Improving the Performance of Natural Draft Dry Cooling Tower (NDDCT) under Crosswind using Windbreak Walls with Different Widths

Wind-break walls have been offered as means of reducing the thermal performance losses of natural draft dry cooling towers (NDDCTs) under crosswind condition by managing the air flow around, through, and inside these towers. A numerical study of a single NDDCT revealed that the windbreak walls with different widths can reduce the performance losses by optimizing the heat transfer along the cooling tower packing using a suitable air flow distribution across the plane area of the cooling tower. In this study, a numerical analysis of the influence of the air flow distribution across the cooling tower on thermal performance was conducted. Results show that the thermal performance losses for the tower under crosswind and no windbreak walls are superiors to that of no wind condition. Incorporating windbreak walls, however, shows performance improvement. Windbreak walls installation reduced the thermal performance losses about 0-30 % depending on crosswind speed and windbreak widths.

Keywords:

Windbreak , NDDCT , crosswind , cooling tower , thermal performance