CA1276101C - Extruded fill bar for water cooling towers - Google Patents

Extruded fill bar for water cooling towers

Info

Publication number
CA1276101C
CA1276101C CA000525419A CA525419A CA1276101C CA 1276101 C CA1276101 C CA 1276101C CA 000525419 A CA000525419 A CA 000525419A CA 525419 A CA525419 A CA 525419A CA 1276101 C CA1276101 C CA 1276101C
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
bar
elongated
splash
set forth
width
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
CA000525419A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Ohler L. Kinney, Jr.
Gerald D. Fritz
James R. Houx, Jr.
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
SPX Cooling Technologies Inc
Original Assignee
Marley Cooling Tower Co
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Marley Cooling Tower Co filed Critical Marley Cooling Tower Co
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1276101C publication Critical patent/CA1276101C/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25BREFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B17/00Sorption machines, plants or systems, operating intermittently, e.g. absorption or adsorption type
    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F28HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL
    • F28FDETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION
    • F28F25/00Component parts of trickle coolers
    • F28F25/02Component parts of trickle coolers for distributing, circulating, and accumulating liquid
    • F28F25/08Splashing boards or grids, e.g. for converting liquid sprays into liquid films; Elements or beds for increasing the area of the contact surface
    • F28F25/082Spaced elongated bars, laths; Supports therefor

Abstract

Abstract of the Disclosure A splash bar for use in fill structure of an evaporative cooling tower has an extruded body with an elongated water impingement portion operable to uniformly disperse deflected water throughout the fill structure for contact with passing air. The splash bar body comprises a pair of arcuate in cross-section side margins and an elongated, hori-zontal, flat top segment interconnecting the side margins. The centers of curvature of the side margins are coincident and lie beneath the body, while the width of the flat top segment is in the range of approximately 15% to approximately 35% of the overall width of the body. In preferred forms of the invention, the width of the flat top segment is approximately 25% of the overall width of the body. Advantageously, the body is hollow and in cludes a pair of spaced, flat, co-planar bottom walls integrally extending inwardly from the side margins. In alternate forms of the invention, the splash bar includes a pair of outwardly extending elongated side flanges coupled to the body and having notches adapted for clearing upright grid members, in order to substantially preclude longi-tudinal shifting of the bar as a result of vibration from the tower during operation.

Description

~27 Ei~

1.

1 EXTRUDED FILL BAR FOR WATER COOLING TO~FRS

Back~round of the Invention ...
1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to an improved splash bar adapted for use in evaporative water cooling tower fill structure. In particular, the present invention is concerned with an extruded bar comprising a pair of arcuate in cross-section side margins and an elongated, horizontal flat~top seg-ment interconnecting the side margins, whereby the transverse cross-sectional configuration of the bar is operable to uniformly disperse water droplets falling in the fill structure and thus improve the overall efficiency of the tower.
2. Description of the Prior Art In general, evaporative water cooling towers include an upper hot water distribution system such as an apertured distributing pan or the like and a lowermost cold water collection basin.
Commonly, a splash type, water dispersing fill structure is disposed in a space between the hot water distribution system and the cold water collec-tion basin, and the fill structure includes a plur-ality of elong~ted, horizontally arranged splash bars supported at spaced intervals by upright grid structure. Hot water discharged from the distribu-tion pan falls onto the bars and disperses, forming smaller droplets to facilitate the cooling process.
At the same time, cooling air currents are drawn ~ r through the fill structure, either by means of motor ~- driven fans or thr~ough use of a natural draft-induc-in~ hv~erbolic tower.
.
, ~' ,: ' :

.

1The fill structure is often regarded as the single most important component of a coolin~
tower because the fill structure promotes inter-active thermal exchange between the water and the 5air. As water droplets are discharged from the distribution pan, the temperature difference between the relatively warm water and the cooling air causes evaporation on the surface of the drops and cooling of the water occurs at a rapid rate. However, as 10the surface temperatures of individual droplets approaches the wet bulb temperature of the surround-ing air, the cooling process is diminished and is dependent upon the ra~e of heat transfer from the inside of the drop to the outside of the drop sur-15face. As such, it is desirable to interrupt the fall of individual drops by splashing the drops on a fill bar, thus instantly exposing new water surfaces and, in some cases, subdividing the drops into smaller droplets to increase the water surface area 20available for exposure to the passing air.
As can be appreciated, the characteristics of any fill structure splash bar must meet several criteria to assure satisfactory operational perform-ance. First, the splash bar should provide consist-25ent, predictable dispersal and break-up of the water droplets over a range of water loadings typically encountered in practice. Preferably, the descending droplets are uniformly broken into relatively fine particles in a widely divergent pattern to facili-30tate enhancement of the cooling process. However, the splash bar structure should cause a minimum amount of air pressure drop in order to keep fan horsepower requirements as well as operating costs at relatively low levels. Additionally, the splash 35bar should have suffLcient structural strength to ,~

