Installation for changing the temperature of fluid media, particularly for cooling liquids and condensing vapors with air

Claim 1

An installation for the cooling of liquid medium and the condensation of a vaporous medium by air, comprising a plurality of air-liquid contacting arrangements for cooling said liquid medium and each including a chamber having an upper open end and first and second pairs of opposite side walls, spraying means adjacent the respective upper open end for spraying said liquid medium in downward direction into the respective chamber, and air inlet means in the first pair of opposite side walls below the respective spraying means, said air-liquid arrangements being arranged in a row with the first pair of opposite side walls thereof arranged substantially parallel to and spaced from each other; a plurality of heat-exchanger arrangements for cooling said vaporous medium respectively provided above said plurality of air-liquid contacting arrangements, each of said indirect heat-exchanger arrangements comprising two groups of substantially parallel, transversely spaced tubular heat-exchanger elements respectively projecting upwardly, and being outwardly inclined, from upper edges of first pair of opposite side walls of the respective chamber, means for feeding the vaporous medium to be condensed into upper ends of the respective tubular heat-exchanger elements, and means for discharging the condensate from the lower ends of the respective tubular heat-exchanger elements, the respective groups of upwardly and outwardly projecting tubular heat-exchanger elements located between two corresponding heat-exchanger arrangements being connected to each other at the upper ends to form a substantially V-shaped passage forming with said first pair of opposite side walls of the respective chambers an air inflow passage for the respective heat-exchanger arrangement whereas walls 1, 2 extending downwardly from the upper ends of the two outermost groups of tubular heat-exchanger elements form with corresponding side walls of the outermost air-liquid contacting arrangements the air inflow passages for the outermost groups of said tubular heat-exchanger elements; and a suction-generating arrangement above each of said indirect heat-exchanger arrangements for drawing first air streams through the respective air inlet means in the first pair of opposite side walls of the respective chambers in countercurrent direction to the sprayed liquid in the respective chambers so that such air streams pass moisture-laden through the upper open ends of the respective chambers into the spaces between the respective groups of tubular heat-exchanger elements, said suction-generating arrangements also being effective for drawing second air streams through the respective air inflow passages and between the respective spaced tubular heat-exchanger elements into the respective spaces between the respective groups of tubular heat-exchanger elements so that said second air streams will be heated by heat exchange with the vaporous medium passing through the respective tubular heat-exchanger elements and intermixed in the respective spaces between the respective groups of tubular heat-exchanger elements with the moisture-laden air streams to be discharged in upward direction into the atmosphere, whereby cloud formation in the discharged intermixed air streams will be prevented.