Effect of Wind on Thermal Performance of Heller Dry Cooling Tower

In a steam power plant, the temperature of the cooling water leaving the condenser for recyclingshould decrease. This is achieved in a cooling tower. The Heller cooling tower does not require waterfor operation, thus, it is a suitable system for use in thermal power plants throughout Iran. Wind is anenvironmental factor that unfavorably affects the performance of a cooling tower. Previous studieshave not considered real prevailing conditions appropriately; their conclusions are incomplete and, attimes, contradictory. The present field study of the cooling tower at Montazer-Ghaem Power Plant inthe city of Karaj in Iran investigated the effect of wind on the thermal performance of the coolingtower. Wind velocity was measured using blade-and-cup type digital anemometers. The direction ofthe wind around the cooling tower was determined using tufts. Ultrasonic flow meters and resistancethermometers were used to measure the flow rates and temperatures of the water at the inlet and outlet,respectively. Results show that, despite air suction, no separation occurred at the periphery of thecooling tower. The front cooling sectors that face the wind and the back sectors that do not directlyface the wind were more thermally efficient. They transferred about 60% more heat than did thecooling sectors parallel to the wind direction at the periphery of the cooling tower. The results alsoshowed that thermal performance in the front and back cooling sectors increased as the wind velocityincreased and that in the peripheral sectors decreased.