US2107496A - Louver construction for cooling towers - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 8, 1938. R PABQDIE 2,107,496

LOUVER CONSTRUCTION FOR COOLING TOWERS Filed Nov. 16, 1,955 2 Sheets-Sheet. 1

INVENTOR Robe/ff Paton fa 29 v BY Feb. 8, 1938. R, R A DIE 2,107,496

LOUVER CONSTRUCTION FOR COOLING TOWERS Filed Nov. 16, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT LOUVER CONSTRUCTION FOR COOLING TOWERS Application November 16, 1936, Serial No. 111,631

Claims.

This invention relates to cooling towers and particularly to a louver arrangement therefor for preventing loss of liquid being cooled in the tower.

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide a louver arrangement which is efiicient in catching moisture driven by air currents transversely through the tower without materially obstructing flow of the air; to provide a louver arrangement cooperative with sides of the tower to form fines for further reducing loss of moisture because of wind currents; to provide a simple and relatively inexpensive louver construction capable of ready assembly and attachment to a cooling tower; and to provide a louver construction having a greater total area of passageways for the air currents thereby permitting maximum air flow through the tower.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, as hereinafter pointed out, I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the end portions of a tower provided with louver sections embodying the feature of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view through a portion of the louvers taken at one of the catch pans.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the cooling tower on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged horizontal section through a portion of the louvers and adjacent side of the tower, particularly illustrating the arrangement of louver bars.

Fig. 5 is a section through one of the pans particularly illustrating mounting of the louver bars.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

designates a cooling tower including a foundation 2 consisting of a substantially rectangular slab 3 supported on the ground and having an annular. wall or curbing d to form a catch basin 5. Formed in the center of the slab is a sump 6 for collecting liquid draining from the tower l. The sump ii includes a wall 8 conforming in shape to the tower l and which connects the slab 3 with the floor 8. The wall 8 provides a support for the legs or posts N3 of the tower which are arranged in pairs and connected at spaced points by transverse beams H extending in superimposed spaced relation across the sump 6. The posts H! are also connected longitudinally of thetower by beams I2 having their ends supported on the transverse beams at points adjacent the posts, as shown in Fig. 3.

Supported on the longitudinal beams are decks it including slats M arranged in spaced relation and fixed to transverse cleats l5 extending across and supported by the longitudinal beams 2. The structure thus described is stabilized by suitable transverse cross bracing I! as in conventional '5 tower construction. The posts extend above the upper deck and the respective pairs are connected by transverse beams l8 having their ends l9 and projecting beyond the posts and overhanging the slab 3.

Carried by the beams I8 is a distributing system including a conduit 23 extending longitudinally of the tower and having depending nozzles 24 directed toward the upper deck. The conduit is also provided with lateral branches 25 having L 15 fittings 26 carrying similar nozzles 2', whereby the liquid to be cooled is distributed over the surface of the upper deck. The liquid, upon reaching the upper deck, spreads over the surface of the deck slats and drips through the spaces therebetween 20 to the slats of the next lower deck and so on down the tower until the water is finally collected in the sump 6, the water being gradually cooled by air currents blowing horizontally between the decks and across the path of the descending 5 droplets of liquid.

The tower thus described is of conventional design and specifically forms no part of the present invention which may be carried out with other arrangements of splash decks than the type 30 illustrated.

In cooling towers of this type, air currents blowing through the spaces between the decks pick up the droplets of liquid and carry them through the opposite side of the tower so that they do not reach the sump, and it is the purpose of the present invention to provide a tower with louvers arranged to allow free passage of air currents necessary in cooling the liquid but which form traps for separating any moisture picked up by the air currents and to effect its return. to the tower to continue its descent toward the sump 6.

Located in spaced parallel alignment with each of the tower posts and having their lower ends supported on the slab 3 are louver supporting posts 28 and which have their upper ends connected with projecting ends l9 and 26 of the transverse beams l8.

