FR2495756A1 - DEVICE FOR COLLECTING A FLUID FOR ELEMENTS FOR CONTACTING A LIQUID AND A GAS, IN PARTICULAR FOR COOLING TOWERS - Google Patents

Abstract

DEVICE FOR COLLECTING A FLUID FOR ELEMENTS TO CONTACT A LIQUID AND A GAS INTENDED IN PARTICULAR FOR COOLING TOWERS. THE ELEMENT 10 FOR MAKING CONTACT CONSTITUTES 12, 14 CORRUGATED MEMBRANES AND SPACES FORMING DUCTS FOR THE PASSAGE OF A FLUID INTRODUCED TO THE TOP OF THE ELEMENT 10 AND COLLECTED IN A CHUTE ARRANGED UNDER THE MEMBRANES. TO COLLECT, IMMEDIATELY BELOW ELEMENT 10, THE LIQUID THROUGH IT, REDUCING THE HEIGHT OF RECYCLING WITHOUT HARMFUL AIR CIRCULATION IN ELEMENT 10, THE latter SHOWS SURFACES OF ' DIRECTION OF THE LIQUID INCLINED ON THE HORIZONTAL AND CONNECTED TO AT LEAST ONE CHANNEL 16 OF COLLECTION. THESE SURFACES DIRECT THE LIQUID, WHICH HAS CROSSED ELEMENT 10, INTO CHANNEL 16.

Description

The present invention relates to a setting element

  contact with a liquid and a gas and which is intended for example

  able to be used in cooling towers and

  said contacting element being mutually spaced membranes forming conduits for the passage of a fluid introduced at the top of the contacting element and which is collected in one or more ducts.

  collectors located below the membranes.

  For example, in cooling towers

  of the type described above, the liquid, for example water, introduced into the tower using

  a dispenser located above the setting elements

  tacttraverse these elements and is collected in a tank or basin located below the tower. After playing

  the required role, for example that of a cooling agent

  The water is recycled by a recycling circuit to a point above the contacting elements, where it is reintroduced by the dispenser into the tower. The basin in which the liquid is collected must therefore, at least in the cooling towers designed on the principle of a countercurrent flow, be located at a relatively large distance from the lower surface of the contacting elements. to allow the introduction of gas, as

  the air, which must cross in an upward flow the ele-

  contacting elements and exit at their upper surface.

  The principle of using a tank or a collection basin, in which the water falls freely over a significant distance, has the disadvantage that the water, when it falls into the basin, generates a noise that can be embarrassing for the entourage and she has to be pumped from a level considerably

  lower than the lower surface of the setting elements

  tact, which requires large amounts of energy. It has therefore recently been attempted to collect the water at a point near the lower surface of the contacting elements immediately below this lower surface, that is to say at a much higher level than before, which decreases the

  noise in use and saves energy because the

  The pumping station is thus considerably reduced.

  A known method to achieve this is to provide troughs connected to each of the membranes of the element of

  contact to collect the water flowing along the surface.

  face of the membranes and carry this water away. We also

  it is suggested to form or make by drawing such collection ducts or chutes using

  the same material whose membranes are made up of and inclined

  these chutes or the entire contacting element to one or both of their ends, so that water can flow into large tanks or

  large collection channels. However, not only does

  The presence of such chutes on each membrane is complicated and expensive, but the chutes themselves protrude into the space between adjacent membranes and narrow the passage available for the upward flow of air.

  which creates an untimely increase in the fall of

  sion that occurs when traversing the bet element

in touch.

  The present invention thus aims mainly at producing a device for use with contacting elements of the type described above, which device makes it possible to collect the liquid which has passed through the element immediately.

  below the lower surface of the latter, without

  have any appreciable effect on the conditions under which

  gas and liquid passing through the

  in touch. The invention also aims to propose a device

  of this nature, which is both inexpensive and simple

  to manufacture and install, and also to design such a

  which, in addition to helping to simplify and improve

  installing and suspending the setting element

  tact, is also used in some forms of

  stiffen the contacting element itself.

