Simulation and experimental verification of cooling thermal performance of vertical tube downflow composite evaporative cooling tower.

The thermal performance of a vertical tube downflow composite evaporative cooling tower(VTD-CECT) with three-dimensional tubes was simulated under engineering application conditions. The effects of different ambient air conditions, different hot water inlet temperatures, and different spray densities on the cooling performance of VTD-CECT were analyzed. The performance test of the experimental prototype was carried out and compared with the simulated values, and the results show that the established VTD-CECT thermal performance prediction model has a good prediction effect. Analyzed the impact of packing to enhance the cooling capacity of evaporative cooling tower, the results show that in the case of 50 % of the cooling airflow through the packing, in the range of adjustable test conditions can enhance the cooling capacity of the VTD-CECT 31.7 % ~ 40.8 %, reduce the spray water temperature of 0.94 ~ 2.79 ◦C, and the reduction in metal usage is significant. A methodology for evaluating the cooling capacity of closed cooling towers is proposed. This study can provide a reference for the engineering application of the VTD-CECT.