of geographic region, as noted in the descriptions of the approaches below. Indirect

=ndirect evaporative cooling is applicable when there is a large process equipmentcooling load, the #0A' system operates on a continuous basis, and a direct evaporative cooling opportunity e/ists. )4rown, *++(, Direct

Direct evaporative cooling can be ;ustified on the basis of eliminating the need for a steam humidification system, enhancing economi3er operation, reducing humidification energy used in con;unction with heat recovery, and controlling the temperature of a space independent of controlling its humidity. Direct evaporative cooling for both ma:e-up air and recirculation-type systems should always be

considered when the outdoor wet-bulb temperature is (>? 5**.@>'6 or less for (, !! or more hours per year. Direct evaporative cooling of air conditioning condensers, which are normally simply air-cooled, can reduce electrical energy and demand consumption by <! to 4! percent. )Anebel, *++@, )4rown, *++!% 4rown, *++(, Two-stage

Typically, a two-stage evaporative cooling system comprises a direct evaporative cooler downstream of an indirect evaporative cooler. The two coolers can be combined in a myriad of arrangements to increase energy efficiency. )4rown, *++<% 4rown, *++(% 4rown, *++!,

Variable Frequency Drives & Cooling Towers

Many utilities are now offering rebates for the installation of VFD's or retro-fitting existing equipment with variable frequency drives. ontact your local utility or search VFD rebate. By: Doug Smith ABB Representative 'ooling towers are at the heart of many industrial processes. Bhile tower designs vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, fans are always used to move air through the cooling tower, cooling the process water. 9perating requirements for a cooling tower may include the ability to start and stop the fan, change the fan speed 5based on the sump water temperature6, and possibly change the fan direction 5seasonal - may be temperature and2or climate dependant6. 'ommon application challenges include.

4ra:es or sensors are needed to ensure fan blades are not rotating in the reverse direction before starting 5prevent snapped motor shaft6 Additional starter5s6 or maintenance personnel to swap motor leads for reverse fan operation Citch of the blades may need to be ad;usted according to the season 5air temperature6 to prevent motor overloading due to cold, dense air ?an speed control not ta:en into consideration at system design stage 5single speed starter6 =ncreased maintenance costs due to power train shoc:2stresses and motor starter replacement 5systems with single and two-speed starters6 Crocess water temperatures are not accurately controlled 5unstable operation - large swings in fan speed create large temperature swings6

Applying Variable Frequency Drives (VFD's)... on cooling towers eliminate many drawbac:s associated with starter-controlled fans. "educed energy consumption 5lower utility costs6, reduced maintenance requirements 5personnel D

equipment replacement costs6 and process water temperature stabili3ation are among the benefits. The fan may be spinning when a 0?D is commanded to start. A 0?D must correctly identify motor rotation, slow the motor down to 3ero speed 5when opposite rotation is detected6, accelerate the motor in the correct direction and not trip on an over-voltage or over-current condition. Eechanical bra:es or anti-ratcheting devices can be used to ensure that a fan doesn't rotate in the wrong direction. ! VFD eliminates both mechanical and electrical bra"es as well as anti-ratcheting devices# time delay relays# etc. =n e/treme cold weather, tower icing can be averted by running the fan slower than required, raising the tower and process water temperatures. =t is also common to reverse a cooling tower fan, :eeping the heat in the tower. 0?D's accomplish this function D eliminate reversing starters. $i:ewise, on hot days, when the air is thinner, fans can be run above 8! #3, providing additional cooling capacity. The 0?D's current and2or torque limit function will limit the current of the motor such that the nameplate ?$A rating is not e/ceeded. $his is impossible without a VFD. 9n fan loads, the #C requirement varies as the cube of the speed, so the slower the fan speed the less energy required. A fan running at 1!F speed will consume only !F of the power of a fan running at full speed. At !F fan speed, power consumption is only *8F. A fan blade's pitch may be ad;usted to minimi3e cycling between low and high speed 5two-speed starter system6 and to compensate for winter and summer operation. 9ften this compromise results in inefficient fan operation. ?an pitch properly ad;usted will increase air flow, provide better cooling, result in further fan speed reductions and increased energy savings. &tarter-controlled fans achieve temperature control by continuously starting and stopping the fan and selecting the speed 5if equipped with a two-speed starter6. As shown above, there are only two operation points where the load matches the cooling tower capacity. ! VFD precisely controls the fan speed# compensating as the outside climate and process loads change# Retro-fitting Cooling To ers -/isting motors may be installed on a 0?D, eliminating single speed and two-speed starters. 5A two-speed motor is permanently wired for high

speed operation6.