Extending horizontally of the tower legs at spaced points along the height thereof are horizontal beams 29 for supporting the inner edges 30 of catch pans 3! extending upwardly and outwardly at suitable angles to drain liquid caught thereby in the direction of the tower, as later described. The outer edges of the pans are shaped to provide a series of triangular projections 32 extending outwardly over the slab 3 with their vertexes 33 terminating substantially over the inner face of the curbings l. Theprojecting portions of the pans are supported at the vertexes thereof by vertical posts 34 located adjacent the curbings 4. Fixed to the upper and lower edges of the projections are plates 35 and 3% connected by rails 3? having their upper edges projecting above and below the respective plates as clearly illustrated in Fig. 5. The plates 35 and. 36 thus extend in angular relation to the longitudinal direction of the tower and have parallel grooves 38 and 39 extending from the inner side edges iii thereof toward the outer edges t! that engagingly retain the ends of vertical louver bars 32.

The louver bars comprise flat strips of suflicient length to extend from the upper plates of one pan to the lower plates of the next upper pan and are of sufficient width so that the inner edges 43 overlap the outer edges 44 of the adjacent bar whereby direct passage of air currents is prevented in transverse directions relatively to the tower. The spacing between the respective bars form passageways 45, the total areas of which are substantially equal to or greater than the sectional area between the respective decks so as to provide maximum movement of air across the tower and through the bafiie.

Extending longitudinally of the inner and outer faces at the outer edges of the louver bars are battens 46 and 41. The outer battens H are preferably of larger dimension than the inner battens, as shown in Fig. 4. The battens not only reinforce and stiffen the louverbars but provide stops for catching and retaining any drops of moisture that may be carried in the air moving therebetween. The moisture, upon being stopped by the baffles, gravitates theredown until the next lower pan is reached, whereupon the moisture runs off the upper plates of the pans and across the pans toward the decks of the tower.

In order to close the space between the outer louver bars at the vertex portion of the pans, the posts 34 carry louver plates 48 fixed to their outer faces and having their side edges extending beyond the inner edges of the adjacent louver bars, the edges of the plates 48 being provided with battens 49 and 50 corresponding to the battens previously described in connection with the louver bars.

The louver plates carrying the louver bars are preferably connected at their ends by cleats 5| nailed or otherwise attached to the under sides thereof, as shown in Fig. 3, and by the dotted lines in Fig. 4. The juncture of the louvers at the corners of the tower are closed by fiat plates 52 as shown in Fig. 1.

The operation of a tower constructed and assembled as described is as follows:

A liquid to be cooled, such as water, is delivered to the rows of nozzles 24 and 2'! through the pipe 23 for substantially uniform distribution over the slats of the upper deck. The drops of water upon reaching the slats spread thereover and drip from the sides thereof through the spaces onto the slats of the next lower deck and so on until the water reaches the sump 6. During travel of the droplets of water from one deck to the next, air currents moving transversely between the decks cool the water incidental to actual contact therewith and by evaporation. At

times the air currents are at such velocity that they pick up drops of water and carry them across to opposite sides of the tower in the direction of the louvers 42, however, the air currents upon engaging the louver bars, change their direction before they can pass through'the spaces 45 therebetween. Thev air, upon contacting the louvers 52, gives up the drops of moisture which collect on the inner faces of the baflles and gravitates 'theredown onto the next catch pan, the

battens 45 and il forming stops to prevent blowing off of any of the collected moisture from the louvers.

Upon reaching the catch pans 3|, the moisture drains thereacross over the inner edges 30 onto the next lower deck of the cooling tower so that the water tending to escape is returned to continue its gravitational flow from deck to deck of the tower. Any of the moisture stopped by the lowermost section of louvers is caught by the slab 3 which slopes in the direction of the sump 6 to return the water thereto.

