1. Realization and experimentation of a novel vortex cooling tower.
- Author
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Deghal Cheridi, A.L., Bouam, A., Dadda, A., Dahia, A., Koudiah, N., and Attari, K.
- Subjects
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COOLING towers , *NUCLEAR reactors , *AIR flow , *ELECTRICAL energy , *SWIRLING flow , *NUCLEAR power plants - Abstract
[Display omitted] • An experimental model of a vortex tower was developed and built on a reduced scale. • Air velocity, temperatures and pressures as well as humidity at different locations inside the vortex tower were measured and recorded in a data logger. • The results analysis clearly demonstrates the ability of the realized vortex tower prototype to produce an upward swirling air flow. • The kinematic energy field is significant at the inlet of the chimney where the maximum and average velocity values are equal to 7.7 m/s and 2.5 m/s respectively. • The designed vortex tower prototype has a potential for the electrical energy production. • The heat removed from the secondary cooling system of a nuclear plant could be used as a heat source to generate electrical energy instead of being dissipated into the atmosphere. The vortex generation motor is a new energy concept for creating artificial vortex and air flow. This paper describes an experimental study of a new vortex tower design carried out at the Birine Nuclear Research Centre in Algeria; this is the first upward vortex tower prototype built in Algeria to evaluate such technology. This work is part of a project to study and conception a prototype of a vortex tower to produce electrical energy using the heat from the nuclear reactor secondary system instead of dissipating it into the atmosphere. The study started by the design and the construction of the vortex tower prototype at a reduced scale (1/5), for applying it later to a full scale in a Nuclear Power Plant. The measurements of temperatures, air velocity, humidity and pressures at several locations inside the prototype were effectuated, as well as the estimation of the installation power output. The analysis of the test results shows that the realized vortex tower can generate an air flow and that the kinematic energy field is significant, where the velocity maximum value reached equal to 7.7 m/s with an average velocity of 2.5 m/s. In addition, this configuration has a potential for production of the electrical energy where the average and maximum power output of this tower were calculated and estimated to be 3.896 W and 113.849 W respectively. Moreover, the results demonstrated that the bladed-shaped inlets in the convergence chamber have a significant effect on vortex generation and flow acceleration in the chimney. Improvement of the performance of this model at real scale contributes to a country's energy production and will help to minimize the environment thermal pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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