A minimum speed of <! - < F is usually possible on an e/isting motor. ?or direct connected or belted cooling tower fans, this minimum speed is usually not a concern. #owever, when a gearbo/ is used, the minimum speed is more critical, as the gearbo/ may depend on an internal oil slinger for lubrication. 'onsult the manufacturer of the cooling tower for minimum speed requirements.

0?D controlled cooling tower fans operate over many speeds as opposed to the fans on a single or two-speed motor starter. As such, it is a good practice to perform a vibration analysis on the fan and tower assembly, as a mechanical resonance may develop at certain speeds. =dentified problem speeds may be programmed into the drive and 7loc:ed out7. 0ibration switches are often wired into a drive or control system, shutting down the cooling tower if a problem arises. A drive may also be able to monitor oil level and temperature of the gearbo/. 0?D's are usually not mounted close to the cooling tower, resulting in long lead lengths between the drive and the motor. ?or older motors with lead lengths greater than 8! feet, a long lead 5d02dT6 filter is recommended. Gew motors may be approved for 0?D operation with motor lead lengths in e/cess of ( ! feet, without the need for an output filter. 'onsult the motor manufacturer for motor lead length and carrier frequency restrictions. AC! "## - T$e %erfect C$oice for Cooling To ers Bell suited for the rigors of an industrial environment, the A'& 1!! was designed with ma/imum reliability in mind. &tandard features include (F impedance A' line reactors. Additionally, capacitor ban:s and cooling fans have a life e/pectancy of *!!,!!! D 8!,!!! hours respectively. A wide operating voltage range 5(1!- !! 0A' H *!F6 in con;unction with an over-voltage controller, eliminate over-voltage trips. 4y utili3ing the load inertia, an under-voltage controller provides e/tended ride thru capability. The common loo: and feel of the A'& 1!! minimi3es training requirements as well as helps to :eep the cost of spare parts down. The ma;ority of components are the same, regardless of the #C or voltage ratings. DT' 5Direct Torque 'ontrol6 provides features found only in 0?D's from A44. ?or e/ample, an Automatic &tart feature will immediately start into a rotating load, with no delay - regardless of direction. The motor is then smoothly accelerated to commanded speed. Advanced ?lu/ 9ptimi3ation yields up to a *!F increase in efficiency at < F load for additional energy savings.

Abstract
Improved means for powering and increasing evaporative cooling in an indirect-direct evaporative cooling (IDEC) apparatus are disclosed. Sustainable energy from solar energy mixed wit grid power! w en needed! power t e IDEC device. " ese DC and #C power sources are seamlessly merged in a uni$ue diode interconnect unit. Improved means for evaporative cooling include a rayon-based floc%ing on t e wet

side of molded plastic indirect evaporative cooling plates. Separate wet and dry passages t roug t ose plates are facilitated by a uni$ue means for clamping t e upper ends of t e plates. " ese clamping means also add to t e structural integrity of an array of plates so t at t e array can be inserted in and removed from a ousing containing ot er operational components of t e IDEC suc as fan! direct cooling plates and water distribution means. #pplicants IDEC utili&es improved porous piping t at allows uniform and continuous distribution of water to all wet passages wit in bot t e indirect and direct stages of t e IDEC. 'perational controls for t e system limit t e potential water damage caused by overflow of water from t e IDEC ousing.

A variable-frequency drive ( FD! is a system for controlling the rotational speed of an alternating current (AC) electric motor !y controlling the frequency of the electrical power supplied to the motor. A varia!le frequency drive is a specific type of ad4usta!le' speed drive. 3aria!le'frequency drives are also 2nown as ad4usta!le'frequency drives (A%$), varia!le'speed drives (3.$), AC drives, microdrives or inverter drives. .ince the voltage is varied along with frequency, these are sometimes also called 333% (varia!le voltage varia!le frequency) drives.

