Thermosyphon coolers for cooling systems with cooling towers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016348977-A1
Application number	US-201615231532-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 8, 2016
Priority date	May 27, 2010
Publication date	Dec 1, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

In one embodiment, a cooling system may include a thermosyphon cooler that cools a cooling fluid through dry cooling and a cooling tower that cools a cooling fluid through evaporative cooling. The thermosyphon cooler may use natural convection to circulate a refrigerant between a shell and tube evaporator and an air cooled condenser. The thermosyphon cooler may be located in the cooling system upstream of, and in series with, the cooling tower, and may be operated when the thermosyphon cooler is more economically and/or resource efficient to operate than the cooling tower. According to certain embodiments, factors, such as the ambient temperature, the cost of electricity, and the cost of water, among others, may be used to determine whether to operate the thermosyphon cooler, the cooling tower, or both.

First claim

1 . One or more tangible, non-transitory machine-readable media comprising processor-executable instructions to:
receive one or more first inputs indicative of measures of a cost of water, a cost of electricity, or both; receive a second input indicative of an amount of power consumed by a fan motor of a thermosyphon cooler, wherein the thermosyphon cooler is a component of a cooling system; calculate a third input indicative of a temperature differential between a cooling fluid exiting a process heat exchanger of the cooling system and an ambient temperature surrounding the cooling system; determine a thermosyphon economic power consumption limit (TEPCL) based at least on the one or more first inputs; determine a measured thermosyphon economic power consumption (TEPC) value based at least on the second and third inputs; and control operation of the thermosyphon cooler based on a comparison of the TEPCL with the TEPC.

2 . The one or more tangible, non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the processor-executable instructions are configured to adjust a speed of one or more fans of the thermosyphon cooler powered by the fan motor based on the comparison of the TEPCL with the TEPC.

3 . The one or more tangible, non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 2 , wherein the processor-executable instructions are configured to decrease the amount of power consumed by the fan motor when the TEPC is greater than the TEPCL.

4 . The one or more tangible, non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the processor-executable instructions are configured to disable operation of the thermosyphon cooler when the TEPC is greater than the TEPCL.

5 . The one or more tangible, non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the processor-executable instructions are configured to direct the cooling fluid to bypass the thermosyphon cooler and flow toward a cooling tower of the cooling system when the TEPC is greater than the TEPCL.

6 . The one or more tangible, non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the processor-executable instructions are configured to determine a thermosyphon start threshold (TST) based at least on the TEPCL and to compare the TST to the third input.

7 . The one or more tangible, non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 6 , wherein the processor-executable instructions are configured to disable operation of the thermosyphon cooler when the third input indicative of the temperature differential between the cooling fluid exiting the process heat exchanger and the ambient temperature is less than the TST.

8 . The one or more tangible, non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 7 , wherein the processor-executable instructions are configured to direct the cooling fluid to bypass the thermosyphon cooler to disable operation of the thermosyphon cooler.

9 . The one or more tangible, non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the processor-executable instructions are configured to adjust a position of one or more valves to direct the cooling fluid along a desired flow path.

10 . The one or more tangible, non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the processor-executable instructions calculate the third input based on a first temperature from a first temperature sensor disposed proximate an exit of the process heat exchanger and based on a second temperature from a second temperature sensor disposed in an ambient environment surrounding the cooling system.

11 . A method, comprising:
receiving one or more first inputs indicative of values of a cost of water, a cost of electricity, or both; receiving a second input indicative of an amount of power consumed by a fan motor of a thermosyphon cooler, wherein the thermosyphon cooler is a component of a cooling system; calculating a third input indicative of a temperature differential between a cooling fluid exiting a process heat exchanger of the cooling system and an ambient temperature surrounding the cooling system; determining a thermosyphon economic power consumption limit (TEPCL) based at least on the one or more first inputs; determining a measured thermosyphon economic power consumption (TEPC) value based at least on the second and third inputs; and controlling operation of the thermosyphon cooler based on a comparison of the TEPCL with the TEPC.

12 . The method of claim 11 , comprising determining a thermosyphon start threshold (TST) based at least on the TEPCL and comparing the TST to the third input.

13 . The method of claim 12 , comprising initiating operation of the thermosyphon cooler when the third input is greater than the TST.

14 . The method of claim 11 , comprising increasing a fan speed of a fan of the thermosyphon cooler when the TEPC is less than the TEPCL.

15 . The method of claim 11 , comprising directing the cooling fluid to bypass the thermosyphon cooler and flow toward a cooling tower of the cooling system when the TEPC is greater than or equal to the TEPCL.

16 . The method of claim 11 , comprising disabling operation of the thermosyphon cooler when a difference between the TEPC and the TEPCL exceeds a threshold.

17 . A cooling system, comprising:
a cooling fluid loop configured to circulate a cooling fluid therethrough; a thermosyphon cooler disposed along the cooling fluid loop and configured to transfer heat from the cooling fluid to ambient atmosphere through dry cooling; a cooling tower disposed downstream of the thermosyphon cooler along the cooling fluid loop and configured to transfer heat from the cooling fluid to the ambient atmosphere through evaporative cooling; and a controller configured to:
receive one or more first inputs indicative of values of a cost of water, a cost of electricity, or both;
receive a second input indicative of an amount of power consumed by a fan motor of the thermosyphon cooler;
calculate a third input indicative of a temperature differential between the cooling fluid exiting a process heat exchanger of the cooling system and an ambient temperature surrounding the cooling system;
determine a thermosyphon economic power consumption limit (TEPCL) based at least on the one or more first inputs;
determine a measured thermosyphon economic power consumption (TEPC) value based at least on the second and third inputs; and
control operation of the thermosyphon cooler based on a comparison of the TEPCL with the TEPC.

18 . The cooling system of claim 17 , comprising a first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor, wherein the first temperature sensor is configured to provide feedback to the controller indicative of a temperature of the cooling fluid exiting the process heat exchanger, and wherein the second temperature sensor is configured to provide feedback to the controller indicative of the ambient temperature surrounding the cooling system.

19 . The cooling system of claim 17 , wherein the controller is configured to adjust a speed of one or more fans of the thermosyphon cooler powered by the fan motor based on the comparison of the TEPCL with the TEPC.

20 . The cooling system of claim 18 , wherein the controller is configured to decrease the amount of power consumed by the fan motor when the TEPC is greater than the TEPCL.

Assignees

• Johnson Controls Tech Co

Inventors

• Furlong James W
• Pillis Joseph W
• Lehman Delmar E

Classifications

• F25B7/00

  Compression machines, plants or systems, with cascade operation, i.e. with two or more circuits, the heat from the condenser of one circuit being absorbed by the evaporator of the next circuit (F25B9/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F28F19/006

  Preventing deposits of ice · CPC title

• F24F5/0035

  using evaporation · CPC title

• F28D15/00

  Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls {; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies (F28D17/00, F28D19/00, F28D20/00 take precedence)} · CPC title

• F28B1/02

  using water or other liquid as the cooling medium · CPC title