Thermodynamic Analysis of Cooling Tower Performance in Dhofar Region Power Plants

This study presents a thermodynamic analysis of the cooling tower performance located in the Dhofar region. The research aims to evaluate the performance of the cooling tower under Dhofar unique climatic conditions, which include ambient temperature of 30°C and humidity level of 70 %. By applying thermodynamic principles and heat transfer models, the study assesses key performance metrics such as cooling tower effectiveness, evaporation loss and the impact of ambient air temperature and humidity on the cooling tower operation. Cooling tower effectiveness and evaporation loss are calculated based on the convection and evaporative cooling method and thermodynamic principle of energy input to the cooling tower is equal to energy output from the cooling tower. The selected cooling tower model is induced draft cross flow cooling tower to predict the cooling tower performance across a range of environmental scenarios typical of the Dhofar region. The rate water flow per tower is 100 m<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sup>/hr. The inlet hot water temperature to the cooling tower is 40°C and outlet water temperature is 32°C. The analysis reveals a significant sensitivity of the cooling tower performance to ambient conditions, affecting the overall thermal efficiency. The cooling range of cooling tower is 8°C. The provided wetted surface area per cell is 1250 m<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup>. Potential design enhancements and operational strategies are identified to improve the cooling tower efficiency and to counteract the challenges posed by the region climate. The study underscores the environmental benefits of optimizing cooling tower operations, particularly in terms of reducing water usage and improving sustainability in Dhofar region.