VFD system description

3%$ system A varia!le frequency drive system generally consists of an AC motor, a controller and an operator interface.

[edit] VFD motor

/he motor used in a 3%$ system is usually a three'phase induction motor. .ome types of single'phase motors can !e used, !ut three'phase motors are usually preferred. 3arious types of synchronous motors offer advantages in some situations, !ut induction motors are suita!le for most purposes and are generally the most economical choice. -otors that are designed for fixed'speed mains voltage operation are often used, !ut certain enhancements to the standard motor designs offer higher relia!ility and !etter 3%$ performance.
Now that we have covered the basics of the indirect and direct evaporative cooling processes, it's time to consider one more wrinkle--putting them together. In the IDEC cooling discussion, I made the point that not onl do we get a reduction in dr -bulb temperature as our airflow passes through the IDEC unit, but we get a reduction in wet-bulb temperature, also. !nd since we now have seen that the direct evaporative cooling process depends criticall on the wet-bulb temperature of the air it is cooling, it seems we should get

some advantage b running the air through the IDEC section, and then running it through the direct section. !nd we do"

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!s ou can see, the resultant leaving dr bulb is on the order of %&', which is better than the resultant of ()' from the indirect section alone, or %*' for the direct evaporative section alone. Now %&' degrees ma not seem cool enough for t pical cooling applications--and for most pro+ects it probabl isn't #although it is important to not that !,-.!E comfort conditions can be met with this leaving air condition in a predominantl sensible load application given enough air$. /ut keep in mind that this is the performance on a design day. -ow man hours a ear would ou be able to meet the traditional suppl air temperature of 00'1 2ets look at ps chrometric chart with ,eattle bin data loaded into it"

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! 3uick note of e4planation" 5he vertical line at 00' is the economi6er line--an climactic conditions to the left of that line can be used to create cooling air directl using 7! alone #or mi4ing 7! with .!$ and thus re3uire no additional cooling at all. 5he blue diagonal line along the 08' wet-bulb line is a conservative mapping of the direct evaporative regime. !t an bin hours under this line, direct evaporative cooling can be applied to the ambient 7! to achieve cooling air directl . !nd lastl , the red diagonal line above that is the indirect-direct evaporative cooling regime, where the application of both cooling techni3ues will provide acceptable suppl air conditions #assuming about (9: effectiveness on the IDEC$. !nd above that line, the indirect evaporative s stem can still be applied to greatl reduce the load on an supplemental mechanical cooling s stem, if used to meet the same 00' leaving air condition.

5wo things +ump out of this anal sis" ;irst, the vast ma+orit of the hours are satisfied without using mechanical cooling. In fact, in ,eattle, most hours are met with simple economi6ers-which e4plains the emphasis in our local codes on this cooling technolog . <ou can even think of evaporative cooling as simpl an enhancement to the standard economi6er. 5he second takeawa is that there are still 3uite a few hours that are not met. -ow can we address this1 =ell, one wa is to pla around with the leaving air temperature. If we suppl some more air to the 6one, we can provide warmer cooling air. 2et's look at that same chart, onl this time lets use a suppl air temperature of %9'"

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/ simpl providing for a little more air to the 6one, we meet a much higher percentage of the bin hours> so much so ou that can now consider a s stem without mechanical cooling, as long as the occupants are willing to accept a few more hours outside of standard comfort conditions a ear. ?ranted, this additional comfort comes at an energ cost--the cost of moving that additional 3uantit of air. 5his cost is, of course, offset b the avoidance of mechanical cooling. /ut, additionall , we know from the previous chart that this additional air is not needed all of the time. ! variable speed control on the fans would naturall bring the air volumes down during periods where colder air is achievable. 7ne of the things that should be obvious is that this anal sis is greatl dependent on the local climate and elevation of the pro+ect. 5o evaluate how effective this cooling method is, ou need to create similar plots for each pro+ect locale. !nd where ou are in the state has a great effect on how well ou do. ;or e4ample, a cool-wet climate like that on the 7l mpic @eninsula sounds like it might be a good candidate. ,o let's see how it compares to ,eattle"