  These objectives and benefits will emerge from the study

  from the detailed description of some embodiments,

  presented as illustrative examples and by no means

  FIG. 1 shows in perspective a contacting element, shown in solid line and having a collection device designed according to the principles of the invention, while the dotted lines indicate adjacent elements. contacting;

  Figure 2 shows in perspective, in a semi-

  in Figure 1, another embodiment of the

  ment in accordance with the principles of the invention.

  tion; Figure 3 shows in full line a side elevation of a contacting element such as that of Figure 1, while the dashed lines show an adjacent element; FIG. 4 is a perspective view, to a larger view

  scale, the bottom surface of the setting element

  tact of Figures 1 and 3; Figure 5 is a side elevation of a contacting element having a collection device constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;

  Figure 6 shows in perspective a view of the

  mity of a contacting element similar to that of Figure l, but having a modified embodiment of the collection device; Figure 7 shows an end view of another variant of this collection device, while Figure 7a shows in more detail the lower part of the contacting element shown in Figure 7; Figure 8 is a perspective view of the element of Figure 7 mounted in a box-shaped frame; Figure 9 shows a modified embodiment of the contacting element according to the invention; Figure 10 shows a section along the line X-X of Figure 9; and FIG. 11 shows another embodiment of a contacting element designed according to the principles of the invention. In the embodiment illustrated in perspective in FIG. 1, it can be seen that a contacting element 10 consists of thin layers or membranes 12 which, in the

  shown embodiment, are corrugated or folded.

  All the membranes are arranged vertically, and the

  folded membranes or corrugations intersect each other

  by being inclined to the vertical. These mem-

  branes, which must be made of a suitable material such as plastics, metal or the like, and which are connected to each other at their points of contact by application of a suitable process such as gluing, welding, etc. A liquid, like water, flows from top to bottom, while a gas, like air, passes through the elements 10 while circulating from bottom to top, in the opposite direction, in

  the through ducts formed by the membranes.

  In the arrangement according to the invention shown in FIG. 1, two such contacting elements 10 are mounted on the opposite faces of a flat central membrane 14. This membrane 14, which has the same length as the elements of FIG. in contact, also runs from the upper surface of the elements 10 to a point a little below their lower surface. The lower edge of the membrane 14 is connected to a U-shaped channel or channel 16, which is preferably made of the same material as the membrane 14

  itself and is connected to the latter during the manufacture of

  cation or by the implementation of any suitable method of fixation. Although the membrane 14 may be made of the same material as the membranes 12, for example a plastic material of the PVC (polyvinyl chloride) type, it

  it is better to use a material with greater resistance

  thermal material, for example a reinforced plastic material or a thermosetting material such as "Noryl". The membrane 14 may also be made of metal, for example aluminum,

  steel or a similar subject, as are the

  branes 12. The chute 16, which can be seen on the side elevation

  3, is mounted on supports, as will be described in detail below, which allows this chute 16 to constitute, via the membrane 14, a support for the elements 10 which are connected to this membrane 14 by gluing, welding or another

convenient way.

  In order to convey the liquid which passes through the contacting elements, to the collection chute 16, the lower surface of the elements 10 is cut obliquely downwards and towards the chute, so that the bottom of the elements 10 of contacting present, on each side of the membrane 14, a V-shaped. When the liquid, such as water, has flowed in the conduits of the element 10, this liquid will follow the oblique lower surfaces and reach the pointed end of the element 10. Most of the liquid will then be directed on the surface of the membrane or reinforcing plate 14 and will descend into the chute 16 to continue its journey to a circuit

  additional collection that will be described below.

