Patent Grant
12209818
Water loss to the environment due to the evaporative cooling process is common in cooling towers. Such evaporation is typically in the form of pure water vapor and presents no risk of harm to the environment. Cooling tower splash out occurs when the cooling fluid exits in the air inlet side of the tower. The water droplets are large enough in size and contain enough momentum to travel in the opposite direction of the incoming air and fall outside the cooling tower water basin. Such water droplets can carry chemicals and minerals which have a deleterious impact on the outside environment, such as the corrosion of manmade structures and damage to plant life. Additionally, wet conditions around the exterior of the cooling tower are unsafe for personnel. In addition, it is desirable that louver assemblies prevent light bypass, which reduces algae growth in the cooling tower.
To combat this problem, the cooling tower industry has developed louver panels, slats and assemblies, which are designed to collect and redirect the splashing out water back into the water basin. There are two main types of louvers—slats and panels. Slat style louvers are installed the length of the air inlet in a horizontal fashion. Water that hits the slats bounces back into the tower. This type of louver has a relatively low pressure drop, but provides the least amount of splash out prevention and does little to reduce light by-pass. Panel style louvers use a tubular design to allow air to flow through the tube channels but prevent water from exiting by forming a “wall” at the inlet. Panel style louvers generally have better light by-pass prevention characteristics than slat-style louvers. Panel style louvers have more limited options for size.
Many existing louvers are manufactured out of polymetric or organic material such as PVC, FRP and wood. These products are flammable and have operating temperature limits based the on the material. In some cases, is it desirable to have non-combustible louvers or louvers which have a higher operating temperature range in excess of 125 degrees F. (52 degrees C.). Conventional louver materials also lack a desired level of corrosion resistance.
Accordingly, there is a need for a louver assembly system that is modular and able to be used in high-temperature and/or corrosive applications, while maintaining a reasonable cost.
Several specific aspects of the systems and methods of the subject matter disclosed herein are outlined below.
Aspect 1: An apparatus comprising:
Aspect 2: The apparatus of Aspect 1, wherein the blade array and the plurality of spacers are secured and aligned by a plurality of rods, each of the plurality of rods having a longitudinal axis LR, the longitudinal axis LR being orthogonal to the longitudinal axis LB, each of the plurality of rods having a first rod end and second rod end and at least one fastener secured to each of the first and second rod ends.
Aspect 3: The apparatus of Aspect 2, wherein each of the plurality of rods comprises a bolt, the first rod end is threaded, and the at least one fastener comprises a nut secured to the first rod end and a head located at the second rod end.
Aspect 4: The apparatus of any of Aspects 2-3, wherein each of the plurality of rods extends through all of the plurality of blades.
Aspect 5: The apparatus of any of Aspects 2-4, wherein each of the plurality of spacers is located in one of a plurality of spacer arrays and each of the plurality of rods passes through all of the spacers in one of the plurality of spacer arrays.
Aspect 6: The apparatus of any of Aspects 1-5, wherein each of the plurality of blades comprises a plurality of alignment slots and each of the plurality of spacers comprises a plurality of alignment tabs, wherein each of the plurality of alignment slots is shaped and located to receive at least one of the alignment tabs.
Aspect 7: The apparatus of any of Aspects 1-6, wherein each of the plurality of spacers has first and second legs connected by a support strip, the support strip having a rod aperture formed therein.
Aspect 8: The apparatus of any of Aspects 1-7, wherein each of the plurality of blades comprises a linear outer leg and a linear inner leg that are connected by a curved portion.
Aspect 9: The apparatus of any of Aspects 1-8, wherein each of the plurality of blades has an inner blade edge and an outer blade edge, the inner blade edge and the outer blade edge being parallel to the longitudinal axis LB.
Aspect 10: The apparatus of any of Aspects 1-9, wherein a longitudinal axis LS of each of the plurality of spacers forms and angle A3 with the longitudinal axis LB of each of the plurality of blades, wherein angle A3 is between 45 and 80 degrees.
Aspect 11: The apparatus of any of Aspects 1-10, wherein a longitudinal axis LS of each of the plurality of spacers forms and angle A3 with the longitudinal axis LB of each of the plurality of blade and the angle A3 is substantially identical for each of the plurality of spacers.
