EP-4737835-A1 - MODULAR COOLING TOWER AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLING THE SAME

Abstract

A modular heat exchange system is provided. The modular heat exchange system includes an air inlet assembly, a plenum assembly, and a heat exchange assembly including at least one heat exchange module. The at least one heat exchange module includes at least one fill module. The at least one fill module includes a plurality of fill sheets arranged on at least one support member. The at least one support member includes a first end and a second end. A plurality of fill packs is also provided on the at least one support member. Each fill pack includes a plurality of bonded fill sheets. A first fill pack is coupled to the first end of the at least one support member and a second fill pack is coupled to the second end of the at least one support member.

Inventors

• FOLKEN, Aaron
• ABDULFATTAH, Ghazi
• BRENNEKE, GLENN
• MORBY, Michael
• PARTINGTON, MICHAEL
• WHITE, ROBERT
• MORTENSEN, Ken
• PULLEN, KATHRYN

Assignees

• SPX Cooling Tech, LLC

Dates

Publication Date

20260506

Application Date

20251103

Claims (15)

1. A modular heat exchange system, comprising: an air inlet assembly; a plenum assembly; and a heat exchange assembly including at least one heat exchange module, wherein the at least one heat exchange module comprises at least one fill module, the at least one fill module including: a plurality of fill sheets arranged on at least one support member, the at least one support member having a first end and a second end; and a plurality of fill packs including a first fill pack and a second fill pack, wherein each fill pack comprises a plurality of bonded fill sheets, wherein the first fill pack is coupled to the first end of the at least one support member and the second fill pack is coupled to the second end of the at least one support member.
2. The modular heat exchange system of claim 1, wherein the at least one support member extends along an axis substantially perpendicular to the plurality of fill sheets.
3. The modular heat exchange system of claim 1 or 2, wherein a third fill pack is coupled to the first end of the at least one support member and is positioned adjacent to the first fill pack.
4. The modular heat exchange system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a third fill pack is coupled to the second end of the at least one support member and is positioned adjacent to the second fill pack.
5. The modular heat exchange system of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the at least one heat exchange module comprises a first heat exchange module, a second heat exchange module, and a third heat exchange module, wherein the first heat exchange module is disposed adjacent to the second heat exchange module and the second heat exchange module is disposed adjacent to the third heat exchange module.
6. The modular heat exchange system of claim 5, wherein at least one of the first heat exchange module, the second heat exchange module, and the third heat exchange module comprises the at least one fill module.
7. The modular heat exchange system of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the plurality of fill packs are designed to maintain the plurality of fill sheets in a predetermined orientation during transport.
8. The modular heat exchange system of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the plurality of fill sheets comprise about 50 percent to about 90 percent of an overall volume of the at least one fill module.
9. The modular heat exchange system of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the modular heat exchange system further includes a cold water collection basin having at least one cold water collection basin module, wherein the cold water collection basin is positioned adjacent to and below the heat exchange assembly.
10. A method for assembling a modular heat exchange system comprising: assembling a fill module by: providing a plurality of fill sheets in a stack, wherein a distance between any two fill sheets in the stack is less than about 0.5 mm; providing a plurality of fill packs, wherein each fill pack comprises a plurality of bonded fill sheets; providing at least one support member having a first end and a second end; arranging the plurality of fill sheets on the at least one support member; coupling a first fill pack to the first end of the at least one support member; coupling a second fill pack to the second end of the at least one support member; and installing the fill module in a heat exchange module.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the fill module is assembled and installed in the heat exchange module at a first location, and the heat exchange module containing the fill module is shipped to a second location for assembly into the modular heat exchange system.
12. The method of claim 10 or 11, wherein the fill module comprises a first fill module end, a second fill module end, a first fill module side, and a second fill module side.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein a plurality of fill modules are installed side by side in the heat exchange module, wherein a combination of first fill module ends of the plurality of fill modules define a first side of the heat exchange module, and wherein a combination of second fill module ends of the plurality of fill modules define a second side of the heat exchange module.