~' .
, -. ~, . '' ~ ' ` ' ' .

1 span the distance between adjacent upright grid structures, since deflection of the bars can enable the water to channel toward the low point of the bar, thereby causing unequal water dispersal throughout the passing airstream. This problem of bar deflection is more common when the bars are formed of synthetic resin material, since such bars often lose strength and stiffness when subjected to the elevated temperatures of the hot water to be cooled.
Moreover, cost is an important considera-tion in the selection and fabrication of splash bars. For example, a large hyperbolic, induced-draft tower may utilize two million or so bars, each four feet in length. As a result, the use of bars formed of expensive metallic materials cannot usu-ally be economically justified, even though ~etallic bars may provide adequate performance.
In the past, splash bars have often been comprised of elongated, rectangular in cross-section boards of such wood species as redwood or treated Douglas fir. However, wood splash bars, even when normally rot resistant, can deteriorate due to chemicals in the water stream. Also, wood bars present a serious fire hazard as soon as the water flow is interrupted and the moisture remaining on the bars has substantially evaporated.
To enhance the cooling performance of the fill structure, a variety of splash bar configura-tions have been proposed as an alternative to tradi-tional, rectangular members. In U.S. Patent No.
_ 3,389,895 to DeFlon, dated June 25, 1968, a number of splash bar configurations are illustrated, in-cluding an inverted V-shaped bar, a generally cres-cent-shaped bar, as well as a sheet material with ~ . .
. ~. .

' `- : ' . ': ' - -.

.

1 transverse corrugations~ Also, it is known that certain splash bars have comprised tubular, hollow extrusions of polyvinyl chloride, wherein a top water impinging surface is generally transversely semicircular and a bottom portion has been deformed upwardly to present a pair of spaced-apart, lower support surfaces. Although splash bars having curved, upper water impinging surfaces provide somewhat improved performance in comparison to rectangular boards at high water loadings, the performance of such curved bars decreases rapidly at relatively low water loadings~ As can be appreci-ated, there is yet a need for an improved splash bar which optimizes cooling efficiency of the tower, in order that the fan brake horsepower requirements and the associated operating costs are minimized.

Summary of the Invention The present invention improves the state of the art by provision of a fill structure splash bar having a particular cross-sectional configura-tion which enables more uniform dispersal and expos ure of the water droplets to the passing air stream.
The fan horsepower requirements, as well as the 2S associated operating costs, are minimized regardless of fill structure water loadings.
In more detail, the splash bar of the present invention comprises an elongated, extruded polyvinyl chloride body having an upper water im-pingement portion with a pair of elongated, arcuate - in cross-section side margins and an elongated, flat, horizontal top segment interconnecting the side margins, The flat top segmen~ has a width in the range of approximately~l5% to approximately 35%
of the overall width of the splash bar body, al-.

.

- - ~ ' ' . ' - ' . ; . : ':
- . ~ : . . . . .. ~ :
- . . : : . , . :
. . - . . .

~6~

though preferably the width of the top segment is approximately 25% of the overall width of the body.
Moreover, the centers of curva~ure of ~he side margins are coincident and lie along an axis dis-posed beneath the body. Optionally, the body in-cludes a pair of substantially flat, co-planar, spaced bottom walls extending inwardly from the curved side margins.
As such, the water impingement surface of the splash bar having both a flat top portion as well as rounded, side portions, is believed to improve the overall efficiency of the cooling tower by enabling a balance to be achieved between the quantity of water drops which hit the flat surface, break up into smaller droplets and splatter upwardly in the spàce above ~he bar and the number of drops which impinge the curved side margins and are de-flected laterally in various directions after break-ing into smaller droplets. Such performance is to be contrasted with the operation of typical prior art rectangular bars wherein the deflected droplets tend to concentrate in the space above the bar.
Additionally, the performance of the instant inven-tion constitutes an improvement over the operation of splash bars having a continuous rounded impinge-ment surface, since the latter tends to deflect allof the descending droplets in a lateral direction.
The splash bar as disclosed herein demon-strates enhanced performance at a range of water loadings, such tha~t a single~fill bar is universely usable at various installations. As is known, the fill s~ructure water loading, in gallons per minute per square foot of projected fill area, is generally constant for each tower installation and is deter-mined by the design heat load. However, water :

