Abstract A power-producing system includes a working fluid cycle in which the fluid is boiled, expanded in a plurality of turbines exhausting at different pressures, condensed with air-cooled water and returned to the boiler. A reduction in the heat exchange surface area of the condensing portion of the system is achieved when a separate stream of cooling water flows through each of several condensers operating at a temperature appropriate for condensing the vapor from its respective turbine. A reduction in the heat exchange surface area of the ambient air/cooling water contact is achieved by passing each cooling water stream through its own cooling tower flow path constructed to provide the necessary cooling for that stream. A single cooling tower structure may be modified internally to provide plural flow paths separate from each other.
In a cooling water system of the kind in which a stream of cooling water is recycled between (1) a heat exchange means in which the water is heated to a generally uniform first temperature and (2) cooling means in which the water is cooled to a second generally uniform temperature by contact with ambient air under conditions of high surface area contact between water and air, the improved cooling means which comprises a plurality of water/air contacting devices disposed in a horizontal plane, at least two of said contacting devices being disposed on opposite sides of a common vertical air discharge passage, each of said two contacting devices passing a stream of ambient air into direct heat exchange contact with a stream of water flowing through the respective device and both said two contacting devices passing their air streams into said common vertical air discharge passage, and means for flowing the stream of water sequentially through said two contacting devices to cool the stream step-wise to said second temperature.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
170 words
In a cooling water system of the kind in which a stream of cooling water is recycled between (1) a heat exchange means in which the water is heated to a generally uniform first temperature and (2) cooling means in which the water is cooled to a second generally uniform temperature by contact with ambient air under conditions of high surface area contact between water and air, the improved cooling means which comprises a plurality of water/air contacting devices disposed in a horizontal plane, at least two of said contacting devices being disposed on opposite sides of a common vertical air discharge passage, each of said two contacting devices passing a stream of ambient air into direct heat exchange contact with a stream of water flowing through the respective device and both said two contacting devices passing their air streams into said common vertical air discharge passage, and means for flowing the stream of water sequentially through said two contacting devices to cool the stream step-wise to said second temperature.