By providing the V-arrangement and staggered relation of. louver bars, I am able to provide for a maximum total passage having great er capacity than the cross-sectional area of the spaces between the respective decks, so that while i the'bafi'les provide an effective retard foriany moisture'contained in the air currents, they do not act to retard or choke the volume of air currents that may be moved between the decks.

Attention is also directed to the V-shaped arrangement of the bafiles which form flues whereby the air currents are caused to move upwardly thereby further reducing their velocity and causing gravitational separation of entrained rnoisture. a

From the foregoing, it is obvious that I' have provided a louver arrangement'which is most effective in separating moisture but which does not materially retard or interfere with movement of air currents across the cooling tower. Due to the slotted arrangement of the plates carried b their respective catch pans, the louvers are readily assembled and rigidly retained in position so that they are not likely to be broken down in case of excessive wind velocities.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 7 7

1. In combination with a cooling tower, a plurality of superimposed catch pans having triangular shaped projections, means supporting the catch pans at the sides of the tower, louver bars supported along the marginal edges of the triangular shaped projections and arranged in spaced parallel relation, and battens fixed to the inner and outer edges of the bars.

2. In combination with a cooling tower, a plurality of superimposed catch pans having angularly extending outer edges, plates fixed to the upper and lower surfaces of the pans at said angular edges and provided with parallel spaced rality of superimposed catch pans having angu- .larly extending outer edges, plates fixed to the upper and lower surfaces of 7 the pans at said angular edges and provided with parallel spaced grooves, louver bars having their upper and lower endssupported in the grooves of said plates and having the inner side edge of one bar overlapping the opposite side edge of the next adjacent bar,

and water stops secured to the inner and outer surfaces of the louver bars. 4. In combination with a cooling tower, a plurality of superimposed catch pans having anguangular shaped projections, means supporting the catch pans at the sides of the tower, and louver bars supported along the marginal edges of the triangular shaped projections and arranged in spaced parallel relation with the sides of the cooling tower.

6. In combination with a cooling tower, a plurality of superimposed catch pans having triangular shaped projections, means supporting the catch pans at the sides of the tower, louver bars supported along the marginal edges of the triangular shaped projections and arranged in spaced parallel relation with the sides of the cooling tower, and battens fixed to the outer edges of the bars.

7. In combination with a cooling tower, a plurality of superimposed catch pans arranged to slope in the direction of the cooling tower and having angularly extending outer edges, plates fixed to the upper and lower surfaces of the pans at said angular edges, and louver bars having their upper and lower ends fixed to said plates and having the inner side edge of one louver bar overlapping the opposite side edge of the next adjacent louver bar.

8. In combination with a cooling tower, a plurality of superimposed catch pans having angularly extending outer edges, plates fixed to the upper and lower surfaces of the pans at said angular edges and provided with parallel spaced grooves, louver bars having upper and lower ends supported in the grooves of said plates and having the inner side edge of one bar overlapping the opposite side edge of the next adjacent bar, and guards fixed to the outer edges of the pans in overlapping relation with the plates.

9. In combination with a cooling tower, a plurality of superimposed catch pans having angularly extending outer edges, posts spacing the pans at the juncture of said outer edges of the pan, plates fixed to the upper and lower surfaces of the pans at said angular edges and provided with parallel spaced grooves, louver bars supported in parallel relation with the posts and having their upper and lower ends supported in the grooves of said plates and having the inner side edge of one bar overlapping the opposite side edge of the next adjacent bar, batten strips fixed to the inner and outer faces at the outer edges of the respective bars, and plates secured to the posts and having projecting outer edges cooperating with the louver bars to divert air currents blowing through the tower.

10. In combination with a cooling tower, a plurality of superimposed catch pans in the form of a series of triangular shaped projections extending from the sides of the tower, and louver bars supported'between the catch pans and arranged at the outer edges thereof to form substantially triangular shaped fiuesbetween the pans.

ROBERT R. PABODIE.

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