CONFIDENTIAL EH/MAR-AUG 2022/CHE247

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA

LABORATORY

COURSE : HEAT TRANSFER

COURSE CODE : CHE247
ASSESSMENT : EXPERIMENT 1

Course Outcomes:

▪ Respond to the experimental outcome of environmental experiments.

Item Marks
Introduction &
/10
objective
Materials,
procedure & safety /30
precaution
Data, results &
/20
discussion
Organization &
/10
appearance
Question & answer
/20
(Post-experiment)
Peer evaluation /10
GRAND TOTAL
/100
(CO3,LO2)
 FACULTY OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
UiTM Cawangan Sarawak, Kampus Samarahan
Jalan Meranek, Kota Samarahan
94300 Samarahan
Sarawak

TECHNICAL/EXECUTIVE REPORT : CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

Apparatus/
Exp No.: 2
Instrument:

Topi: SOLTEQ WATER COOLING TOWER Mark: 100

Date:
Students Course: Semester: Group: C2
No. Name Matrix No. Signature
1 MOHAMAD AMIRUL BIN MD YUSOF 2020600516
2 MOHAMMAD ZULKHAIRI BIN ZAMLI 2020824462
3 HARRIZ NAIM BIN NASSRI 2020809526
MUHAMMAD NORHAIKAL BIN MOHD 2020868556
4
ROSLI
5
Lecturer 1. Puan Sunita Jobli
2.Dayang Aisah binti Abang Chi

Introduction:
A cooling tower is a specialized heat exchanger that directly contacts water and air to reduce the water's temperature. As a
result, a small amount of water evaporates, bringing the temperature of the water circulated through the tower down. The
heat and evaporated water exit the tower's top as a fine mist resembling a cloud. The tower's base contains a collection of the
cooled water, which is pumped back into the building or plant for further use. Whereas land and/or water are expensive, or
where regulations forbid the return of once-through cooling waters, cooling towers provide large-scale air conditioning.

Common uses include cooling the circulating water in thermal power plants, nuclear power plants, petrochemical and other
chemical industries, as well as HVAC systems for cooling buildings. Natural draught and induced draught cooling towers are the
two main types of cooling towers, and they are categorized according to how air is introduced into the tower.

A cooling tower used to study the concepts involved in cooling tower operation is the laboratory cooling tower. To mimic how
cooling towers were used in industrial processes, a water heater was used. The water heater transfers the load to it. We can
regulate the air flow thanks to the way the laboratory cooling tower was built. This experiment was also carried out to
determine how the parameters would affect the energy and mass balance.
Objective:
1. To read and compare the properties of air and water from the chart.
2. To calculate the value of energy and mass balances using the steady flow equation

Materials, Materials:
Distilled water
Procedure &
Safety Procedure:
1. The load tank was filled with distilled water up to the zero mark on the scale.
Precautions
2. Distilled water was added to the wet bulb sensor reservoir to the fullest.
3. The temperature set point of temperature controller was set to 45˚C. 1.0 kW water heater was
switched on and the water was heated approximately 40˚C.
4. The pump was switched on, control valve V1 was slowly opened and set the water flow rate to 1.9 LPM.
A steady operation is obtained where the water was distributed and flowing through the packing.
5. The fan damper was fully opened, and then the fan was switched off.
6. The unit was run for about 20 minutes for the float valve to correctly adjusted the level in the load
tank.
7. The cooling tower was prepared for experiment.
8. The system was set under the following conditions and allowed stabilizing for about 15minutes.
Water flow rate: 1.9 LPM
Air flow: Fully-opened
Cooling load: 0.5 kW
Column installed: A
9. The make-up tank was filled up with distilled water up to zero mark at the level scale.
10. The blower was switched off to allow temperature to increase to 43ºC.
11. Then, the stopwatch was started and initial water level in make-up tank was recorded.
12. The make-up water supply in an interval of 10 minutes were determined.
13. In this 10-minute interval, a few sets of measurements, temperatures (T1-T7), orifice differential
pressure (DP1), water flowrate (FT1) and heater power (QI) were recorded, then the mean value for
calculation and analysis were obtained.
14. The quantity of make-up water that has been supplied during the time interval were determined by
noting the height reduction in the make-up tank.
15. The observation was repeated at different air flow rates of 1/2 opened and power load 0.5 kW followed
by 1/3 opened air damper with power load 0.5 kW.