  In order for the drainage circuit, described as part of the lower surface of the contacting elements 10, to work, it is important that the pointed ends or teeth of the outer membranes bear on the crests of an underlying membrane adjacent to to prevent the liquid

  or water to fall out of teeth, as would be the case if these

  were freely protruding into space. This principle

  Figure 4 shows, on a large scale, a side elevation of the oblique lower surface of the contacting element. It is clear from this FIG. 4 that the teeth or grooves 18 of the outer membrane 20 rest on the ridges 22 of the underlying membrane 24 and lie below it, the teeth or grooves 26 of the latter. membrane resting in turn,

  similarly, on the crests 28 of the sub-membrane

  next 30. Since the water flows along the edges of the membranes cut obliquely to reach the surface of the reinforcing plate 14, the ducts formed by the grooves

  of the membrane 12 will not be clogged by the water> but let

  air from below, freely pass and

worm in the ducts.

  As shown in Figure 3 and described above, the collection chute 16 rests on supports 32 and 34, the latter having the shape of a channel in which the chutes 16 empty their water. As illustrated in FIG. 3, this can be achieved by tilting the lower edge of the chute so that

  it forms an angle with the element 10 in the longitudinal direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, several elements

  can be connected, both side-

  longitudinally, to make a bed of a cooling tower of desired size. Since, as illustrated in the figures, the contacting elements 10 are connected to the reinforcing plate 14 (which is also used for dewatering

  of water), the elements 10 are stiff enough to allow

  to leave a great distance between their suspension points, namely, in this case, the collection troughs 16 which support the elements 10. In this way, the obstacle may prevent the air from entering the room. turn and represented by the collector chutes 16 extending under the part of the elements 10 adjacent to the reinforcing membrane 14 will be negligible in comparison with the free surface left uncovered at the bottom of the elements 10 of implementation

  16. In addition, since the upper edge

  6 of the trough 16 is located at a distance away from the nearest part of the oblique lower surface of the contacting element 10, the air can penetrate into the nearest ducts of the membrane 14. As mentioned above, this plate or membrane 14 is stronger

  than the other membranes 12 of the contacting element 10.

  In the present case, the membrane 14 withstands better the temperatures

  erations and must for this purpose be made of

  as metal or thermosetting resin, for example

  example "Noryl" or an analogous material.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a contacting element 40 consists of corrugated membranes 12, in the same way as that already described in the embodiment shown in FIG.

  reinforcement, also undulating, is placed at the center of the

  40 of Figure 2 and includes ridges having the same

  height and spacing as in the case of membranes 12.

  However, the membrane 36 is made of a more solid material, such as a thermosetting resin or metal, as described above, and it descends at a distance below the other membranes of the contacting element 40. . On each side of the membrane 36, the lower surface of the contacting element 40 is cut obliquely to have a V shape whose tip coincides with the membrane 36 of reinforcement. All membranes 12 and 36 are bonded together by bonding, welding or the like, as described above, and a collection chute 38, playing the same role as the chute 16 described for the embodiment shown in FIG. is attached to the lower edge of the reinforcing membrane 36. To improve the collection of water flowing in

  the chute or the channel 38 after leaving the membrane 36.

  reinforcement, the upper edges of the trough 38 may comprise a lip or rim 42 of suitable shape. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, two strips or stiffeners, 44 and 46, are fixed, for example by gluing or welding, on each side of the element 40 in the vicinity of the upper surface thereof and, in addition to their role of stiffening the assembly, these strips can also serve to fix the contacting element in the frame

of the cooling tower.

  It is clear that the V-shaped part of the element

  contacting arrangement shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 may also

  can be conceived as a separate set to be mounted below

  of the horizontal surface of the contacting elements used

  in the cooling tower. If one prefers such a design, this separate lower V-shaped assembly can

  also serve to support and support the

  touching gules placed above him.

  Thus, Figures 9 and 10 show a modified form

  embodiment of a contact element, of the type

  in the invention and in which, as in the embodiment shown for example in Figures 1 and 2, the

  upper part 10a consists of thin waveguides

  12 adjacent. On the other hand, the conical lower part 10b is formed of vertical linear ducts since the corrugated membranes 12a are assembled so that their grooves are arranged vertically, the central membrane

  having a channel or chute 16, as described above.

