Direct Forced Draft Fluid Cooling Tower

Abstract

A cooling tower is provided with a housing containing a fan at the bottom of the tower, and a plurality of layers of water collection troughs or channels above the fan to capture water droplets sprayed downwardly from the top of the device through an evaporative cooling pad located above the collection troughs. The collection troughs extend from one side of the housing to the other in the form of a structural support for the housing and the equipment therein. The troughs have open ends which extend through the housing to discharge collected water to an adjacent vertical tank.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cooling tower comprising:
 an enclosure without internal structural support for the enclosure;   an evaporative cooling media in said enclosure;   liquid distribution means located above said evaporative cooling media for distributing a liquid on said evaporative cooling media so that said liquid gravitates downwardly through said evaporative cooling media;   a water collection means in said enclosure below the evaporative cooling media including a plurality of layers of liquid collecting troughs for collecting substantially all of the liquid falling from said evaporative cooling media, said troughs in each of said layers being laterally offset from the troughs in layers of troughs above or below it; and said water collection means being formed of a relatively rigid structural material in the overall shape of a beam having opposed ends, with said ends being connected to said enclosure to provide internal structural support to the enclosure; and   said troughs each having at least one open end extending through the enclosure;   fan means located in said enclosure below said water collection means for blowing air upward through the evaporative cooling media thereby to cool said liquid; and   a vertically extending liquid collecting tank means adjacent said enclosure, said tank means having an opening therein adjacent said at least one end of said troughs for receiving said liquid directly from said troughs.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 1  wherein said tank means is located laterally of said fan means and said opening being located at a higher elevation relative to said one end of the troughs than said fan means. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 2  including pump means connected to said tank means and to said liquid distribution means for pumping said liquid from the tank means to a heat source to be cooled thereby and then returned to the liquid distribution means. 
     
     
         4 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 1  wherein said troughs extend generally parallel to each other in said layers with the maximum spacing between troughs being less than the maximum width of an individual trough. 
     
     
         5 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 4  wherein said troughs are V shaped in transverse cross-section. 
     
     
         6 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 5  wherein said layers of troughs include
 a top layer having a V shaped base and vertical legs extending from the free ends of the V shaped legs to top ends defining the top of the water collection means 
 a second layer of troughs below said top layer also having vertical legs extending from the free ends of the V shaped legs to top edges located below the V shaped bases of the troughs above it; and 
 at least two additional layers of V shaped troughs below said second layer. 
 
     
     
         7 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 4  wherein said troughs are U shaped in transverse cross-section. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 1  wherein said enclosure is orthogonal in plan view having at least two opposed sides and said opposed ends of said water collection means being respectively mounted on said sides. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 8  wherein said enclosure is formed of poured concrete. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 8  wherein the enclosure is formed of preformed concrete panels. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 8  wherein the enclosure is formed of concrete blocks. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus as defined in  claims 8 ,  9 ,  10  or  11  wherein said at least one open end of said troughs are mounted in its adjacent side of the enclosure at a lower elevation than their opposite ends. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus as defined in  claims 8 ,  9 ,  10  or  11  wherein said collection means has an inverted V shape in side view along its length whereby the middle has a higher elevation relative to its ends which are open and pass through said opposed sides of the enclosure with a liquid collection tank adjacent each of said sides for receiving liquid from said troughs. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 1  wherein said evaporative cooling means and liquid distribution means are supported in the enclosure on the water collection means. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 13  wherein said fan means is mounted on said water collection means. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus as defined in  claims 1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4 ,  5 ,  6 ,  7 ,  8 ,  14  or  15  wherein said enclosure is a cargo container having open top or bottom sides. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 8  wherein said enclosure is an ocean cargo container having open top or bottom sides and includes two vertically extending liquid collecting tank means respectively adjacent said two sides of the enclosure. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 17  including means for mounting said liquid collecting tank means on the containers for relative vertical movement between extended and retracted positions, whereby the tanks support the container when in said extended position. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 18  wherein said tank means are mounted inside the container. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 1  including a mist eliminator in said housing supported on said liquid distribution means, evaporative cooling media over said water collection means. 
     
     
         21 . A cooling tower comprising:
 an enclosure without internal structural support for the enclosure;   an evaporative cooling media in said enclosure;   liquid distribution means located above said evaporative cooling media for distributing a liquid on said evaporative cooling media so that said liquid gravitates downwardly through said evaporative cooling media;   a water collection means in said enclosure below the evaporative cooling media including a plurality of layers of liquid collecting troughs for collecting substantially all of the liquid falling from said evaporative cooling media, said troughs in each of said layers being laterally offset from the troughs in layers of troughs above or below it; and said water collection means being formed of a relatively rigid structural material in the overall shape of a beam having opposed ends, with said ends being connected to said enclosure to provide internal structural support to the enclosure; and   said troughs each having at least one open end extending through the enclosure;   said evaporative cooling medias and liquid distribution means being supported on said water collection means; and   fan means located in said enclosure below said water collection means for blowing air upward through the evaporative cooling media thereby to cool said liquid; and   a vertically extending liquid collecting tank means adjacent said enclosure, said tank means having an opening therein adjacent said at least one end of said troughs for receiving said liquid directly from said troughs.   
     
     
         22 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 21  including a mist eliminator in said housing supported on said liquid distribution means, evaporative cooling media over said water collection means. 
     
     
         23 . A cooling tower comprising:
 an enclosure without internal structural support for the enclosure; said enclosure being formed of concrete;   an evaporative cooling media in said enclosure;   liquid distribution means located above said evaporative cooling media for distributing a liquid on said evaporative cooling media so that said liquid gravitates downwardly through said evaporative cooling media;   a water collection means in said enclosure below the evaporative cooling media including a plurality of layers of liquid collecting troughs for collecting substantially all of the liquid falling from said evaporative cooling media, said troughs in each of said layers being laterally offset from the troughs in layers of troughs above or below it; and said water collection means being formed of a relatively rigid structural material in the overall shape of a beam having opposed ends, with said ends being connected to said enclosure to provide internal structural support to the enclosure; and   said troughs each having at least one open end extending through the enclosure;   fan means located in said enclosure below said water collection means for blowing air upward through the evaporative cooling media thereby to cool said liquid; and   a vertically extending liquid collecting tank means adjacent said enclosure, said tank means having an opening therein adjacent said at least one end of said troughs for receiving said liquid directly from said troughs.   
     
     
         24 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 23  wherein said enclosure is formed of formed concrete. 
     
     
         25 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 23  wherein said enclosure is formed of precast concrete panels. 
     
     
         26 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 23  wherein said enclosure is formed of concrete blades.