AU2908399A - A nozzle - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT *v a a. V. 6 a a. 'Vt.

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Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Invention Title: EQUIVALENT COOLING TOWER COMPANY PTY LTD RONALD WILLIAM LEWIS CULLEN CO., Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 240 Queen Street, Brisbane, Qld. 4000, Australia.

A NOZZLE a .r V a a Details of Associated Provisional Applications: No.: PP3569 filed 19 May 1998 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to

US:

2 THIS INVENTION relates to a nozzle. The invention is particularly, but not solely, directed to an improved nozzle for use in cooling towers.

BACKGROUND ART Cooling towers are used to cool water used in electricity generating stations, large air-conditioning plants, and other large water-cooled installations. The water to be cooled is discharged over "fill" within the cooling tower, the fill typically comprising layers of slats, grids or the like. The fill causes the streams of S'water to break up into droplets, which are cooled by a *:"crossflow and/or counterflow of air. The cooled water is then collected in a reservoir at the bottom of the 15 cooling tower and recirculated.

It is known to use nozzles fitted to waterpipes to discharge the water onto the fill. The waterpipes are located above the fill, and the nozzles are directed downwardly towards the fill. The known nozzles are designed to discharge the water in the form of a spray.

However, it has been found that the water often contains impurities, such as fragments of the fill and supporting frame collected during the recirculation of the water. The known nozzles are prone to clogging by e 25 such impurities.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved nozzle particularly, but not solely, suitable for use in cooling towers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one broad form, the invention provides a nozzle comprising a hollow body having an inlet adapted to be connected to a supply of water, a first outlet communicating with the inlet and located at or adjacent the top of the body [having regard to the operative orientation of the nozzle], and a second outlet communicating with the inlet and located at or adjacent to the bottom of the body.

Typically, the inlet communicates with an upper part of the body, located below the first outlet. The internal wall of the upper part is generally of cylindrical shape. The inlet is offset relative to the centre axis of the upper part. Water entering the nozzle body under pressure swirls around the inside of the upper part, and discharges through the first outlet in a spray, typically of conical shape.

Preferably, the internal wall of the lower part of the body is generally of conical shape, the second outlet being located at the apex or narrow end of the conically-shaped lower part. The conical cavity in the lower part of the nozzle body acts as a cyclone 15 separator, causing heavier substances, such as impurities in the water, to collect at the bottom of the cone and pass through the second outlet. In this manner, the nozzle is self-cleaning.

The nozzle is particularly suitable for use in a cooling tower. In another form, the present invention provides a cooling tower having at least one nozzle adapted to be connected to a water conduit in the cooling tower, the nozzle comprising a hollow body having an inlet communicating, in use, with the conduit, and an outlet located at the top of the body, whereby in use, water is discharged upwardly through the outlet of the nozzle and before falling through the cooling tower.

Unlike known cooling tower arrangements in which the nozzles discharge water downwardly, the nozzle of this invention is configured to spray water upwardly.

The water first rises in an upward spiral, then collides with the spirals of neighbouring nozzles before disbursing and falling through the fill in the cooling tower. The initial upward spiral discharge of the water increases the time for which the water is airborne in the cooling tower, thereby increasing the time for thermal exchange with air currents. The increased thermal exchange allows the size of the cooling tower to be reduced.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood and put into practice, a preferred embodiment thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a nozzle according to one embodiment of this invention, attached to a water supply pipe, and Fig. 2 is a part sectional plan of the nozzle and pipe of Fig. 1.

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DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 15 As shown in the drawings, a nozzle 10 has a body comprising two parts, an upper part 11 and a lower part 12. The two parts 11, 12 are typically formed of moulded plastics, but may be formed of any other suitable material such as metal. The two parts are normally formed separately and joined, but may be integrally formed if desired. (Although the nozzle body has been shown in two parts in the preferred embodiment, the nozzle may comprise additional parts).

The upper part 11 is provided with a spigotlike inlet 13 which communicates with a conduit 14, typically a water supply pipe. The spigot-like inlet 13 is normally glued, screwed or otherwise fastened into an opening in a pipe clamp 15 fitted to the waterpipe 14.

An opening 16 is provided in the top of the upper part 11. The opening 16 is typically a 56mm diameter circular hole, and centred relative to the upper part 11.

As shown more clearly in Fig. 2, the internal wall 17 of the upper part 11, is generally of cylindrical shape (125mm diameter), the inlet 13 being offset relative to the vertical centre axis of the upper part 11. The upper portion of the lower part 12 is also of cylindrical shape and together with the upper part 11, forms a generally cylindrical chamber. As the water enters the cylindrical chamber through the inlet 13 under pressure, it swirls around the chamber and discharges upwardly through the outlet 16 in a generally conical spiral spray. The water slows and then falls, further breaking up into smaller droplets.