  In the embodiment shown here, furthermore, the

  corrugated membranes 12a alternate with flat membranes 14a.

  In the embodiment shown in the

  5, the contacting element 50 is cut, in particular

  some points, along its lower end, obliquely in the plane of the membranes 12, that is to say. right angle to the obliquely cut surface and shown in Fig. 1, thereby forming a number of V-shaped teeth. V-shaped collection chutes 52 are suspended below these teeth and are connected to a reinforcing plate 54 which protrudes into the element 50. To leave sufficient space for the liquid that descends into the tower, the tops of the V-shaped teeth may have been removed, giving teeth truncated in a manner that that the end of the contacting element is at a distance above the bottom of the chute 52. The chute itself may comprise lips 56 projecting outwards so

  to prevent water from flowing out of the chute 52.

  In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, on which the same reference indices are used to designate the parts common to this embodiment and to that represented in FIG. 1, the oblique surfaces of the lower part of the element 60 of contacting comprise a series of edge strips 58, forming a kind of grid. Each strip 58 has a vertical plate 62 and

  a trough 64 with a U-section along the lower edge

  62. Each band 58 covers the entire length of the

  oblique surface of the element 60 to the plate 14 of reinforcement.

  Any water that does not flow along the lower edges to reach chute 16, but falls off the surface of

  the contacting element 60 will therefore be received by the governments.

  the burps 64 attached to the bands 58 and will thus be conveyed to the chute 16. Raising, below the surface of the element 60, the strips 58 the distance to this surface which is alternately different from the distance of the band immediately following , as illustrated in FIG. 6, it is possible to reduce the screen or resistance effect that the series of bands would otherwise be able to exert on the penetrating air by

  the lower surface of the contacting element 60.

  Figure 6 also shows how the reinforcement plate 14

  may protrude slightly above the upper surface

  the elements 60 and have a transverse band 66 running along the reinforcing plate 14 to make it even more rigid. In the embodiment of the contacting element 70 shown in FIGS. 7, 7a and 8, a U-shaped collection chute 74 is suspended under a membrane 72 on three, the lower edges of these membranes. 72 being cut straight. Each side of the chute 74 has a

  lip or horizontal flange 75 protruding into the

  and on which the membrane 72 rests, which guarantees

  that the contacting element 70 will be supported by the

  intermediate membranes 72, by all the chutes 74.

  The lower edges of the membranes 76 and 78, located on either side of the membranes 72, are cut obliquely to go towards the membrane 72 placed centrally between the membranes 76 and 78. In this way, three membranes, namely the central membrane 72 and the membranes 76 and 78 placed on each side of the membrane 72, will drip in each chute 74. As shown in Figures 7 and 7a, the upper portion of the edges of each chute section 74 U-shaped can be bent outward at 80 so as to prevent water from flowing out of the

  chute 74. FIG. 8 shows the setting element 70.

  tact mounted in a frame 82 in the form of box or box, which can be a plastic material reinforced with fiberglass, metal or any similar material. The

  upper edge of the frame 82 has a rib 84 of

  in at least two of its edges comprise a rib forming a chute 86. In this embodiment, the contacting element 70 is mounted in the frame 82 so as to leave the

  ducts or chutes 74 rest on the ribs 86 correspon-

  in the form of chutes leaving a space or clearance between the element 70 and the walls of the frame 82, so that the water

  collected by the chutes 74 can flow into the gou-

  burbot 86, from where it is conveyed into the recycling circuit,

  which is not shown in the figures.

  In the embodiment shown in the

  11, the conical bottom part of the

  contacting element 90 may comprise curved surfaces

  instead of the flat surfaces shown in the embodiments described above, the degree of curvature being most suitably adapted to match the fluid passing through the contacting member. Fig. 11 shows a concave surface but, of course, other curved, convex or other shapes,

  can be designed for certain applications.

