Numerical Simulation of Influence of Cross Wind on Performance of Different Sections of Indirect Air Cooling Tower

The cooling performances of the indirect dry air cooling tower depend on the performance of each section. In accordance with relevant design criteria and standards, the influence of crosswind on the cooling performance of the indirect dry air cooling tower has been fully taken into consideration; however, the differences among sections have not been considered. In summer, the outlet water temperature of one or several sections may be higher than the design value, which will lead to a reduction in the cooling performance of the entire dry air cooling tower. In winter, due to crosswind, the water temperature in the heat exchanger of one or several sections may drop below zero, which means the circulating water pipes could be damaged. Therefore, studying the influence of crosswind on each section of the indirect dry air cooling tower is of great importance for power plant design. In this paper, an indirect dry air cooling tower equipped with flue gas desulfurization and dust removal systems was numerically studied using Fluent software. This cooling tower will be applied in a 2×660MW coal-fired power plant. The flow fields around the cooling tower are presented, and the outlet water temperature of each section is analyzed. The analysis results show that the outlet water temperature is lower when sections face the windward or leeward direction, while it is higher when sections face the side direction. The research results can provide references for engineering measures related to water distribution in summer and anti-freezing in winter.