Effect of Inlet Air Humidity on Thermal Behavior of Industrial Wet Cooling Towers: Comparative Modeling Using Poppe and Merkel Approaches
Keywords:
Evaporative cooling, Numerical modeling, Heat rejection, Air-water interaction, Humidity impact, Induced draftAbstract
This study presents a detailed performance analysis of an induced draft counter flow wet cooling tower (IDCFWCT) at the Basrah Refinery using two established models: Poppe and Merkel. A comprehensive numerical simulation was conducted using MATLAB/Simulink, incorporating mass and energy conservation principles to predict outlet water temperature, heat rejection, and air exit conditions under varying relative humidity and airflow velocities. Experimental data were collected for validation. The results demonstrated the superior accuracy of the Poppe model, particularly under low humidity levels, due to its advanced treatment of evaporative processes. It was found that maintaining an inlet air velocity near 4 m/s offers optimal thermal performance. These insights are valuable for improving energy efficiency and water conservation in industrial cooling operations.
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