Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
TEH-275
Revision 4
June, 2004
Sizing Cooling Tower
Pumps and Piping
FLUID HANDLING
TRAINING & EDUCATION DEPT.
COPYRIGHT 1975,1980 BY ITT CORPORATION
The following six steps must be taken in sizing the pump and piping for small cooling tower
installations:
Step 1. Determine the amount of water in gallons per minute, (GPM), to be circulated to the
tower.
Step 2. Make a layout drawing showing the complete piping system.
Step 3. Determine the total static head of the system and the pressure drop through all units.
The sum of these static and friction head losses is an important component of the required
pump head.
Step 4. Size the pipe for the required flow rate. This determines the friction loss rate, and
therefore the total piping system friction loss. Add the piping system friction loss to the
static head and friction loss of the system components to determine the pump head
required.
Step 5. Select the pump for the required flow and head.
Step 6. Double check pump and pipe sizes.
This simple method is accurate for general applications of centrifugal pumps to cooling towers. It
will enable the designer to select pumps with minimum installation and operating cost, yet assure
proper circulation through the entire system. More detailed discussion of cooling tower pumping is
available in ITT Fluid Handling Publication TEH 1075.
Example
To illustrate the procedure, assume that a cooling tower circulating system is to be designed for an
air conditioning installation of 15 tons.
STEP 1. Determine the flow rate of water in GPM to be circulated to the tower.
In air conditioning and refrigeration projects, the required flow can usually be determined from the
tower manufacturer's data. The typical cooling tower requires 3 to 5 GPM per ton. For applications
other than air conditioning and refrigeration, the required flow must be determined from the cooling
load or tower manufacturer.
In this case, assume that 3 GPM per ton or 45 GPM total is required.
STEP 2. Make a layout showing the complete piping system.
Sketch all the components of the cooling tower circuit, (see Figure 1). If drawn to scale, it is easy to
determine the lengths of pipe used to connect the pump and other components to the tower. It is
extremely important that the condensers and all other high pressure drop devices be installed on
the discharge side of the pump only.
STEP 3. Determine the static head of the system, and the friction head loss through all units
except the pipe and fittings.
Figure 1
The total static head of a cooling tower system is the vertical distance, in feet, between the free
water level of the cooling tower pan or storage tank and the point of water discharge at the nozzles
of the tower.
This distance is either of two values:
1. The vertical distance from the level of the water in the tower pan to the nozzles. The
cooling tower manufacturer sometimes adds this distance to friction losses in the tower to get an
overall pressure drop figure for the tower. If it is not included in the overall figure, it must be added.
See Total Static Head in Figure 1.
2. When a storage tank is used, the vertical distance between the free water level in the
storage tank and the nozzles of the tower. See Figure 2.
If the free surface of the water in the tower basin is lower than the pump suction, a Static Suction
Lift exists. The pump must develop a partial vacuum at its suction in order to lift water against
gravity and overcome suction piping friction head loss. Special care is required in designing
suction lift systems. See Step 4 for details.
The pressure drop through each unit in the system can be determined from manufacturers' data.
The items usually considered are condensers or air conditioning units, control valves, if used, and
the cooling tower. Insure that the units head loss is calculated at the required flow rate. A Bell &
Gossett System Syzer
calculator can be used to find actual head loss at design flow from the
manufacturers data.
Static
Discharge
Head
Static
Suction
Head
Total
Static
Head
Tower
Condenser
Triple Duty Valve
A
B
C
D
Figure 2
If more than one condenser or air conditioning unit is used, the piping should be made in parallel
and only the largest pressure drop considered in determining pump head requirements.
It is advisable to check system flow conditions through all units. For example, a condenser may
require a flow of 3 GPM per ton to provide the desired cooling effect, whereas the cooling tower
may require 4 GPM per ton to reject the total heat load. If the pressure drop through the condenser
is calculated at 3 GPM flow and the full 4 GPM system flow is circulated through it, the total
pressure drop in the system will be greater than expected. It is necessary therefore to open the
by-pass valve to allow a by-pass flow of 1 GPM per ton, so that the pump head remains
approximately as originally calculated.
After the total static head and other pressure drops have been determined, they should be
converted to feet of head, and totaled.
In this problem, assume the following pressure drops from the manufacturer's data:
Condenser manufacturers data:
7.5 psi at 50 GPM
Using the System Syzer
, could be used.
The total head loss in the piping is:
165 feet x 1.6 feet head loss/100 feet pipe length = 2.7 feet head loss.
A multi-purpose valve called a "Triple Duty Valve" is often used in cooling tower circuits to provide
the operator with the means to adjust flow to the design value. Triple Duty Valves also act as check
valves and as service valves for the pump. The Triple Duty Valve is installed at the pump discharge
where the check valve is shown in the figure. An open 2 1/2" Triple Duty Valve would add about
1.6 feet of head loss to the circuit at 45 GPM.
Some systems may benefit by using a special fitting called a suction diffuser. If a suction diffuser
is required, it must be specially built to withstand the dirty, highly oxygenated water typical of
cooling tower systems. Consult your Bell & Gossett dealer to determine if a suction diffuser is
required.