: - . . . .
, ~ ' . ' " ' ' . . ~ .
: :
' , ' .

~7~

l loadings may vary from installation to installation, and thus the splash bar of the present invention can reduce inventory as well as tooling costs~
In one embodiment o the invention, the splash bar body has a pair of outwardly extending, elongated side flanges that are notched at appropri-ate intervals to clear upright grid members. The notched flanges thus prevent longitudinal shifting of the bars which might otherwise occur due to the vibration typically encountered in useO Alterna-tively, a retainer may be inserted into the space between the bottom walls and secured to a horizontal grid member, and the retainer can include horizontal support plates which isolate the bar from the grid structure and thereby prevent wear due to friction.
Moreover, the performance of the ins~ant splash bar, when employed at s~aggered spacings of l6 inches horizontally and 4 inches vertically, exceeds the performance of typical wood boards or ~0 laths maintained at spacings of ~ inches horizont-ally and 4 inches vertically. As a result, only half of the number of bars of the present invention is required, enabling a substantial economic benefit to be realized, both in labor as well as material costs. Additionally, as compared to wood boards, the extruded, polyvinyl chloride bars do not readily deteriorate and also do not constitute a serious `fire hazard.

.
Brief Description of the Drawin~s Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in partial section illustrating a mechanical draft, crossflow evaporative water cooling tower, having a water dispersing fill structure utilizing splash bars in accordance wlth the present invention;

.

. . . ` . . . `
. ~
. . .

l Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, side cross-sectional view of the fill structure of Fig.
l, except that the splash bars are spaced at non~
staggered, 8 inch horizontal intervals and 4 inch S vertical intervals;
Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 wherein the splash bars are located in a non-staggered pattern on 8 inch horlzontal centers and 8 inch ver~ical centers;
Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, show-ing the preferred placement of the bars, wherein the latter are disposed in staggered relationship at 16 inch horizontal spacings and 4 inch vertical spac-ings;
Fig. 5 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of the splash bar of the present invention according to one embodiment;
Fig. ~ is a view similar to Fig. 5 depict-ing the center of a radius of curvature for a pair of arcuate side margins of the bar;
Fig. 7 is a fragmentary, enlarged, sec-tional view illustrating the bar of Fig. 5 and upright grid structure utilized to support the bar additionally schematically depicting the deflection of the water droplets during operation of the tower;
Fig. 8 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of the splash bar of the present invention according to another embodiment;
Fig. 9 is an enlarged, cross sectional illustration of the bar of Fig. ~ and supporting, upright grid structure additionally illustrating the dispersal pattern of the deflected water droplets;
Fig. 10 is a fragmentary, enlarged, per-spectiye view of the splash bar shown in Fig. 8, , ' ' ' l illustrating the notches for clearing the upright grid members;
Fig. 11 is an enlarged, perspective view of a clip optionally utilized in connection with the splash bar for securing the latter to the upright grid structure;
Fig. 12 is a comparative graph -depicting the required fan horsepower and associated operating costs over the calculated life of a ~ower plant at various water loadings for prior art rectangular wood bars, half rounded splash bars, as well as splash bars constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention; and ~ig. 13 is a comparative chart enumerating the values obtained by test results and utilized in formation o~ the comparative graph of Fig. 12.

