The Principle of “Sensible” Cooling
The “dry” in its name comes from the fact that it operates purely on sensible heat transfer—cooling the fluid without a phase change (evaporation). This contrasts with “wet” cooling towers that use latent heat of evaporation.
Step-by-Step Process:
- Hot Coolant In: The heated coolant (a water-glycol mixture) from the genset engine enters the dry cooling tower.
- Finned Tubes: The coolant flows through a network of tubes that have fins attached to their exterior to dramatically increase the surface area for heat transfer.
- Forced Airflow: Large, electrically driven fans force ambient air across the finned tubes.
- Heat Exchange: Heat transfers from the hot coolant inside the tubes to the cooler, dry air passing over the fins.
- Cooled Coolant Out: The now-cooled coolant is pumped back to the genset engine to absorb more heat, and the cycle repeats.
- Hot Air Out: The heated air is exhausted to the atmosphere.