Aspect 12: A blade array comprising:
Aspect 13: The blade array of Aspect 12, wherein each of the plurality of rods has a longitudinal axis LR, the longitudinal axis LR being orthogonal to the longitudinal axis LB of each of the plurality of blades.
Aspect 14: The blade array of Aspect 13, wherein each of the plurality of rods comprises a bolt, the first rod end is threaded, the first fastener comprises a nut, and second fastener comprises a bolt head locate at the second rod end.
Aspect 15: The blade array of any of Aspects 12-14, wherein each of the plurality of rods extends through all of the plurality of blades.
Aspect 16: The blade array of any of Aspects 12-15, wherein each of the plurality of blades comprises a plurality of alignment slots and each of the plurality of spacers comprises a plurality of alignment tabs, wherein each of the plurality of alignment slots is shaped and located to receive at least one of the alignment tabs.
Aspect 17: The blade array of any of Aspects 12-16, wherein each of the plurality of spacers has first and second legs connected by a support strip, the support strip having one of the plurality of rod apertures formed therein.
Aspect 18: The blade array of any of Aspects 12-17, wherein each of the plurality of blades comprises a linear outer leg and a linear inner leg that are connected by a curved portion.
Aspect 19: The blade array of Aspect 18, wherein the curved portion has a radius of curvature R that is between 0.4 and 0.8 inches.
Aspect 20: The blade array of any of Aspects 18-19, wherein at least two of the plurality of rod apertures is located in the curved portion of each of the plurality of blades.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following detailed description of embodiments considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The following disclosure is presented to provide an illustration of the general principles of the present invention and is not meant to limit, in any way, the inventive concepts contained herein. Moreover, the particular features described in this section can be used in combination with the other described features in each of the multitude of possible permutations and combinations contained herein.
All terms defined herein should be afforded their broadest possible interpretation, including any implied meanings as dictated by a reading of the specification as well as any words that a person having skill in the art and/or a dictionary, treatise, or similar authority would assign particular meaning. Further, it should be noted that, as recited in the specification and in the claims appended hereto, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural referents unless otherwise stated. Additionally, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” when used herein specify that certain features are present in that embodiment but should not be interpreted to preclude the presence or addition of additional features, components, operations, and/or groups thereof.
The following disclosure is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description of the invention. The drawing figures are not necessarily to scale and certain features of the invention may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form in the interest of clarity and conciseness. In this description, relative terms such as “horizontal,” “vertical,” “up,” “down,” “top,” “bottom,” as well as derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly,” etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawing figure under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description and normally are not intended to require a particular orientation. Terms including “inwardly” versus “outwardly,” “longitudinal” versus “lateral” and the like are to be interpreted relative to one another or relative to an axis of elongation, or an axis or center of rotation, as appropriate. Terms concerning attachments, coupling and the like, such as “connected” and “interconnected,” refer to a relationship wherein structures are secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well as both moveable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless expressly described otherwise, and includes terms such as “directly” coupled, secured, etc. The term “operatively coupled” is such an attachment, coupling, or connection that allows the pertinent structures to operate as intended by virtue of that relationship.
The present invention relates to a louver assembly that is configured to be installed in either a counterflow or crossflow configuration in a cooling tower system.
As shown in
The nozzles 210 may be directed to distribute hot water over the fill media 208, which may cool the hot incoming water through evaporation into the air. The louver assembly 200 may be configured to allow air to flow into the cooling tower 201 and horizontally across, or through, the fill media 208 (as indicated by arrow A). The louver assembly 200 is preferably configured to prevent sunlight from entering the cooling tower 201. Moreover, the louver assembly 200 may prevent droplets of water falling downward into the basin from exiting the cooling tower 201. It should be understood that the exemplary cooling towers 101, 201 are two of many possible cooling tower configurations and are provided for the purpose of illustrating the environment in which the louver assembly 100, 200 could be used.