Detailed Description of the Drawings Referring initialiy to Fig. 1, a mechani-cal draft crossflow evaporative water cooling toweris designated broadly by the numeral 20 and includes a water distribution system having an apertured distribution pan 22 for receiving hot water to be cooled and dispensing the same toward an underlying, splash type water dispensing fill structure 24.
Water falling through the structure 24 is collected by a cold water collection basin (not shown) at a lowermost portion of the tower 20, and subsequently is directed back to a point of use. As is common with towers of this type 7 a fan 26 is powered by a motor 28 for drawing ambient air currents through the fill 24 in generally crossflow relationship ~o the hot water descending from the distribution pan 22, with the heated air passing back to the atmos-phere through a venturi-shaped fan stack 30, ~ow-.. . ~ ., . .' ' :. '. :
, - . .. - . . : .
~ - . . , , , , :
. ~

.

~27~

1 ever, it is to be understood that the principals of the present invention, to be described in detail hereinbelow, are equally useful with hyperbolic, natural draft-induced cooling towers.
More particular, ~he ~ill structure 24 includes a series of splash bars 32, as shown in Figs. 1-7. The bars 32 comprise an elongated body 34 having an upper, elongated water impingement portion 36. As shown, the impingement portion 36 comprises a pair o~ elongated, arcuate in cross-section side margins 38, 40 and an elongated, flat5 hori20ntal top segment 42 interconnecting the curved margins 38, 40. The body 34 has an overall height generally less than one-half of its width, and the flat top segment 42 has a width in the range of approximately 15~ to approximately 35~O of the width of the body 34. In preferred forms of the inven-tion, the width of the seg~ent 42 is approximately 25% of the width of the body 34.
In one embodiment of the invention, as viewed best in Figs. 5-7, a preferred overall width o~ the body 34, as represented by the letter "X" in Fig. 5, is 1.655 inches. In this preferred form, the overall height of the body 34, as represented by the letter "Y", is 0.750 inch, while the width of the flat top segment 42, as indicated by the letter "Z", is 0.437 inch. Viewing Fig. 6, each of the side margins 3~, 40 have a curved cross-sectional con~iguration with a center of curvature lying Q.0~5 inch beneath the body 34. As illustrated, the centers of curvature of the side margins 38, 40 are preferably conicident, and a preferred radius, as represented by the radius line indicated by the numeral 44, is 0.844 inch.
q ., :: . .
` ~ '.- ' ' :' ' .

. , - . . ~ ~ . : , - .
` "'. : ' ' ' ' , 1 As sho~l in Figs. 5-7, the hody 34 in-cludes a normally horizontal bottom wall means connected to the side margins 38, 40, and the bottom wall means comprises a pair of substantially flat, co-planar, spaced walls 46, 46 extending inwardly in integral relationship from the margins 38, 40.
Also, the walls 46, 46 each include three elongated, upright, integral ribs 48 for providing strength and stiffness to the body 34.
The fill structure 24 also includes an upright grid structure for supporting-the bars 32 in proper disposition within the tower 20. The grid structure comprises upright, inclined grid members 50 as well as a series of spaced horizontal grid members 52.
The splash bars 32 may be supported by the uprig~t grid structure in a variety of patterns.
Referring to Fig. 2, successful performance is observed when the bars 32 are supported in a non-~ staggered relationship by the members SO, 52 on~ 8inch horizontal centers and 4 inch substantially vertically centers. Good results are also obtained when th~ splash bars 32 are disposed in the non-staggered pattern represented in Fig. 3, wherein the bars 32 are located on 8 inch horizontal centers and 8 inch substantially vertical centers. However, a preferred disposition of the bars 32 is shown in Fig. 4, wherein the bars 32 are located in a stag-gered pattern on 16 inch horizontal centers and 8 inch substantially vertical centers.
Fig. 7 is a representation of the believed paths of travel for water droplets impacting against the outer surface of the impingement portion 36.
Droplets hitting the curved side margins 38, 40 are deflected approximately at an angle equal to their ., : . .. :
.
. . .
- : -. , '` : . :
`. `: .

