EP-4441457-B1 - DISPERSANT PANEL FOR COOLING TOWER

Inventors

• MOSIEWICZ, ROBERTO EDUARDO
• DI MASSIMO, Andrea

Dates

Publication Date

20260506

Application Date

20221129

Claims (10)

1. Dispersant panel (1) for cooling tower, comprising: - a corrugated sheet (2) extending between a first plane (1a) and a second plane (1b) mutually parallel and defining recurrent wave forms (20) along a longitudinal direction (2a) extending along wave paths (20a) transversal to said longitudinal direction (2a); - edges (3) extending parallel to said longitudinal direction (2a) at two opposite ends (21) of said longitudinal direction (2a), along a transversal direction (2b) perpendicular to said longitudinal direction (2a) of said sheet (2), and each defining profiles (30) for each wave form (20) recurrent parallel to said longitudinal direction (2a) on a tangential plane (3a) perpendicular to said transversal direction (2b), and characterized in that each of said edges (3) consists of a rim (22) of said sheet (2), folded on the same sheet (2) at said ends (21) without solution of continuity.
2. Panel (1) according to claim 1, wherein said wave path (20a) comprises a sequence of at least a first straight length (T1) parallel to said transversal direction (2b) and at least a second straight length (T2) transverse to both said transversal direction (2b) and said longitudinal direction (2a).
3. Panel (1) according to claim 3, wherein said wave path (20a) comprises a sequence between said ends (21) of a said first length (T1), a said second length (T2), a said first length (T1), a said second length (T2), and a further said first length (T1).
4. Panel (1) according to claim 3, wherein said first lengths (T1) adjacent to said ends (21) are mutually aligned.
5. Panel (1) according to any of claims 2 - 4, wherein each of said wave paths (20) comprises a first bulge (G1) extending along each said first length (T1), and a second bulge (G2) extending along each said second length (T2), said bulges (G1, G2) defining mutually opposite concavities.
6. Panel (1) according to claim 5, wherein said first bulge (G1) defines a first top (C1) extending on said first plane (1a) or on said second plane (1b) parallel to said first length (T1), and said second bulge (G2) defines a second top (C2) extending on said first plane (1a) or said second plane (1b) parallel to said second length (T2).
7. Panel (1) according to claim 6, wherein said first top (C1) and/or said second top (C2) comprise an interface surface (23).
8. Panel (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each of said bulges (G1, G2) comprises a plurality of ribs (24), extending transversally to said first length (T1) and to said second length (T2), respectively.
9. Drainage pack comprising a plurality of panels (1) according to any of the preceding claims.
10. Method of forming a panel (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact of comprising the step, before forming said sheet (2) to the corrugated configuration, of folding said rim (22) of said sheet (2) on the same sheet (2) at said ends (21) without solution of continuity.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a dispersant panel for cooling tower of the kind recited in the preamble of the first claim. Such a panel is known from EP 0 529 422. More particularly, the present invention relates to a dispersant panel capable of being so combined with other dispersant panels as to form a dispersant pack to be used in a common cooling installation of an evaporation cooling tower. DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART It is well known that a cooling or evaporation tower substantially is a big gas-liquid heat exchanger, generally having the form of a cylinder or cone-frustum parallelepiped, wherein the liquid phase yields energy to the gaseous phase so as to reduce its temperature. Moreover, the gaseous phase generally consists of air or steam, while the liquid phase consists of several kinds of water. The heat exchange may be done by contact between the phases, and in this case the tower is defined simply as an evaporation cooling tower. Otherwise the exchange may be carried out on a surface in a heat exchanger with pipes, plates or other means, and in this case the tower is defined as cooling bank. The most common types generally comprise the forced-circulation tower and the natural induced flow tower. The forced-circulation tower, which is the most popular for cooling water, substantially consists of a case structure made of cement, metal or various plastics, provided at its base with openings for the circulation of air supplied by a fan; a system of water distribution, consisting of distribution nozzles and a generally plastic container; and a collection tank for the cooled water. Sometimes the tower is provided with a tank for hot water returning from the process; in this case the hot water tank is provided with pumps returning water to the principal cooling tower. On the contrary, the induced flow cooling towers make use of the water evaporation and the difference of density of the air - steam mixture. Thus, they may avoid use of a circulation fan, that clearly impacts the global cost of the system and the energy consumption. These towers without fan are known as induced flow, natural circulation or natural draught towers, and have a characterizing shape with a vertical section consisting of a single pitch hyperboloid having a stack. The natural induced flow towers are preferred for nuclear and geothermal power plants, where the high costs are justified, in view of the high air flow rates. In any case, the operative principle of the cooling towers is as follows. Water dispersed in the tower upper part, thus falling downwards, is contacted by air induced to go up by the fan or by the difference od density. The contact is as closer as wider is the surface of water droplets contacted with air, that is the surface of exchange of matter. Therefore, there is a transfer of matter from the water droplets, constituting the dispersed phase, to air constituting the continuous phase, due to the humidification of said air, which is not steam saturated (this last condition being necessary for the tower operation). Through the transfer of matter, which is of the evaporative kind, water give energy to air in a substantially isothermal way for air, but with heat transfer and consequent water cooling. Therefore, water comes out from this exchange with a temperature lower than the inlet one. The above described thermal exchange is generally carried out with packs of thermal exchange or structured fillings, substantially consisting of a plurality of undulated and overlapped panels, configured to allow drainage of water droplets and their thermal exchange with air passing between the panels. Similar panels are described in patent applications EP 0 529 422 A1, US 4 225 540 A and WO 2021/008142 A1. These panels substantially are thermoformed sheets made of polymeric materials, generally PVC, characterized by reduced thickness and weight. The manufacture of these sheets or panels is generally carried out by means of conventional thermoforming and preferably vacuum plants. Vacuum thermoforming substantially provides for a first clamping step, in which a polymeric sheet of predetermined dimensions is substantially constrained to a dimensionally suitable frame; a second step of heating the sheet for its preparation to a subsequent plastic deformation; and a low pressure suction step of the sheet against a mould defining the form of the shaping intended for said sheet. Frequently, these shaped sheets are also subjected to a further cutting step, wherein the edges are substantially trimmed to obtain the finished piece, namely the actual panel to be combined with other panels to obtain the completed pack. The above described prior art has some important drawbacks. More particularly, the finished panels made in this way, in view of the cut edges, have microfractures, that during the normal operation of the plant cause panel disaggregation in the form of microparticles or microplastics. These microplastics