Safety Precautions:
1. All operating instruction supplied with the unit are carefully read and understood before attempting to
operate the unit.
2. Carefully pour the distilled water with both hands to avoid spillage.
Data,
Results &
Data & Result:
Discussion

Condition of Experiment:
Experiment Water Flow Rate (LPM) Damper Power Load (kW)

1 2.0 Fully-opened 0.5

2 2.0 ½ opened 0.5
3 2.0 1/3 opened 0.5

Experiment 1 2 3
Initial Water Level (cm) 1.1 2.4 3.8
Final Water Level (cm) 2.0 3.3 6.3
Difference (Final-Initial) 0.9 0.9 2.5
Time Interval (min) 10 10 10
−𝟏 110 110 110
Packing Density (𝒎 )
Air Inlet Dry Bulb, T1 (°C) 25.7 25.6 25.7
Air Inlet Wet Bulb, T2 (°C) 24.7 24.8 24.7
Air Outlet Dry Bulb, T3 (°C) 28.1 29.1 27.6
Air Outlet Wet Bulb, T4 (°C) 27.8 28.7 27.2
Water Inlet Temperature, T5 (°C) 33.3 34.0 33.3
Water Outlet Temperature, T6 (°C) 26.3 27.1 26.3
Water Make-Up Temperature, T7 (°C) 27.9 27.9 27.8
Orifice Differential, DP1 (Pa) 94 59 98
Water Flow Rate, FT1 (LPM) 2.0 2.0 2.0
Heater Power, Q1 (Watt) 1004 1002 1002

From the psychrometric chart, relative humidity, specific enthalpy and specific volume can be
determined.
 Experiment 1 2 3
Ha (kJ/kg) 75 75 75
Wa 0.0198 0.197 0.0198
Va(𝑚3/𝑘𝑔) 0.870 0.870 0.870
Hb(kJ/kg) 88 94 86
Wb 0.0238 0.0258 0.0232
Vb (𝑚3/𝑘𝑔) 0.879 0.887 0.881
Vab (𝑚3/𝑘𝑔) 0.8745 0.8785 0.8755
∆𝐻𝑎𝑖𝑟 (kJ/kg) 13 19 11

∴ 𝑇ℎ𝑢𝑠, 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑟𝑦 𝑎𝑖𝑟, 𝑚̇ 𝑎, 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑠, 𝑚𝐸 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒-𝑢𝑝 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒, 𝑚̇, 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ
𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑤:

i) Mass Flowrate of dry air

𝑚𝑎
1𝑚𝑚𝐻 𝑂
𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑥 = 94 𝑃𝑎 × 2
= 9.2793 𝑚𝑚𝐻2𝑂
10.13𝑃𝑎

ii) Water Mass Loss

𝜋𝐷2(ℎ1 − ℎ2)𝜌
𝑚𝐸 =
4
𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒,
𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑢𝑝 𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑘, 𝐷 = 74𝑚𝑚
𝐷𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟, 𝜌 = 1000 𝑘𝑔/𝑚3 ℎ1𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ2 = 𝑙𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑠

iii) Make-up rate,

𝑚𝐸
𝑚= 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒
∆𝑡
∆𝑡 = 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑙, 10 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑠
 Experiment 1 2 3
Mass Flowrate of Dry Air (kg/s) 0.0441 0.0348 0.0450
Water Mass Loss (kg) 0.0387 0.0387 0.1075
Make-up Rate (kg/s) 6.45 × 10−5 6.45 × 10−5 17.91 × 10−5

Sample Calculation:

Mass Flowrate of dry air

9.2793
𝑚𝑎 = 0.0137√0.8745(1+0.0238)

= 0.0441 𝑘𝑔/s

Water Mass Loss

𝜋(0.0742 )(0.009)(1000)
𝑚𝐸= 4

= 0.0387 𝑘𝑔

Make-up Rate

0.0387
𝑚= 60𝑠
10( )
1𝑚𝑖𝑛

= 0.0000645
= 6.45 × 10−5 𝑘𝑔/𝑠
 Experiment 1 2 3
T5(°C) 33.3 34.0 33.3
T6 (°C) 26.3 27.1 26.3
𝐻𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 (𝑖𝑛𝑙𝑒𝑡) (𝑘𝑔/𝑘𝐽) 139.534 142.460 139.534

