Abstract:
The inertial capture of water droplets in the louvered drift eliminators of industrial cooling towers is studied using mathematical modeling methods. The motion of the air carrying water droplets within a periodic cell of the drift eliminator formed by two adjacent blades is described based on the Euler-Lagrange approach. The droplet capture efficiency is assessed for common corner-like and trapezoidal blade shapes. From the analysis of the airflow patterns and droplet trajectories within the periodic cell, the requirements are formulated to improve the blade efficiency. In particular, to ensure high droplet capture efficiency, it is desirable to minimize the number of airflow turns within the periodic cell while simultaneously increasing the air velocity magnitude. For a general assessment of the performance of the drift eliminator design, a complex criterion is proposed that incorporates weighting factors accounting for the significance of the amount of droplet capture, aerodynamic drag coefficient, and manufacturing cost of the grates.
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