The internal wall 18 of the lower part of the lower chamber 12 is generally of conical shape (tapering downwardly), and a second outlet 19 (about 33mm diameter) is provided at the bottom end of the lower part 12. The water which enters the nozzle body from the waterpipe under pressure also swirls around the conical chamber in the lower part 12 which acts like a cyclone separator, causing solids such as dirt, wood chips and other solid S' 15 impurities in the water to move to the bottom and pass out through the outlet 19. This outlet may be connected to a filter, waste or other.

SThe abovedescribed nozzle has several advantages, including The nozzle is largely self-cleaning as impurities are separated out through the second outlet 19.

*Even if second outlet 19 is clogged with impurities, the nozzle keeps functioning through outlet 16.

As the primary water outlet 16 discharges the water spiralling upwardly, the water stays "airborne" longer than known downwardlyorientated nozzles, resulting in greater heat exchange. This in turn allows a more compact construction for the cooling tower.

The nozzle contains no moving parts, and is of a simple and effective design.

The longer airborne time also results in greater separation of the water into droplets and more uniform water distribution for a given installation height.

The foregoing describes only one embodiment of the invention, and modifications which are obvious to those skilled in the art may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention.

For example, a splash plate may be added to the secondary water outlet or a deflector plate to the primary water outlet to vary the operating characteristics of the nozzle.

oo ~Furthermore, the operating characteristics of S. 15 the nozzle can be varied by modifying parameters, such as inlet water pressure, the size of the primary outlet 16, the height and angle of the conical portion 12, and the size of the secondary outlet 19.

Throughout the specification, including the claims, where the context permits, the term "comprising" is intended to include the subsequently mentioned integers without necessarily excluding other integers.

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Claims (14)

1. A nozzle comprising a hollow body having an inlet adapted to be connected to a supply of water, a first outlet communicating with the inlet and located at or adjacent the top of the body [having regard to the operative orientation of the nozzle], and a second outlet communicating with the inlet and located at or adjacent to the bottom of the body.

2. A nozzle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hollow body has an upper part with which the inlet communicates, the upper part having an internal wall of generally cylindrical shape.

3. A nozzle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the 15 inlet is offset relative to the centre axis of the generally cylindrical internal wall of the upper part, such that water entering the upper part through the inlet swirls around the inside of the upper part and discharges upwardly through the first outlet in a spray.

4. A nozzle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the hollow body has a lower part having an internal wall of generally- inverted conical shape, the second outlet being located at or adjacent the lower end of the lower part.

5. A nozzle as claimed in claim 5 wherein the upper and lower parts define a single internal chamber in the hollow body.

6. A nozzle suitable for use in a water cooling tower, and comprising a hollow body having an inlet adapted to be connected to a supply of water, an upper chamber communicating with the inlet, the upper chamber being generally of cylindrical shape and having a first outlet at its upper end, a lower chamber communicating with the upper chamber, the lower chamber being generally of inverted conical shape and having a second outlet at its lower end, wherein in use water entering the nozzle under pressure swirls around the chambers, with at least some of the water discharging upwardly through the first outlet, and heavier substances in the water passing through the second outlet.

7. A nozzle as claimed in claim 6 wherein the inlet is offset from the centre axis of the upper chamber.

8. A nozzle suitable for use in a water cooling tower, and comprising a hollow body having at inlet adapted to be connected to a supply of water, an internal chamber communicating with the *inlet, the chamber having top and bottom openings, characterised in that the chamber is shaped so S: that water swirls around therein and is at least partially discharged through the top opening, while heavier substances in the water are passed through the second outlet.

9. A cooling tower of the type in which water is discharged over fill, the cooling tower having at least one nozzle connected to a water conduit in the cooling tower, the nozzle comprising a hollow body having an inlet communicating, in use, with the conduit, and an outlet located at or adjacent the top of the body, whereby in use, water passing through the nozzle from the water conduit is discharged upwardly through the outlet of the nozzle before falling through the cooling tower.

A cooling tower as claimed in claim 9, wherein the outlet is shaped and/or positioned so that the water is discharged therethrough in a generally conical spray.

11. A nozzle as claimed in claim 9 or 10, further comprising a second outlet communicating with the inlet and located at or adjacent the bottom of the body.

12. A nozzle as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the hollow body has an upper part with which the inlet communicates, the upper part having an internal wall of generally cylindrical shape.

13. A nozzle as claimed in claim 12, wherein the hollow body has a lower part communicating with the upper part and having an internal wall of generally inverted conical shape, the second outlet being located at or adjacent the lower end of the lower part.

14. A nozzle as substantially hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this nineteenth day of May 1999 EQUIVALENT COOLING TOWER COMPANY PTY LTD By their Patent Attorneys Cullen Co. 9