𝐻𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 (𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑡) (𝑘𝑔/𝑘𝐽) 110.267 113.612 110.267

∆𝐻𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 (𝑘𝑔/𝑘𝐽) -29.267 -28.848 -29.267

Sample Calculation:

From property table A-4

By interpolation,
T5(°C) H water
30 125.74
33.3 X
35 146.64

146.64 − 𝑋 35 = 33.3
=
𝑋 = 125.74 33,3 − 30

𝑋 = 139.534

T6(°C) H water
25 104.83
26.3 X
30 125.74

125.74 − 𝑋 30 = 26.3
=
𝑋 = 104.83 26,3 − 25

𝑋 = 110.267
 Discussions

This experiment was carried out using a SOLTEQ Water Cooling Tower (Model HE152) unit. A cooling tower uses
air to remove heat from water. The latent heat of vaporization is released when warm water and cooler air
combine, which cools the water that caused the cooling effect of the water. The volume of water that moved
through the tower would be reduced as this occurred due to a small volume of water evaporating. The final
water level, which will be measured every 10 minutes with a constant water flow rate of 2.0L/min, will be used
to determine the effect of the power load on the water evaporating rate in this experiment. In this experiment
the manipulated variable is air flow (damper), which is fully opened, ½ opened and 1/3 opened with 0.5 Kw
power load.

When the warm water from the load tank was pumped out, it was dispersed equally across the top of the
chamber. Due to evaporation, the water cooled as it descended. The cooled water falls into a basin where it will
be heated and circulated before returning to the basin and the load tank. A blower was employed to provide
cool air, which was transmitted to the wet and dry bulb and up to the column, increasing the moisture content
and cooling the water as a result. In this experiment, the mass flowrate of dry air is calculated for fully opened,
½ opened and 1/3 opened, with values of 0.0441 𝑘𝑔/𝑠, 0.0348 𝑘𝑔/𝑠, and 0.0450 𝑘𝑔/𝑠, respectively, using orifice
calibration. The difference between the entrance water temperature and the exit water temperature, T5-T6, is
used to determine the cooling range.

The specific enthalpy for the water makeup rate of 6.45 × 10−5 𝑘𝑔/𝑠 (fully opened) is 139.534 kJ/kg for T5 and
T6 is 110.267 kJ/kg, for 6.45 × 10−5 𝑘𝑔/𝑠 (1/2 opened) the specific enthalpy is 142.460 kJ/kg for T5 and T6 is
113.612 kJ/kg , then for 17.9 1× 10-5 𝑘𝑔/𝑠 (1/3 opened) , 139.534 kJ/kg for T5 and T6 is 110.267 𝑘𝐽/𝑘𝑔. It had
proven that as heater power rises, specific enthalpy falls. As more heater power is utilized to make up for the
water lost during evaporation, the makeup rate for water rises. The initial and final water levels, which were
recorded every ten minutes, help prove the experiment.

Conclusion: We can conclude from this experiment that as the heating power increases, so does the air mass flowrate.
This is because high voltage produces more powerful heating, which raises the temperature of the water.
Because water evaporates more quickly at higher temperatures, the humidity level in the immediate area will
rise. As the voltage rises due to an increase in the amount of heat produced, the rate at which water
condenses rises. As water will evaporate more readily at higher temperatures, this is the result of water
evaporation. As a result, more water will be absorbed by the droplet arrester. The experiment was a success
because all of its goals were met and the psychometric chart can be used to identify all of its properties.
Reference:
1.https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/other/industrial/cooling_towers.html#:~:text=
and%20Legionnaires'%20diseasewhat%20is%20a%20cooling%20tower%3Fpasses%20through%20the%20fallin
g%20water

2.https://www.me.iitb.ac.in/~matrey/PDF's/cooling%20tower.pdf

3.https://www.chemistryscl.com/eng/chemical/cooling-tower-experiment-lab-report/index.php

4.https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/other/industrial/cooling_towers.html

5.http://eng.sut.ac.th/me/2014/document/LabThermofluid/001.pdf