All the piping in the circuit is sized at 2 1/2" If the pump, condenser, or cooling tower nozzles are
not 2 1/2", use reducers with close nipples to make the connections.
Total pump head required:
Static head and manufacturers data 13.8
24.2
Pipe, fitting, and valve head loss 4.3
Total head required 42.3
Suction Piping
It's important to check the piping on the suction side of the pump to be sure that an excessive
vacuum will not be created.
It is good practice to never permit the pressure on the suction side of a centrifugal
pump to go below a vacuum of approximately 13" Hg. This is the equivalent of a negative water
pressure of 15 ft. measured at 85F. That is to say, if there is a vertical lift on the suction side of a
pump, the sum of the vertical distance from the level of the water up to the pump plus the head
loss through the suction piping must not exceed 15 ft. This is often referred to as a maximum Total
Dynamic Suction Lift of 15 ft.
This is a standard in the pump industry because a centrifugal pump cannot produce its established
performance of head and capacity if total dynamic suction lift exceeds 15 feet.
To check the suction piping in this example, determine its Total Equivalent Length. On the sketch
the pipe length from point C to the pump at A is 50 ft. Adding 50% for the resistance of the fittings,
the Total Equivalent Length is 75 ft.
It was determined earlier in this step that the pipe was to be sized at a head loss rate of 1.6 feet of
head loss per 100 feet of pipe. The total head loss through the suction piping is therefore:
1.6 feet/100 feet x 75 feet = 1.2 feet of friction head loss in the suction piping
As shown on the sketch, there is a positive static head of at least 45 ft. between the cooling tower
and pump. Deducting the head loss of 1.2 ft. in the piping, the head on the suction side of the
pump is at least 45 ft. - 1.2 ft. = 43.8 ft.
This is 57.8 ft. above the negative 15 ft. of water head allowable in the industry.
Step 5. Select the Pump
The pump can be identified from the sample range charts. Other methods exist, but for this
example, we'll use the range charts. The pump selected must be able to deliver the 45 GPM
determined in Step 1 at a head equal to or slightly greater than the 42.3 feet calculated above.
It's best to select a pump which can provide the design flow near the middle of its curve because
the pump will be more efficient, and operating problems are less likely to occur.
The 3500 rpm Series 1535 Model 352 is near the end of its curve and the 1750 rpm Series 1522
provides only 29 feet of head at 45 GPM, and the. Therefore, we refer to the Series 1531 1750 rpm
range chart. Read upward from 45 GPM into the area covered by the first pump, a 1 1/4AC.
Reading to the left from this point shows the available head to be well within the 43 ft required.
The exact impeller diameter and motor size can be determined from the actual pump curve.
Detailed pump curves are available in Bell & Gossett pump curve booklets.
An even better way of selecting the pump, Triple Duty Valve, and Suction Diffuser is by using
ESP-Plus software, available from your Bell & Gossett representative.
Step 6. Check Pump and Pipe Sizes
To be sure that the pump selected is large enough to permit the most economically sized pipes, the
designer should recalculate, using the next larger sized pump. In some cases a slightly larger
pump will permit the use of smaller pipes and fittings, resulting in savings. Be careful to observe
the recommended velocity limits, particularly in the suction piping.
Sizing the gravity return from the tower to the storage tank.
A storage tank is sometimes employed within the building connected by a gravity line from the
tower basin. The purpose of this tank is to allow cool water to flow rapidly away from the tower
during the winter months to prevent freezing. It is not generally necessary to use such an
arrangement where the cooling tower is closed down during the winter.
Example
Refer to Figure 2. Assume that the pipe length from tower (X) to tank (Y) is 50 ft. Adding 50%, for
the resistance of the fittings, the total equivalent length is 75 ft. Assume further that the vertical
drop (gravity head) from the surface of the water in the tower basin to the pipe exit is 2 ft. and that
the flow requirement is 45 GPM.
At 45 GPM, a 2 pipe has a friction loss rate of 1.6 ft/100 feet. For a total equivalent length of 75
feet, the total head loss in the pipe would be:
75 feet x 1.6 ft/100 feet = 1.2 feet
According to the sketch, 2 feet of gravity head exists between the tower sump and the indoor tank.
Therefore, the 2 pipe will be adequate.
Work Sheet
This work sheet simplifies the design process as described in this manual. It lists all required
calculations in the correct sequence.
Step 1. Flow Required
1. Tower manufacturer requires _____GPM per ton.
2. Design tonnage = _____tons.
3. _____GPM per ton X _____tons = _____GPM Required.
Step 2. Piping Layout.
Step 3. Determine Static Head and Component Head Loss
1. Pressure drop through condenser
From unit manufacturer, _____PSID X 2.3 = _____feet
2. Pressure drop in tower
From tower manufacturer, _____PSID X 2.3 = _____feet
3. Total static head, if not already included above _____feet
Step 4. Size the Pipe
1. Use tables or System Syzer