Referring now to
One layer of asymmetric spacers 304a-304o is preferably positioned between each of the blades 302a-302o. In this exemplary embodiment, each layer includes three asymmetric spacers 304a-304o and as described in greater detail below, each asymmetric spacer 304a-304o may be placed at an angle with respect to a longitudinal axis Lb of the louver assembly 300, or a longitudinal axis of each blade 302a-302o of the louver assembly 300 (which is parallel to longitudinal axis Lb). In other embodiments, any number of spacers could be provided in each layer.
In this embodiment, the blades 302a-302o and spacers 304a-304o are held together by threaded bolts 306a, 306b, 306c that are secured on each end by nuts 308a-308f. Alternately, any suitable fastener could be substituted for the nuts 308a-308f. For example, cotter pins, clamps, wire, clips, or a welded piece could be used, or the ends of the rods could be bent or flattened to provide a fastening function. Each spacer (for example, spacer 304a) is positioned between a pair of adjacent blades (for example, blades 302a, 302b), ensuing) and each pair of adjacent blades (for example, blades 302a, 302b) has two or more spacers of the plurality of spacers 304a-304o positioned therebetween (see, e.g., spacers 304a and 304b in
As further illustrated in
In another aspect, Ho may be greater than or equal to 0.70 inches, such as greater than or equal to 0.75 inches, greater than or equal to 0.80 inches, greater than or equal to 0.85 inches, or greater than or equal to 0.86 inches. In another aspect, Ho may be less than or equal to 1.00 inches, such as less than or equal to 0.95 inches, less than or equal to 0.90 inches. It can be appreciated that Ho may be within a range between, and including, any of the minimum and maximum values of Ho described herein.
As shown in
In another aspect, the outer horizontal arrays 316a and 316c, which are located adjacent to the ends of the blades 302a-302o may be inset from the ends of the blades 302a-302o at an inset distance, I. Specifically, I may be less than or equal to six inches. Further, I may be less than or equal to five inches, such as less than or equal to four inches, or less than or equal to three inches. In another aspect, I may be greater than or equal to one inch, such as greater than or equal to two inches. It is to be understood that I may within a range between, and including, any of the maximum and minimum values of I described herein.
In a particular aspect, each of the plurality of spacers 304a-304o may be a separate structure from every other spacer 304a-304o. This is in contrast to conventional metal louver assemblies, in which each array of spacers is a unitary structure. The separate structure for the spacers of 304a-304o may provide greater modularity.
As depicted in
As indicated in
The spacer 304a may be installed such that portions of the spacer 304a, described below, extend into and through the alignment slots 522-532 of the first alignment slot array 520a of the first blade 302a. As depicted in
A3 may be equal to A2. Further, A3 may be less than or equal to 80°, such as less than or equal to 75°, less than or equal to 70°, or less than or equal to 65°. In another aspect, A3 may be greater than or equal to 45°, such as greater than or equal to 50°, greater than or equal to 55°, greater than or equal to 60°, or greater than or equal to 65°. It is to be understood that A3 may be within a range between, and including, any of the maximum and minimum values of A3 described herein.
As shown in
In a particular aspect, the outer leg 540 of the first blade 302a may have a width, W1, and W1 may be less than or equal to 2.0 inches, such as less than or equal to 1.95 inches, less than or equal to 1.90 inches, less than or equal to 1.85 inches, less than or equal to 1.80 inches, less than or equal to 1.75 inches, less than or equal to 1.70 inches, less than or equal to 1.65 inches, less than or equal to 1.60 inches, less than or equal to 1.55 inches, or less than or equal to 1.50 inches. In another aspect, W1 may be greater than or equal to 1.00 inches, such as greater than or equal to 1.05 inches, greater than or equal to 1.10 inches, greater than or equal to 1.15 inches, greater than or equal to 1.20 inches, or greater than or equal to 1.25 inches. It is to be understood that W1 may within a range between, and including, any of the maximum and minimum values of W1 described herein.
