• Wind and Structures
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.191-204
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• 2018

This article presents a study of the largest-ever (height = 220 m) cooling tower using the large eddy simulation (LES) method. Information about fluid fields around the tower and 3D aerodynamic time history in full construction process were obtained, and the wind pressure distribution along the entire tower predicted by the developed model was compared with standard curves and measured curves to validate the effectiveness of the simulating method. Based on that, average wind pressure distribution and characteristics of fluid fields in the construction process of ultra-large cooling tower were investigated. The characteristics of fluid fields in full construction process and their working principles were investigated based on wind speeds and vorticities under different construction conditions. Then, time domain characteristics of ultra-large cooling towers in full construction process, including fluctuating wind loads, extreme wind loads, lift and drag coefficients, and relationship of measuring points, were studied and fitting formula of extreme wind load as a function of height was developed based on the nonlinear least square method. Additionally, the frequency domain characteristics of wind loads on the constructing tower, including wind pressure power spectrum at typical measuring points, lift and drag power spectrum, circumferential correlations between typical measuring points, and vertical correlations of lift coefficient and drag coefficient, were analyzed. The results revealed that the random characteristics of fluctuating wind loads, as well as corresponding extreme wind pressure and power spectra curves, varied significantly and in real time with the height of the constructing tower. This study provides references for design of wind loads during construction period of ultra-large cooling towers.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.619-629
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• 2014

As hyperboloidal cooling towers (HCTs) growing larger and slender, they become more sensitive to gust wind. To improve the dynamic properties of HCTs and to improve the wind resistance capability, stiffening rings have been studied and applied. Although there have been some findings, the influence mechanism of stiffening rings on the dynamic properties is still not fully understood. Based on some fundamental perceptions on the dynamic properties of HCTs and free ring structures, a concept named "participation degree" of stiffening rings was proposed and the influence mechanism on the dynamic properties was illustrated. The "participation degree" is determined by the modal deform amplitude and latitude wave number of stiffening rings. Larger modal deform amplitude and more latitude waves can both result in higher participation degree and more improvement to eigenfrequencies. Also, this concept can explain and associate the pre-existing independent findings.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.405-415
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• 2021

Following the dynamic property analysis and elaboration, linear response spectrum analysis (RSA) and response history analysis (RHA) were conducted on a representative hyperbolic cooling towers (HCT) in present study. The seismic responses in tower shell were illustrated in detail, including the internal force amplitude, modal contribution, influence from damping ratio, comparison of results got from RSA and RHA and especially the latitude distributions of internal forces. The results show that the eigenmodes could be classified in a new method into four types according to their mode shapes and only the lateral bending modes and vertical stretching modes are meaningful for horizontal and vertical earthquake correspondingly. The bending modes and seismic deformation display the same feature which is global lateral bending accompanied by minute circular flow displacement of section. This feature also decides the latitude distributions of internal forces as sine or cosine. Moreover, the following method is also proposed for approximate estimation of internal force amplitudes without time-consuming response history analysis: getting the response spectrums of the selected ground accelerations and then comparing values of response spectrums at the natural period of first lateral bending mode because it is always prime dominant for horizontal seismic responses.

• Proceedings of the SAREK Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.445-450
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• 2005

In this paper, the individual reentering rate of the cooling towers installed on a building roof is investigated considering the wind direction and louver wall installation. As the western wind with 5 m/s flows and the louver wall is not installed around the roof. the reentering rate of the cooling towers is predicted about 20%. However the reentering rate is simulated about 5% when the louver wall is installed around the roof. As the southern wind with 5 m/s flows and the louver wall is not installed, the reentering rate of the cooling tower is predicted about 30%.On the contrary, the reentering rate is simulated about 15% when the louver is installed. As a result, if there is no louver wall installed around the roof, the falloff of the cooling capacity would be serious by the reentering of the discharge air. The installation of the louver wall is strongly recommended to prevent the discharge air reentering.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2003.06a
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• pp.925-928
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• 2003

In this paper, a precision measuring machine for large sized axial fans of cooling towers are developed. A laser sensor is used as a measuring device and aluminum profiles and stepping motors are engaged into the system as frame structure and driving devices respectively. 3-dimensional measuring data are compared to the design data to compute the distortion of the axial fans. Two distortions such as the axis of the fan and the airfoils along the axis are introduced to define the shape precision of axial fans. Genetic algorithm is used to solve the optimization problem during computing the distortion. Results of distortion are displayed 3 dimensionally in a solid-modeler as well as 2-D drawings to help users find it with case.

• International Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.50-57
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• 2001

The thermal performance of cooling towers is affected by the temperature of inlet water, wet bulb temperature of entering air and water-air flow rate. In this stud${\gamma}$, the effects of these variables are simulated using NTU-method and experimentally investigated for the counter-flow cooling towers. The simulation program to evaluate these variables which affect the performance of cooling tower was developed. The maximum errors between the results of simulations and experiments were 3.8% under the standard design conditions and 5.4% under the other conditions. The performance was increased up to 46~50% as the water loading was increased from 6.8$m^3/hr{\cdot}m^2$ to 159$m^3/hr{\cdot}m^2$. The range was reduced up to 56~42% when the wet bulb temperature of the entering air was increased from 22${\circ}C$ to 29${\circ}C$.

