Enhancement of cooling capacity in a hybrid closed circuit cooling tower

Performance characteristics of the Hybrid Closed Circuit Cooling Tower (HCCCT) have been tested experimentally. Bare-type copper tubes and fin tubes were used in staggered arrangement at the heat exchanger of the HCCCT and the cooling capacity and pressure drop have been studied from various perspectives. The relevant temperatures and velocities were selected based on the typical East Asian meteorological constraints for the year round operation of the HCCCT. Performance characteristics were compared and found that for the fin tubes, cooling capacities were about 22% and 260% higher than those of the bare tubes in wet and dry modes, respectively. The pressure drop for the fin tubes was nearly two times higher than that of the bare tubes in both modes. The experimental results show considerable enhancement of cooling capacity.