In yet another aspect, the inner leg 542 of the first blade 302a may have a width, W2, and W2 may be less than or equal to 2.25 inches, such as less than or equal to 2.20 inches, less than or equal to 2.15 inches, less than or equal to 2.10 inches, less than or equal to 2.00 inches, less than or equal to 1.95 inches, less than or equal to 1.90 inches, less than or equal to 1.85 inches, less than or equal to 1.80 inches, less than or equal to 1.75 inches, or less than or equal to 1.70 inches. In another aspect, W2 may be greater than or equal to 1.35 inches, such as greater than or equal to 1.40 inches, greater than or equal to 1.45 inches, greater than or equal to 1.50 inches, greater than or equal to 1.55 inches, or greater than or equal to 1.60 inches. It is to be understood that W2 may within a range between, and including, any of the maximum and minimum values of W2 described herein.
In another aspect, W1 is preferably equal to or less than W2. More preferably, W2 is at least 1.10 times W1. Most preferably, W2 is at least 1.25 times W1. It is to be understood that W1 may be within a range between, and including, any of the maximum and minimum values of W1 described herein.
In still another aspect, the curved portion 544 of the first blade 302a has a radius of curvature R that is preferably between 0.3 and 1.0 inches, more preferably, between 0.4 and 0.8 inches. It is to be understood that R may be within a range between, and including, any of the maximum and minimum values of R described herein.
As indicated in
In another aspect, W may be less than or equal to 5 inches, such as less than or equal to 4.5 inches, less than or equal to 4.0 inches, less than or equal to 3.5 inches, or less than or equal to 3.25 inches. Further, W may be greater than or equal to 1.5 inches, such as greater than or equal to 1.75 inches, greater than or equal to 2.0 inches, greater than or equal to 2.25 inches, or greater than or equal to 2.5 inches. It is to be understood that W may within a range between, and including, any of the minimum and maximum values of W described herein.
In still another aspect, H may be less than or equal to 4 inches, such as less than or equal to 3.5 inches, less than or equal to 3.0 inches, less than or equal to 2.5 inches, or less than or equal to 2.0 inches. Further, H may be greater than or equal to 1.0 inches, such as greater than or equal to 1.25 inches, greater than or equal to 1.5 inches, or greater than or equal to 1.54 inches. It is to be understood that H may within a range between, and including, any of the minimum and maximum values of H described herein.
Referring now to
As shown, the first spacer 304a may also include a first leg 612 that may extend in a generally downward direction from one side of the support strip 600 and a second leg 614 that may extend in a generally downward direction from an opposing side of the support strip 600. The first leg 612 may include a lower edge 616 that is sized and shaped to fit over and follow the contour of a blade, e.g., the first blade 302a. Specifically, the lower edge 616 of the first leg 612 may be sized and shaped, for example, to fit over the first blade 302a along a first plane that passes through the first front alignment slot 522, the first rear alignment slot 526, and the first middle alignment slot 530 of the first alignment slot array 520a. The second leg 614 may also include a lower edge 618 that is sized and shaped to fit over and follow the contour of the first blade 302a along a second plane that passed through the second front alignment slot 524, the second rear alignment slot 528, and the second middle alignment slot 532 of the first alignment slot array 520a.
Accordingly, when positioned on a blade, e.g., the first blade 302a, as depicted in
As depicted, the first spacer 304a may also include a second front alignment tab 626 and a second middle alignment tab 628 that may extend in a generally downward direction from the bottom edge 618 of the second leg 614. The first spacer 304a may include a second rear alignment tab 630 that may extend at an angle in a generally downward direction from the bottom edge 618 of the second leg 614. In a particular aspect, the second front alignment tab 626, the second middle alignment tab 628, and the first rear alignment tab 630 may be coplaner. Each of the alignment tabs 620-630 may be sized and shaped to interfit with a corresponding one of the alignment slots 522-532 of one of the alignment arrays 520a-520c of the first blade 302a, or other blades 302b-3020.
Specifically, the first front alignment tab 620 may fit into the first front alignment slot 522, the first middle alignment tab 622 may fit into the first middle alignment slot 530, and the first rear alignment tab 624 may fit into the first rear alignment slot 526. Moreover, the second front alignment tab 626 may fit into the second front alignment slot 524, the second middle alignment tab 628 may fit into the second middle alignment slot 532, and the second rear alignment tab 630 may fit into the second rear alignment slot 530.