14. The method of any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the at least one support member extends along an axis substantially perpendicular to the plurality of fill sheets.
15. The method of any one of claims 10 to 14 further comprising: coupling a third fill pack to the first end of the at least one support member; positioning the third fill pack adjacent to the first fill pack; coupling a fourth fill pack to the second end of the at least one support member; and positioning the fourth fill pack adjacent to the second fill pack.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This Application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63/715,424, filed on November 1, 2024, entitled "MODULAR COOLING TOWER AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLING THE SAME," currently pending, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63/868,881, filed on August 22, 2025, entitled "FILL MODULE FOR USE IN COOLING TOWERS," currently pending, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a modular heat exchange system and a method of assembling the same. More particularly, the present disclosure discusses modular components of a heat exchange tower that can be pre-assembled in a factory and transported to a job site and assembled to erect the heat exchange system. BACKGROUND Heat rejection systems are commonly used in industrial, commercial, and residential settings to provide cooling. One common type of a heat rejection system is a heat exchange tower, often referred to as a cooling tower. Cooling towers are often assembled at the field location where the tower will be placed. However, assembling the tower at the job site can be time intensive and costly. Assembling a tower can require a dedicated labor force that is trained in how to assemble the tower. Moreover, weather can delay the construction of the tower. Thus, it can be beneficial to assemble some components of the tower at a manufacturing facility and then transport the prebuilt components to the field location. However, while it may be desirable to assemble tower components at a manufacturing facility, some conventional cooling tower designs may require assembly on-site. For example, factors such as the size of the various tower components and their structural strength may limit their ability to be preassembled and transported on-site. In particular, the liquid collection basin, commonly referred to as the cold water basin, can be difficult to preassemble and transport. Conventional towers typically include a one-piece, unitary cold water basin for receiving and holding the water that has been cooled by the tower. In some instances, the large size of the cold water basin can make it costly to transport to the field location. For example, the basin may be an oversized load that does not fit on a standard semi-truck trailer bed. The challenge of shipping such a large unitary cold water basin may be addressed with a multi-piece, modular cold water basin, which would allow the basin to be transported as smaller modular components to the field location for final assembly on-site. The final assembly can use a variety of assembly methods including welding the modular components of the cold water basin together, which may be time-consuming and costly. Moreover, field welding may be more difficult than factory welding due to limited access to the weld locations and conditions in the field, thereby resulting in welded joints that may be more prone to leaking. Therefore, there is a need for an improved modular cooling tower that includes components that can be pre-assembled at a manufacturing facility, transported to a field location using semi-truck trailers, and readily assembled on-site. SUMMARY In one aspect, a modular heat transfer system is provided. The modular heat transfer system includes an air inlet assembly provided in the form of a first air inlet module disposed adjacent to a second air inlet module. At least one of the first air inlet module and the second air inlet module includes an opening. The modular heat transfer system also includes a heat exchange assembly defined by at least one heat exchange module, such as a first heat exchange module and a second heat exchange module. The first heat exchange module is disposed adjacent to the second heat exchange module. Furthermore, the modular heat transfer system includes a plenum assembly having at least one plenum module. The heat exchange assembly is disposed above the air inlet assembly and the plenum assembly is disposed above the heat exchange assembly. In some instances, the modular heat transfer system includes an air current generator defined by a fan assembly having at least one fan blade. In some cases, the plenum assembly of the modular heat transfer system includes at least a portion of the air current generator. In some instances, a first fan blade of the at least one fan blade extends from a first plenum module of the at least one plenum module and over a second plenum module of the at least one plenum module that is positioned adjacent to the first plenum module. In some cases, the modular heat transfer system includes a door having one or more louver assemblies, in which the door is attached to the first air inlet module or the second air inlet module by a hinge. The door is designed to provide walk-in access to an interior of the first air inlet module or the second air inlet module. In some such cases, the door swings toward an interior of th