~2~

1 angle of incidence. That is to say, at a point where the droplets hit either of the curved margins 38, 40, the droplets will be deflected a~ an an~,le from a perpendicular line drawn through a tangent line at the impact point, where such an angle is equal to an angle between the perpendicular line and the vertical path of the drop before engaging the impingement portion 36. However, water droplets impacting the ~lat top segment 42 will rebound, on the average, at a slight angle in a random pattern, because a portion of the droplets falling downwardly functions as deflectors to push the rebounding drops laterally.
The improved performance of the splash bar 32 is believed to be caused by a balance achieved between the quantity of water droplets which hit the flat top segment 42, and the number of droplets which impac~ against the curved margins 38, 40.
The droplets are uniformly dispersed in the vicinity surrounding each splash bar 32 such that a more uniform exposure of the droplets to the cross~lowing air stream enhances the cooling process. Addition-ally, most of the droplets engaging the impingement surface 36 tend to break into smaller drops, thereby increasing the surface area of the water in contact with the passing air stream.
Referring to Figs. 12 and 13, the improved results obtained by use of the splash bar 32 of the present invention are compared to test results ob-tained by use of splash bars of different coni~ura-tion under similar circumstances. Test data from commonly used rectangular wood boards is indicated by the numeral 'il" in Fig. 12 (see also ~he column labeled "1" in Fig. 13), and represents a base line for comparlng performance of splash bars having //

. . :
... :

.. ..
- .
-: ~
'-:: , ' . ' '' ~ ` , : ': ' ' ' ' , , :
- . :. :

1 differen~ configurations. The fan motor require-ments are taken as 200 brake horsepower per fan regardless of water loading when rectangular boards are spaced on 4 inch vertical centers and 8 inch horizontal centers. ~ata obtained from test results of a half rounded splash bar, having no upper flat impingement surface, is represented by the numeral "2", and it can be seen that although performance of this type of bar is superior to rectangular boards under high water loadings, such performance falls off rapidly under lower water loadings. Test re-sults from use of a half rounded splash bar, having a relatively wide flat top segment of a width equal to approximately 45% of the overall width of the splash bar, is indicated by the curve labeled "3".
As illustrated, the performance of such a splash bar does not exceed the performance o~ rectan~ular boards regardless of water loadings. However, unexpected results were discovered when the splash bar 32 of the instant invention was tested, wherein data as represented by the numeral 14- shows super-ior performance than that obtained by use of rec-tangular boards, half-rounded bars, or half-rounded splash bars having a relatively wide flat top seg-ment. As indicated, the performance of the bar 32,when the width of the top segment 42 is approxi-mately equal to 25% of the overall width of the body 34, is superior to the results obtained from use of other tested splash bars regardless of water load-ings.
Moreover, the test results as enumeratedin Fig. 13 represent conditions wherein the bar 32 is located on 16 inch horizontal centers in rows on 4 inch vertical centers in contrast to the 8 inch horizontal spacing and 4 inch vertical spacing . ~

. . .
:
`: ', - ~ . , .

1 provided during testing of the rectangular wood boards. Thus, superior results are obtained even though half the number of bars are needed, resulting in a substantial savings of both material and labor.
Moreover, such a reduction in the number of bars 32 within the fill structure 24 ensures that the pres-sure drop of the passing air s~ream is re~ained at a minimum. As shown in Fig. 12, the reduction in operating costs for each fan cell, calculated at $2,000 per brake horsepower over a 20 year plant life, in early 1985 U.S. Dollars, ranges from ap-proximately $7,500 to over $16,000. Obviously, such a savings is significantly compounded when based upon a multicell cooling tower having, for instance, ten fan cells.
Fig. 11 illustrates a retainer 54 which may be advantageously utilized to secure the bars 32 to the grid members 50, 52. As shown, the retainer 54 has three spaced, depending, flexible tabs 56 which can be deflected laterally to engage the horizontal grid member 52. The retainer 54 also is provided with~a flat support 58, the ~mderside of which rests on the top of the horizontal grid member 52, and the top surface of which engages the bottom walls 46, 46 of the bar 32. As such, the support 58 isolates the bar 32 from the horizontal member 52 to reduce frictional wear which might o~herwise occur due to vibration encountered from operation of the tower 20. Also, the suppor~ 58 has opposed, out-wardly extending fingers 60, 60 adapted to engage opposite sides of adjacent upright grid members 50, to thereby prevent shiftin~ of the retainer 54 in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bar 32.

/~
, .

