Direct heat exchange fill

Abstract

A fill sheet and a fill pack manufactured from a plurality of fill sheets for cooling a cooling medium in a cooling tower, each fill sheet optionally having microstructures, the fill sheet's having pairs of elliptically-shaped projections and depressions that act as spacers when the sheets are stacked on one-another to form a fill pack; and/or a fill sheet defining a continuous wave parallel to the longitudinal axes of the flutes.

1 . A fill sheet for cooling a cooling medium in a cooling tower, the fill sheet comprising:
 a first end;   a second end;   a first side;   a second side;   said second end extending substantially parallel to the first end and generally perpendicularly relative to a vertical axis (with respect to water travel), the first and second ends extending substantially parallel to a lateral axis of the fill sheet;   said first second side extending substantially parallel to the first side and generally parallel to said vertical axis, said first and second sides connecting said first and second ends;   said first end, second end, first side and second side defining a first face and a second face, said first and second faces mirror images of one-another;   said first face of said fill sheet comprising a plurality of first-face elliptically-shaped projections and depressions arranged in a plurality of rows across said fill sheet, each of said first-face elliptically shaped projections corresponding to a second-face elliptically shaped depression on said second face, each of said first-face elliptically shaped depressions corresponding to a second-face elliptically shaped projection on said second face.   
     
     
         2 . A fill sheet according to  claim 1 , wherein said first-face elliptically-shaped projections and depressions are arranged in pairs, each of said pairs having a single first-face elliptically shaped projection and a single first-face elliptically shaped depression. 
     
     
         3 . A fill sheet according to  claim 1 , wherein each of said first-face elliptically-shaped projections and depressions has a major axis that is parallel to a direction of air travel across said fill sheet. 
     
     
         4 . A fill sheet according to  claim 1 , wherein all of said first-face elliptically-shaped projections and depressions have a major axis that is aligned at a same angle that is equal to or less than +15 degrees from horizontal. 
     
     
         5 . A fill sheet according to  claim 1 , wherein all of said first-face elliptically-shaped projections and depressions have a major axis that is aligned at a same angle that is equal to or less than −15 degrees from horizontal. 
     
     
         6 . A fill sheet according to  claim 2 , wherein each first-face elliptically-shaped projection is oriented in an opposite direction, up or down, to horizontal compared to its paired first-face elliptically-shaped depression, and to each horizontally and vertically adjacent first-face elliptically-shaped projection. 
     
     
         7 . A fill sheet according to  claim 1 , wherein all of said first-face elliptically-shaped projections have a major axis that is aligned at a same angle that is equal to or less than +15 degrees from horizontal, and all of said first-face elliptically-shaped depressions have a major axis that is aligned at a same angle that is equal or less than negative 15 degrees from horizontal. 
     
     
         8 . A fill pack assembly for cooling a fluid flowing through the pack with a gas flowing through the pack in a substantially horizontal direction, the fill pack assembly comprising a plurality of identical fill sheets according to  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of fill sheets are arranged so that elliptically-shaped projections on adjacent faces of adjacent sheets contact one-another. 
     
     
         9 . A fill sheet for cooling a cooling medium in a cooling tower, the fill sheet comprising:
 a first end;   a second end;   a first side;   a second side;   said second end extending substantially parallel to the first end and generally perpendicularly relative to a vertical axis (with respect to water travel), the first and second ends extending substantially parallel to a lateral axis of the fill sheet;   said first second side extending substantially parallel to the first side and generally parallel to said vertical axis, said first and second sides connecting said first and second ends;   said first end, second end, first side and second side defining a first face and a second face, said first and second faces mirror images of one-another;   said fill sheet further defining a continuous wave extending in a direction parallel to a direction of air flow.   
     
     
         10 . A fill sheet according to  claim 9 , wherein said continuous wave has a period of 3 inches to 6 inches and an amplitude of 0.05 inches to 0.5 inches. 
     
     
         11 . A fill sheet according to  claim 9 , wherein said continuous wave has a period of 4 inches to 5.5 inches and an amplitude of 0.1 inches to 0.35 inches 
     
     
         12 . A fill sheet according to  claim 9 , wherein said continuous wave has a period of 4.7 inches and an amplitude of 0.2 inches. 
     
     
         13 . A fill sheet according to  claim 9  having elliptically-shaped spacers formed thereon. 
     
     
         14 . A fill pack for cooling a fluid flowing through the pack with a gas flowing through the pack in a substantially horizontal direction, the fill pack assembly comprising a plurality of identical fill sheets according to  claim 9 . 
     
     
         15 . A fill pack according to  claim 14 , wherein said plurality of fill sheets are arranged so that elliptically-shaped projections on adjacent faces of adjacent sheets contact one-another. 
     
     
         16 . A cross-flow cooling tower comprising a plurality of fill sheets according to  claim 1  wherein said plurality of fill sheets are individually hanging in a direct heat exchange section, are hanging in said direct heat exchange section in the form of fill packs, or supported from below by cooling tower structure in said direct heat exchange section in the form of fill packs.