Innovative Cooling Towers

By Mark Skaer

CHICAGO — Vast improvements in evaporative cooling and heat transfer equipment were showcased at the 2003 Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo).

For its HXV closed-circuit hybrid cooling tower, Baltimore Aircoil (Baltimore) earned an AHR Expo Innovation Award, grabbing the top honor in the “Cooling” category. Meanwhile, Marley Cooling Technologies (Overland Park, Kan.) showcased a “new and improved” cooling tower line featuring what it believes to be an industry first: rotomolded polyethylene UniBasin technology.

Baltimore Aircoil said its HXV Hybrid Wet/Dry Closed-Circuit Cooling Tower uniquely combines the best of both evaporative and dry cooling in a single, compact energy- and water-efficient unit.

Innovative, Unique

Accepting the Innovation Award on behalf of Baltimore Aircoil (BAC) was Branislav (Branko) Korenic, Ph.D. chief engineer, who, along with Tom Carter, director of coil technology and product development for BAC, developed the HXV’s unique Combined Operation Technology. Also on hand to accept the award were Eric Kriebel, assistant product manager for closed circuit cooling Systems, and Philip Adams, marketing communications manager.

“The HXV can be a real problem solver for some of your toughest projects,” said Frank Morrison, product manager for Closed Circuit Cooling Systems. “It’s just the latest example of BAC’s leadership in evaporative cooling innovation.”

This product was conceived by BAC’s European Marketing Group and implemented by Korenic and Carter. It was designed to meet the thermal performance capability of a typical evaporative closed-circuit cooling tower for applications where plume abatement is a critical issue or where water usage is restricted.

The HXV is based on BAC’s line of FXV closed-circuit cooling towers, which the company said utilize combined flow technology to provide high heat transfer rates at low fan horsepower in a compact footprint.

The HXV adds a copper/aluminum finned dry coil above the galvanized prime surface evaporative coil and PVC wet deck surface. A three-way modulating fluid flow control valve enables the HXV to operate in any of three modes — dry/wet mode, adiabatic mode, or dry mode — depending on the heat load and ambient temperatures, explained Morrison.

Meanwhile, Marley said its innovative application of rotomolded polyethylene to the UniBasin of its new NC line of cooling towers significantly increases durability and enhances performance, “making this the most comprehensive advancement to the NC cooling tower line since the original design launch in 1968.”

Rotomolded polyethylene is frequently used for heavy-duty product applications such as fuel and chemical storage tanks and shipping containers because of its resistance to acids, chlorides, and other caustic chemicals. In addition, polyethylene is considered tough, resilient, impact-absorbent, and lightweight, plus it does not support the growth of algae, bacteria, and fungi.

“The advantages of the rotomolded polyethylene UniBasin far surpass those of the multi-piece steel basin,” said Brad Grindstaff, industry manager of Marley’s HVAC division “Our new NC line has forever redefined the HVAC cooling tower industry.”

Expo Roundup

Delta Cooling Towers (Rockaway, N.J.) featured its Paragon induced-draft cooling towers. According to the company, this tower is manufactured from noncorrosive materials of construction, including a one-piece, seamless polyethylene shell (protected by Delta’s 15-year warranty), PVC wet decking, and hot water distribution systems.

Alfa Laval (Richmond, Va.) added four new brazed heat exchanger models to its product line. The four models, which are part of the AlfaChill Series, include three single-circuit brazed heat exchangers, the AC10, AC20, and AC50, and one dual-circuited unit, the AC80. According to the company, these units offer low hold-up volume and cooling capacity ranging from 0.3 to 23 tons of refrigeration.

Also new is the MX20, a compact heat exchanger specially developed for HVAC cooling duties. The company said the product’s compact size with low height makes it “ideal as a replacement heat ex-changer as a pressure breaker, condenser cooler, or thermal storage unit in existing buildings.”

Vahterus (Kalanti, Finland) showcased its plate-and-shell heat exchangers. According to a spokesperson at the company’s booth, its fully welded heat exchangers are, on average, 20 percent smaller in size than “traditional” heat exchangers.

“This makes it extremely environmentally friendly due to the minimum amount of materials being used in its construction and also the space taken for its installation,” said the spokesperson.

Polaris (Edison, N.J.) featured its plate heat exchangers. Polaris said its Flex System allows the company to “provide the most economical designs for all types of heat transfer applications.”

ArctiChill (Newberry, S.C.) said its “Manhattan Modular” air- and water-cooled chillers are even more compact than before, with more capacity and serviceability. The company has available air-cooled and water-cooled designs to 300 tons. “They allow simplified field erection from small, lightweight modules, fitting into elevators and through access doors,” explained a booth attendant.

Cancoil Thermal Corp. (Kingston, Ontario) showcased its heat transfer products — from outdoor air-cooled condensing units to high-profile unit coolers. Some typical applications of Cancoil products are in food processing, refrigerated warehouses, supermarkets, convenience stores, and computer rooms.

Thermokey (Italy) brought samples of its heat exchangers. The company said it can handle most diverse heat exchange applications, such as finned pack heat exchangers, air-cooled water coolers (dry coolers), air-cooled condensers, industrial and commercial unit coolers, shell-and-tube evaporators and condensers, brazed-plate heat exchangers, and coaxial heat exchangers.

PowerCold Products Inc. (La Vernia, Texas) talked about the energy savings produced by its evaporative condensers, which go by the trade name Nauticon. The heart of the system is a flexible coil that is manufactured in a spiral configuration from over 50 feet of continuous copper tubing, the company said. This design prohibits built-up scale to crack and fall off into the sump water below, the company stated.

Acme Refrigeration Products (Grand Prairie, Texas) showcased its chillers — everything from its small-tonnage air-cooled packaged chillers to its large water-cooled package chillers.

Publication date: 03/03/2003

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