- ' ' ' ., ~ .

l The retainer 54 is also provided with an upstanding arrow shaped bar securing means or clip ~2. The clip 62 may be snapped into place in the space ~etween the bottom walls 46, 46 in disposition to engage the inwardmost ribs 4~. In this regard, a channel between the bottom walls 46, 46 functions not only to enable attachment of the retainer 54 at any location along the length of the bar 32, but also provides material savings and allows the ex-truder to be operated at a somewhat faster speed.
A second embodiment of the instant inven-tion is represented by the bar 132 in Figs. 8-10.
In this case, the bar 132 has a body 134 similar to the body 34 shown in Figs. 5-7, but the bar 132 also lS includes a pair of outwardly extending elongated side flanges 133, 133 integrally coupled to thè body 134. The flanges 133 are provided with notches 135 (Fig. 10) of a dimension approximately 0.25 inch wide and 0.125 inch deep, such that the notches 135 accomodate and grip the upright grid members 15n (see Fig. 9). The notches 135 are operable to prevent longitudinal shifting of the bar 132 during tower operation.
In other respects, the configuration of the bar 132 is substantialIy similar to the bar 32.
. That is,- the body 134 has elon~ated, curved side margins 138, 140 along with a flat, elongated top segment 142 interconnecting the margins 138, 140.
The body 134 also includes inwardly extending flat, spaced bottom walls 146, 146 having ribs 143.
Referring to Fig. 8, the preferred overall width o~
the bar 132, which includes the width of the body 134 (1.655") pIus the width of both side flanges 133, 133 (0.415") is represented by the letter "X"
and is equal to 2.070 inches. The overall height of /~

, . - ' ~ . ' '~: ' ' ' , .
. .. . . - .
-: .... : , . .. . . .
- . ., - . .- ~ . ~ . . :. . . .
.-. .: : .
, . ~ . . -, . . .
- . : : . " : ., ' ~27Çi1~

the body 134 is indicated by the letter "Y", and preferably is 0.75n inch, while the width of the flat top segment 134, as represented by the letter "Z", is preferably 0.437 inch. Moreover, the cen-ters of curvature of the side margins 138, 140 are coincident and lie 0.06~ inch beneath the body 134, and the radius of each curve is 0.844 inch.
Fig. 9 is a believed representation of hypothetical deflection of water droplets impinging upon the bar 132. As noted, the deflection is similar to the water dispersal pattern obtained by use of the splash bar 32 in Fig. 7, with additional water deflection occuring on the upper surfaces of the side flanges 133, 133 as shown. As a result, the uniform water deflection pattern obtained from use of the bar 132 is believed to provide superior performance, in similar manner to the results ob-tained from use of the bar 32.

/S

~5 .

:

:

.. .. ~ .
': : - " ' ; : `
.
' : ` `, . : . . , :
- - . . , .

Claims (13)

1. An evaporative cooling tower splash bar comprising:
an elongated body having an upper, elongated water impingement portion, said impingement portion comprising a pair of elongated, arcuate in cross-section, side margins and an elongated, normally hori-zontal top segment interconnecting said said margins, said body having a height generally less than one half of its width, said top segment being flat and having a width in the range of approximately 15% to approximately 35% of the width of said body.
2. The invention as set forth in Claim 1, wherein said width of said top segment is approx-imately 25% of the width of said body.
3. The invention as set forth in Claim 1, wherein said side margins each have a curved cross-sectional configuration with a center of curvature lying beneath said body.
4. The invention as set forth in Claim 3, wherein the centers of curvature of said side margins are coincident.
5. The invention as set forth in Claim 3, wherein said body is hollow.
6. The invention as set forth in Claim 5, wherein said body includes normally horizontal bottom wall means connected to said side margins.
7. The invention as set forth in Claim 6, wherein said bottom wall means includes a pair of substantially flat, co-planar, spaced walls extend-ing inwardly from said side margins.
8. The invention as set forth in Claim 1, wherein said bar includes a pair of outwardly extending, elongated side flanges coupled to said body and having notches adapted for accomodating and gripping upright grid members.
9. Splash type fill structure for an evaporative cooling tower comprising:
an elongated, generally horizontal support member;
a generally horizontal splash bar having a longitudinal axis disposed transversely to the longitudinal axis of said member, said bar having walls defining an elongated channel parallel to said bar longitudinal axis; and retaining means for preventing movement of said bar relative to said member, said retaining means having means selectively fixable to said member, said retaining means also having means selec-tively fixable with said channel defining walls at any one of a number of locations along said bar.
10. The invention as set forth in Claim 9; including a pair of upright support members disposed on opposite sides of said bar, and wherein said retaining means includes opposed, outwardly extending portions engageable with said upright members.
11. The invention as set forth in Claim 10, wherein said retaining means includes a gener-ally horizontal support intermediate said bar and said horizontal member for reducing friction between said bar and said member.
12. A retainer for cooling tower splash bars comprising:
a normally horizontal support;
means extending upwardly from said support and adapted for engagement with channel defin-ing walls of a splash bar;
means depending from said support and adapted for selective securement to a horizontal grid member; and a pair of finger portions extending outwardly from said support in opposite directions, said portions being adapted for engagement with upright grid members disposed to each side of said splash bar.
13. The invention as set forth in Claim 12, said finger portions being generally disposed in a common horizontal plane in offset orientation to engage opposite sides of respective upright members.
CA000525419A 1986-01-14 1986-12-16 Extruded fill bar for water cooling towers Expired - Lifetime CA1276101C (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US06/819,220 US4663092A (en) 1986-01-14 1986-01-14 Extruded fill bar for water cooling towers
US06/819,220 1986-01-14