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It looks prett similar to ,eattle, as we might guess. -ow about a hot, dr climate like ,pokane1"

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5hat's a real winnerA 5here's onl a small fringe of hours outside of the range where indirectBdirect evap works alone. ,o if ,pokane works, surel <akima must also be a great candidate"

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-mmm... 5here's 3uite a few hours outside of the indirectBdirect evap 6one. ?ood thing we did this anal sis before committing to a evaporative-onl s stemA Indirect-direct evaporative cooling, either as the main cooling technolog or as an enhancement to the economi6er c cle is a technolog that has wide application in the @acific Northwest, even in rain ,eattle. /ut it is a technolog that re3uires careful anal sis--it's not as simple as throwing compressor tons at a cooling problem. =ith toda 's emphasis on energ efficienc and sustainabilit , it is a technolog that deserves a second look. 5here is certainl more to talk about on the sub+ect. ;uture topics will include integrating compressori6ed cooling with an evaporative s stem, indoor comfort conditions, water treatment and maintenance, control of evaporative s stems. and the role of return air in these s stems.

Indirect(direct evaporative cooling uses t e p ysics of water evaporation to cool wit reduced levels of compressor cooling! w ic is an energy intensive process. Evaporative coolers can save )*-+*, of t e cooling energy for spaces suc as classrooms. In addition to saving energy! direct evaporative coolers also add needed moisture to t e conditioned air. - en a pound of water evaporates! almost .*** /tu0s of cooling is associated wit t e process. If warm dry air is blown across a medium t oroug ly wetted wit water! t e air is cooled and its umidity is raised. If t e process were .**, efficient! t e temperature drop of t e air would be t e difference between dry bulb and wet bulb temperatures. In practical systems suitable for commercial! industrial! and agricultural use! efficiencies of +*-+1, are routinely ac ieved. In Colorado0s climate &ones! wet bulb temperatures are lower t an dry bulb temperatures by an average of over 2* degrees 3a ren eit for 44, of t e cooling season! so evaporative cooling is $uite feasible. Since t e only energy it consumes is t at associated wit fan power for moving air and pump power for moving relative small amounts of water! evaporative coolers save bot energy and demand by a factor of almost t ree versus conventional compressor-based cooling. #lt oug direct systems li%e t e one s own below wor% well wit small commercial structures and most agricultural buildings! direct(indirect systems are more prevalent wit larger buildings li%e offices and retail establis ments. #ir t at is cooled evaporatively from t e ex aust stream from t e building (or from outside air! depending on circumstances) is used to cool incoming air via an air-to-air eat exc anger. " us! incoming air is cooled! but not umidified wit a direct(indirect system. # variation! %nown as a ybrid system! includes a modicum of compressor-based cooling for periods of ig umidity in w ic evaporative cooling systems become less effective. 5owever! t e conventional c illers wit suc ybrid systems may be downsi&ed by a factor of five or more from a c iller used to supply all of a building0s cooling needs. Direct(indirect and ybrid systems are more costly t an simple direct evaporative cooling systems! but t ey routinely cost less t an conventional compressor-based systems and ave substantially lower energy and demand costs over t eir lifetimes. " e best units utili&e ig efficiency fans driven by variable speed drives on premium-efficiency motors. 6arying fan speed wit load not only raises overall system efficiency! but also extends t e life of t e wetted pad and ot er %ey components. 7ifetime is also extended by t e selection of pads t at use treated glass fiber s eets (instead of conventional excelsior made of aspen wood)! and ousing of fiberglass or stainless steel. 8outine maintenance is not costly but necessary to ensure good air $uality and long life.

Direct Evaporative Cooling

(Source: Platts/E SOURCE)

Direct/Indirect Evaporative Cooling

(Source: Platts/E SOURCE)

Specifying ig -efficiency! water-cooled c illers w enever appropriate saves energy and demand c arges. In t e case of facilities wit cooling loads of more t an 9** tons! it is generally cost-

effective to install a water-cooled chiller! particularly in Colorado0s dry climate. In all events! a high-e iciency electric chiller can reduce energy consumption by 9*, or more compared wit a standard-efficiency c iller. Consider evaporative coolers in ot! dry climates. Specify small direct or indirect evaporative coolers instead of vapor-compression units.