Referring again to
When assembled, the louver assembly 300 may provide airflow into a cooling tower. Specifically, the shape of the blades 302a-302o and the nested arrangement of the blades 302a-302o and spacers 304a-304o may provide a way for air to enter a cooling tower while preventing water to splash out of the cooling tower via the air channels 310a-310n of the louver assembly 300. As water droplets fall down within the cooling tower, they will hit the angled spacers 304a-304o and the arrays 316a-316c formed thereby and flow back into the cooling tower for collection at the base of the cooling tower. Moreover, the nested arrangement of the blades 302a-302o may substantially prevent sunlight from passing through the louver assembly 300 via the air channels 310a-310n and into the cooling tower.
Referring now to
In this embodiment, the blades 1502a-1502q and spacers 1504a-1504q are held together by threaded bolts 1506 that are secured on each end by nuts 1508. Alternately, any suitable fastener could be substituted for the nuts 1508. For example, cotter pins, clamps, wire, clips, or a welded piece could be used, or the ends of the bolts could be bent or flattened to provide a fastening function. Each spacer (for example, spacer 1504b) is positioned between a pair of adjacent blades (for example, blades 1502a, 1502b), ensuing) and each pair of adjacent blades (for example, blades 1502a, 1502b) has two or more spacers of the plurality of spacers 1504a-1504q positioned therebetween (see, e.g., spacers 1504a and 1504b in
In still another aspect, the curved portion 1528 of the first blade 1502a has a radius of curvature R that is preferably between 0.3 and 1.0 inches, more preferably, between 0.4 and 0.8 inches. It is to be understood that R may be within a range between, and including, any of the maximum and minimum values of R described herein. As shown in
As indicated in
In still another aspect, H may be less than or equal to 3.0 inches, such as less than or equal to 2.5 inches, less than or equal to 2.0 inches, less than or equal to 1.5 inches, or less than or equal to 1.0 inches. Further, H may be greater than or equal to 0.375 inches, such as greater than or equal to 0.50 inches, or greater than or equal to 0.76 inches. It is to be understood that H may within a range between, and including, any of the minimum and maximum values of H described herein.
As depicted, the first spacer 1504a may also include a second front alignment tab 1726 that may extend in a generally downward direction from the bottom edge 1718 of the second leg 1714. The first spacer 1504a may include a second rear alignment tab 1730 that may extend at an angle in a generally downward direction from the bottom edge 1718 of the second leg 1714. In a particular aspect, the second front alignment tab 1726 and the second rear alignment tab 1730 may be coplanar. Each of the alignment tabs 1720, 1724, 1726, 1730 may be sized and shaped to interfit with a corresponding one of the alignment slots (not shown) of one of the alignment arrays (not shown) of the first blade 1502a, or other blades 1502b-1502q.
When assembled, the louver assembly 1500 may provide airflow into a cooling tower. Specifically, the shape of the blades 1502a-1502q and the nested arrangement of the blades 1502a-1502q and spacers 1504a-1504q may provide a way for air to enter a cooling tower while preventing water to splash out of the cooling tower via the air channels 1510a-1510q of the louver assembly 1500. As water droplets fall down within the cooling tower, they will hit the angled spacers 1504a-1504q and the arrays 1516a-1516c formed thereby and flow back into the cooling tower for collection at the base of the cooling tower. Moreover, the nested arrangement of the blades 1502a-1502q may substantially prevent sunlight from passing through the louver assembly 1500 via the air channels 1510a-1510q and into the cooling tower.
The assembly method and structure of the louver assemblies of the present invention provide modular systems that can be used to efficiently create louver assemblies of different sizes. Taller assemblies can be created simply by stacking a larger number of blades and spacers and providing longer bolts. Similarly, shorter assemblies can be provided by stacking a smaller number of blades and spacers and providing shorter bolts or cutting longer bolts. Assemblies having less length can be provided by either using shorter blades or cutting the blades to a shorter length. Regardless of the size, the same spacer part can be used.
All examples and conditional language recited herein are intended for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the present invention and the concepts contributed by the inventor in furthering the art. As such, they are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future, i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure.
It is to be understood that the embodiments described herein are merely exemplary and that a person skilled in the art may make many variations and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. All such variations and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention, as defined by the following claims.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20230003469 A1 | Jan 2023 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63217924 | Jul 2021 | US |