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1276101C true CA1276101C (en) 1990-11-13

Family

ID=25227522

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000525419A Expired - Lifetime CA1276101C (en) 1986-01-14 1986-12-16 Extruded fill bar for water cooling towers

Country Status (10)

Country Link
US (1) US4663092A (en)
EP (1) EP0232493A3 (en)
JP (1) JPS62169999A (en)
KR (1) KR950011377B1 (en)
AU (1) AU582928B2 (en)
BR (1) BR8700113A (en)
CA (1) CA1276101C (en)
IN (1) IN168686B (en)
MX (1) MX164094B (en)
ZA (1) ZA8739B (en)

Families Citing this family (12)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4803018A (en) * 1987-07-16 1989-02-07 Marcel R. Lefevre Splash fill for heat and mass transfer apparatus and method of making a splash fill assembly
US4774034A (en) * 1987-09-25 1988-09-27 The Marley Cooling Tower Company Clip for attaching splash bars to cooling tower fill support grid
US5112537A (en) * 1991-04-25 1992-05-12 The Marley Cooling Tower Company Perforated arch-shaped fill bar for splash type water cooling tower
US5227096A (en) * 1992-08-27 1993-07-13 The Marley Cooling Tower Company Circular rehabilitated industrial crossflow water cooling tower and method of rehabilitation thereof
BE1008270A3 (en) * 1994-03-24 1996-03-05 Hamon Thermal Engineers & Cont Exchanger body
US6708960B2 (en) * 2001-07-10 2004-03-23 Integrid Inc. Cooling tower support grid
US20050051916A1 (en) * 2003-09-08 2005-03-10 C.E. Shepherd Co., Inc. Cooling media pack
US7105036B2 (en) * 2003-12-08 2006-09-12 C. E. Shepherd Co., Inc. Drift eliminator, light trap, and method of forming same
US20110001028A1 (en) * 2009-07-01 2011-01-06 Maurer Scott T Splash fill bar support and method of manufacturing thereof
US20170115077A1 (en) * 2015-10-22 2017-04-27 Baltimore Aircoil Company, Inc. Cooling tower splash fill
US10429141B2 (en) * 2017-07-21 2019-10-01 Karl Anthony Tobin Cooling tower fill structures
US11359876B2 (en) * 2019-07-02 2022-06-14 Brentwood Industries, Inc. Cooling tower splash bar hanger and related assembly