  It goes without saying that, without departing from the scope of the invention,

  Many modifications can be made to the device for collecting a fluid, especially water, for a liquid and gas contacting element described above.

to be present.

he

Claims (14)

  1. Device for collecting a fluid, for an element   contacting a liquid and a gas, for example for use in cooling towers and in installations; analogous, this contacting element consisting of mutually spaced membranes and forming conduits for the passage of a fluid introduced at the top   of the contacting element and collected in one or more   channels or collection channels located below   membranes, characterized in that the lower portion   upper portion of the contacting member (10, 50, 60, 70) comprises fluid-carrying surfaces inclined horizontally and joining at least one channel or channel (16, 38, 52, 74 ) collection to which they direct   the fluid passing through the contacting element.   2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the fluid conveying surfaces are formed by the lower surface of the contacting element (10, 50, 60, 70) which is cut obliquely to form a point.   discharge in the collection chute (16,38,52,74).   3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that at least one (14,36,54,72) of the membranes of the contacting element protrudes below the other membranes (12,76,78) of this element and is connected to the collecting channel (16, 38, 52, 74) and in that the pointed end of the inclined lower surface coincides with this membrane, so that the contacting element drips off. on the membrane and that the fluid passes from this membrane into the collection chute. 4. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that this membrane (14,36,54,72) is more solid, and has for example a greater thermal resistance, than other membranes of the element (10.50 , 60, 70) of contacting.   5. Device according to any one of the claims   1 to 4, characterized in that the membranes (12)   of the contacting element are predominantly corrugated, the corrugations of alternating membranes intersecting each other so as to be all inclined with respect to the vertical   6. Device according to any one of the claims   3 to 5, characterized in that the membrane (14, 54) protruding below the lower surface of the contacting element consists of a flat reinforcing plate, preferably of metal, which preferably extends through the entire body of the contacting member up to the   upper surface of it and is attached to the canal or gou-   grouper (16,52), so as to constitute the   port of the contacting element.   7. Device according to any one of the claims   3 to 6, characterized in that the diaphragm (36) projecting below the lower surface of the contacting element consists of a rigidly shaped corrugated membrane constituting one of the corrugated membranes of the contacting element which is attached to the collection channel (38)   disposed below the contacting member.   8. Device according to claim 7, characterized in that stiffeners (44,46), covering the entire length of the membrane, are fixed on each side of the edge   upper part of the rigid membrane (36).   9. Device according to any one of the claims   1 to 8, characterized in that the surfaces for conveying the fluid comprise a series of grid-shaped plates (64) constituting channels or troughs mounted at varying distances below the inclined surface or surfaces of the contacting element (10, 50, 60, 70), these chutes serving to collect all the liquid that drips   of the surface of the contacting element.   10. Device according to any one of the claims   1 to 9, characterized in that the setting elements   contact are mounted on supports (34, 86) arranged   under and across the channel or chute (16,38,52,74 '   collectors and which have the shape of a chute used for water collected.   11. Device according to any one of the claims   1 to 10, characterized in that the membranes (12,14; 72,76,78) are arranged relative to one another along an oblique surface of the lower part of the contacting element. , so that the teeth or grooves (18,26) of an outer membrane (20,24) bear on the crests (22,28) of the underlying membrane (24,30) and are slightly inside the edge of this last membrane.   12. Device according to any one of the   1 to 11, characterized in that the setting element   contact comprises an upper part (lDa) whose membranes   (12) are corrugated and arranged so that the corrugations   alternating membranes intersect each other by being inclined   relative to the vertical, and a lower portion (10b) comprising the oblique surfaces for fluid delivery and whose membranes (12a), which are corrugated, are arranged so that the undulations of each membrane are directed vertically.   13. Device according to claim 12, characterized   in that the corrugated membranes (12a) of the lower part   upper (lOb) alternate with flat membranes (14a).   14. Device according to any one of the   cations 1 to 13, characterized in that the oblique surfaces   (88) of the contacting element (90) for the purpose of   fluid, are curvilinear.