2 Major Types of Cooling Systems
Posted in Uncategorised, on February 18, 2022 By Admin
In many industrial settings, it’s paramount to have a robust cooling system in place to prevent the entire set-up from overheating or suffering heat-related damage. One of the most commonly used coolants in this regard is water, due to its high specific heat and boiling point. However, water can be used for cooling in two different ways, with an open recirculating system and a closed recirculating system. The basic functioning of these two types of cooling systems will be discussed below.
What are open and closed recirculating systems?
Open Recirculating System
One of the most common forms of cooling systems, it majorly comprises water pumps, heat exchangers and lastly, the cooling towers. As is evident from the phrase recirculating, the water used in this system is pumped backed into the heat exchanger over and over. However, it uses evaporation to remove excess heat from the water and this condensate is then pumped back into the system.
The most notable feature of the open recirculating system is the cooling tower. The hot water coming from the heat exchanger is poured over the top of the tower, and as this hot water passes through a series of plates known as splash plates, it loses its heat and the majority of it escapes as vapour, also known as drift. The now cold water is collected at the bottom of the cooling tower which is called the basin, from which it is finally pumped back into the system.
Closed Recirculating System
While the above method is effective, it is not very efficient, as a lot of water is lost in the form of vapour. To prevent this, a closed recirculating system is used, where the cooling water is never directly exposed to the air, thereby not escaping out as steam. Instead, the high heat of the water is transferred onto another coolant or directly released into the atmosphere, without losing water.
Some great examples of this type of system are radiators used in automobiles and chilled water systems, where there is only a limited supply of water to keep the system running.
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