The Working Principle of High And Low Temperature Dry Coolers in Power Plants

A dry cooling system is a type of cooling equipment used in power plants to reduce the temperature of the power generating equipment. Compared to conventional wet cooling systems, the HVAC system reduces water usage, reduces environmental dependence on water resources, reduces evaporation losses and reduces the impact on the water ecosystem.

The principle of operation of a high and low temperature dry cooler is as follows:

The high temperature cooling medium (usually steam or hot water) generated by the power generation equipment enters the dry cooler through a heat exchanger.

There are two cooling circuits in the dry cooler: a high temperature circuit and a low temperature circuit. The high-temperature circuit is in direct contact with the hot cooling medium of the power plant, while the low-temperature circuit is in contact with atmospheric air.

In the high-temperature circuit, the hot cooling medium flows through the cooling tubes by means of pipes, while the outer surface of the cooling tubes is exposed to the atmosphere.

Atmospheric air passes over the surface of the cooling tubes in the low-temperature circuit by forced or natural convection, taking away heat from the surface of the cooling tubes.

As the air flows over the surface of the cooling tubes, it absorbs heat and warms up, and is then discharged through the fan of the dry cooler.

In this way, through the process of heat exchange, the temperature of the hot cooling medium in the high-temperature circuit is reduced, thus realising the cooling of the power generation equipment.

It is important to note that because the high and low temperature dry cooler uses a dry cooling medium, its cooling efficiency is lower than that of a wet cooling system. However, it has the advantage that it does not require the use of large amounts of water and is suitable for arid areas or areas with limited water resources. At the same time, the high and low temperature dry cooler can reduce the evaporation loss of water and reduce the impact on the water ecosystem, which has a better environmental sustainability.