초록 ▼

A cooling tower for cooling large quantities of effluent water from a production facility by utilizing natural wind forces includes the use of a series of helically directed air inlet passages extending outwardly from the base of the tower to introduce air from any direction in a swirling vortical p

A cooling tower for cooling large quantities of effluent water from a production facility by utilizing natural wind forces includes the use of a series of helically directed air inlet passages extending outwardly from the base of the tower to introduce air from any direction in a swirling vortical pattern while the force of the draft created in the tower makes it possible to place conventional power generating windmills in the air passages to provide power as a by-product.

대표청구항 ▼

A vertical cooling tower for cooling water and generating power from a flow of air through the tower, said tower being defined generally by a surface of revolution and having fixed omnidirectional air inlet means at the lower end for introducing atmospheric air into the tower in a vortical flow patt

A vertical cooling tower for cooling water and generating power from a flow of air through the tower, said tower being defined generally by a surface of revolution and having fixed omnidirectional air inlet means at the lower end for introducing atmospheric air into the tower in a vortical flow pattern regardless of wind direction, the upper end of the tower being open to discharge said introduced air upwardly in a vortex draft pattern, means to introduce water to be cooled in the interior of the tower and wind turbine means disposed in said air inlet means for generating power; said fixed omnidirectional air inlet means comprising a plurality of passages, each passage having a first portion located adjacent to the wind turbine means and a second portion located adjacent to the outlet end; each of said plurality of passages including additional air inlet means downstream of said wind turbine means to reduce boundary layer effects; the cross-sectional area of each of said plurality of passages increasing progressively from said first portion of the passage adjacent to the wind turbine means to said second portion adjacent to the outlet end; the configuration of each said passage adjacent the wind turbine means being circular for closely encircling a rotating element of the wind turbine means, said cross-sectional configuration progressively merging into a rectangular outline terminating at the intersection with a lower end of the surface of revolution defining said tower; said additional air inlet means comprising an elongated horizontal opening defined on one side by a terminal downstream margin of a horizontal wall of each of said plurality of passages, the opposite side of the opening being defined by the upstream terminal margin of a succeeding horizontal wall of the passage means; the cross-sectional configuration of each of said plurality of passages being rectangular from at least said additional air inlet means to the outlet end.