Cooling > Cooling Tower Rebuild

Existing Conditions

The existing cooling tower is xxx years old and is well beyond its expected lifespan. The drift eliminators and fill media are loosely packed, allowing air bypass and reducing heat removal capacity. Over time mineral deposits have built up on the media, further reducing evaporative capacity.

The mechanical components (fan, fan hub, fan sheaves, shaft, bearings, and bushings) are all aging and due for replacement.

The structural components are basically intact, but are slowly deteriorating with time.

Retrofit Conditions

Replacing the tower would involve very significant expense related to positioning of the new tower and disposal of the old one. Because this tower is structurally intact and because towers built in this era are more rugged than the modern equivalent, we recommend a thorough overhaul by a specialist contractor instead. Exact requirements would be determined by a specialist, but would include some of the following items.

•	Remove and dispose of existing plugged and damaged fill media. Replace with new high efficiency, high density PVC honeycomb fill media.

•	Remove and dispose of existing mechanical components including fan, fan hub, shaft, bearings, fan sheaves, and bushings. Replace with equivalent including high efficiency fiberglass fan assemblies.

•	Remove and dispose of existing air inlet louvers. Replace with equivalent fiberglass air inlet louvers.

•	Remove and dispose of existing small orifice spray system. Replace with a new large orifice spray system to reduce the likelihood of clogging.

•	Supply and install new sump screen supports.

•	Supply and install new access door gaskets and stainless steel door hardware.

•	Mechanically clean the cold water basin below the water level.

•	Sandblast the interior of the tower (for forced draft towers).

•	Apply a two-part epoxy coating to all cleaned areas.

•	Caulk all seams in both the cold water basin and hot water basins with a urethane based sealant.

•	Commission tower under full operation.

Although this is primarily a maintenance item, the capacity of the renovated tower would be greater than what it was when new, improving the overall efficiency of the chilled water plant.

Further Benefits

Application Details

Issues and Concerns

References

Analysis

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