• Proceedings of the SAREK Conference
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.1119-1122
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• 2009

The use of cooling towers in the air conditioning systems of buildings is increasing. In closed wet cooling towers, the heat transfer between the air and surface tubes can be composed of the sensible heat transfer and the latent heat transfer. The latent heat transfer is affected by the air and spray water. This study provides a designing methodology of heat exchanger for closed wet cooling tower. The correlation equation was derived to interpret the mass transfer coefficient based on the analogy of the heat and mass transfer and the experimental results. The results from this correlation equation showed fairly good agreement with experimental data.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.22 no.12
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• pp.1671-1681
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• 2013

The study selected 10 regions among major Korean cities. Then the study classified the yearly change of relative humidity of those regions for 37 years based on 1996 (from 1974 to 2011) aimed at high temperature days, and examined them by stage regarding daily maximum temperature. For large cities and small cities, in general relative humidity had been likely to increase at high temperatures of $30^{\circ}C$ or over before 1996, whereas it has decreased since 1996. For suburban areas, relative humidity had been prone to diminish before 1996, whereas it has been likely to either increase since 1996 or rarely some of the cities have not shown any change. The increasing tendency of relative humidity before 1996 in large cities and small cities is believed to be because of an increase of the latent heat of vaporization by the supply of steam from cooling towers established in downtown areas. Meanwhile, the decreasing tendency from 1996 is concluded to be caused by the change from counter-current circular cooling towers, which produce a great quantity of steam including arsenic acid, to cross-flow cooling towers, which produce hardly any steam containing arsenic acid. This change was in accordance with the modification and pursuit of an urban planning law that ordered cooling towers that had been installed on rooftops be installed in the basement of buildings in consideration of a "Green network creation" project by the Ministry of Environment, urban beautification, concerns since 1996 over building collapses, and according to an argument that steam containing arsenic acid could be harmful to human health owing to chemicals contained in the water in the cooling tower in summer.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.433-457
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• 2017

As a novel typical wind-sensitive structure, the wind load and wind-induced structural behaviors of super-large straight-cone cooling towers are in an urgent need to be addressed and studied. A super large straight-cone steel cooling tower (189 m high, the highest in Asia) that is under construction in Shanxi Power Plant in China was taken as an example, for which four finite element models corresponding to four structural types: the main drum; main drum + stiffening rings; main drum + stiffening rings + auxiliary rings (auxiliary rings are hinged with the main drum and the ground respectively); and main drum + stiffening rings + auxiliary rings (auxiliary rings are fixed onto the main drum and the ground respectively), were established to compare and analyze the dynamic properties and force transferring paths of different models. After that, CFD method was used to conduct numerical simulation of flow field and mean wind load around the cooling tower. Through field measurements and wind tunnel tests at home and abroad, the reliability of using CFD method for numerical simulation was confirmed. On the basis of this, the surface flow and trail characteristics of the tower at different heights were derived and the wind pressure distribution curves for the internal and external surfaces at different heights of the tower were studied. Finally, based on the calculation results of wind-induced responses of the four models, the effects of stiffening rings, auxiliary rings, and different connecting modes on the dynamic properties and wind-induced responses of the tower structure were derived and analyzed; meanwhile, the effect mechanism of internal suction on such kind of cooling tower was discussed. The study results could provide references to the structure selection and wind resistance design of such type of steel cooling towers.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.70 no.4
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• pp.479-497
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• 2019

In the current code design, the use of a uniform internal pressure coefficient of cooling towers as internal suction cannot reflect the 3D characteristics of flow field inside the tower body with different ventilation rate of shutters. Moreover, extreme weather such as heavy rain also has a direct impact on aerodynamic force on the internal surface and changes the turbulence effect of pulsating wind. In this study, the world's tallest cooling tower under construction, which stands 210m, is taken as the research object. The algorithm for two-way coupling between wind and rain is adopted. Simulation of wind field and raindrops is performed iteratively using continuous phase and discrete phase models, respectively, under the general principles of computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Firstly, the rule of influence of 9 combinations of wind speed and rainfall intensity on the volume of wind-driven rain, additional action force of raindrops and equivalent internal pressure coefficient of the tower body is analyzed. The combination of wind velocity and rainfall intensity that is most unfavorable to the cooling tower in terms of distribution of internal pressure coefficient is identified. On this basis, the wind/rain loads, distribution of aerodynamic force and working mechanism of internal pressures of the cooling tower under the most unfavorable working condition are compared between the four ventilation rates of shutters (0%, 15%, 30% and 100%). The results show that the amount of raindrops captured by the internal surface of the tower decreases as the wind velocity increases, and increases along with the rainfall intensity and ventilation rate of the shutters. The maximum value of rain-induced pressure coefficient is 0.013. The research findings lay the basis for determining the precise values of internal surface loads of cooling tower under extreme weather conditions.