Family Cites Families (26)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US736087A (en) * 1903-03-31 1903-08-11 John G Graham Apparatus for making sulfuric or other acids.
US1234444A (en) * 1912-09-06 1917-07-24 Edwin Burhorn Cooling-tower.
GB263114A (en) * 1925-12-16 1927-08-11 Maurice Hamon Improvements in cooling towers
GB316393A (en) * 1928-06-25 1929-08-01 Alexander Ellicott Simmonds Improvements in fillings for cooling towers
US2207272A (en) * 1938-03-07 1940-07-09 Redwood Manufacturers Co Cooling tower construction
US2239936A (en) * 1939-04-14 1941-04-29 Redwood Mfg Co Cooling tower construction
US2336060A (en) * 1940-11-16 1943-12-07 Foster Wheeler Corp Vapor and liquid contact apparatus and packing therefor
US3189329A (en) * 1962-06-06 1965-06-15 Fluor Products Company Cooling tower air inlet for cold climates
FR1360342A (en) * 1963-03-28 1964-05-08 Cem Comp Electro Mec Improvements made to gas-liquid contact towers, and more particularly to atmospheric refrigerants
US3378239A (en) * 1966-06-13 1968-04-16 Baltimore Aircoil Co Inc Counterflow cooling tower
US3389895A (en) * 1967-01-24 1968-06-25 Flon Anderson Co Inc De Cooling tower fill bar
FR1604072A (en) * 1968-12-31 1971-07-05
DE1945048A1 (en) * 1969-09-05 1971-03-11 Merkel Asbest & Gummiwerke Plastic packing or filler element
GB1262365A (en) * 1969-09-09 1972-02-02 Film Cooling Towers 1925 Ltd Improvements in or relating to splash bar packing for cooling towers
US3894127A (en) * 1969-09-11 1975-07-08 Marley Co Fill assembly structure for cross flow water cooling tower
US3647191A (en) * 1970-07-27 1972-03-07 Marley Co Splash bar for cooling tower fill assembly
US3969447A (en) * 1973-10-18 1976-07-13 Fritz W. Glitsch & Sons, Inc. Grids for fluid contact apparatus
US4048265A (en) * 1976-03-01 1977-09-13 The Marley Company Deicing apparatus for water cooling towers including slotted distribution basin and selectively actuatable valve mechanism
US4133851A (en) * 1977-05-11 1979-01-09 Ecodyne Corporation Cooling tower splash bar fill assembly and method
US4115484A (en) * 1977-09-16 1978-09-19 Ecodyne Corporation Cooling tower fill assembly
US4181691A (en) * 1978-11-13 1980-01-01 Baltimore Aircoil Company, Inc. U-Bar Fill
US4515735A (en) * 1982-09-29 1985-05-07 Phelps Peter M Slotted splash bars for gas liquid contact apparatus
US4512937A (en) * 1983-01-03 1985-04-23 Lilie-Hoffman Cooling Towers, Inc. Grid and fill slats for cooling towers
US4439378A (en) * 1983-05-23 1984-03-27 Ovard John C Cooling tower splash bar method and apparatus
US4578227A (en) * 1984-03-15 1986-03-25 Ovard John C Splash bar method and apparatus
US4557878A (en) * 1984-05-22 1985-12-10 Munters Corporation Splash-type fill

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
IN168686B (en) 1991-05-18
MX164094B (en) 1992-07-15
AU6608186A (en) 1987-07-16
AU582928B2 (en) 1989-04-13
EP0232493A2 (en) 1987-08-19
JPS62169999A (en) 1987-07-27
KR950011377B1 (en) 1995-10-02
ZA8739B (en) 1988-03-30
EP0232493A3 (en) 1987-12-09
KR870007410A (en) 1987-08-19
BR8700113A (en) 1987-12-01
US4663092A (en) 1987-05-05

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
CA1276101C (en) Extruded fill bar for water cooling towers
US3389895A (en) Cooling tower fill bar
JPH0116957Y2 (en)
US5911922A (en) Mass transfer device
AU602788B2 (en) Plastic fill sheet for water cooling tower with air guiding sheet spacers
US5762834A (en) Mass transfer device
US4317785A (en) Water cooling tower having combination splash and film fill structure
US4578227A (en) Splash bar method and apparatus
CA1133824A (en) U-bar fill
CA1163577A (en) Drift eliminator structure for counterflow water cooling tower
US4580624A (en) Louver fin evaporator
US5112537A (en) Perforated arch-shaped fill bar for splash type water cooling tower
US5104588A (en) Perforated trapezoidal-shaped fill bar for splash type water cooling towers
US4020130A (en) Splash bar for cooling tower fill assembly
US6089550A (en) Mass transfer process
US4328176A (en) Apparatus for damping the noise in cooling towers
AU2007300446B2 (en) Splash bar apparatus and method
KR102162553B1 (en) A filling material having protrusions for preventing scattering of condensation
GB1559329A (en) Air cooled atmospheric heat exchanger
RU2008607C1 (en) Sprinkler element of counterflow cooling tower and sprinkler unit of counterflow cooling tower (versions)

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
MKLA Lapsed