Cooling Tower Operation in the Hot and Humid Climates of Arid Zones

Abstract

Air-conditioning (A/C) in Kuwait is a necessity for comfortable living as the summer is extremely hot. Dry weather for most of the summer months reflects the effectiveness of using water-cooled (WC) systems. Cooling towers (C/Ts) at a Ministry building in Kuwait were monitored and evaluated under actual operating conditions. Experimental results, weather data, and theoretical studies are used to demonstrate the effect of current operational practices on electrical power and water consumption. The performance of C/Ts has been evaluated under different operating conditions with different airflows through the C/T. It has been established that the use of a large flow of air, though helpful in providing cooler water temperatures, and thereby, improving the performance of the A/C system, increases the fan power and water consumption. The latter is of special concern to Kuwait and other countries in the region where the soft water is produced through seawater desalination.