Optimizing a Cooling‐Condensing Tower

• Published in: Chemie ingenieur technik Vol. 91; no. 4; pp. 514 - 521
• Main Authors: Solà Cervera, Jose L., Daniel, Andreas, Hoffmann, Karin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; German
• Published: 01.04.2019
• Subjects: Cooling‐condensing tower; Heat recovery; Mass transfer equipment; Random/structured packings; Tower size optimization
• ISSN: 0009-286X; 1522-2640
• DOI: 10.1002/cite.201800076

Heat recovery from a flue gas stream by cooling and condensation in a packed bed column is widely used to increase plant's energy efficiency. Mass transfer equipment manufacturers have the possibility to optimize the size of such cooling towers and therefore its derived investment costs through selection of best suitable mass/heat transfer components. In this work, a real industrial design case of a cooling‐condensing tower equipped with different high capacity random and structured packings is presented. The impact of the selected packings on tower dimensions and investment costs is evaluated and discussed. Heat recovery from a flue gas stream by cooling and condensation in a packed bed tower is gaining in importance to increase plant's energy efficiency. A real design case of a cooling‐condensing tower equipped with different high capacity random and structured packings is presented in this work. The impact of the selected packing on tower dimensions and investment costs is evaluated and discussed.