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Performance Evaluation of Efficiency and Effectiveness of a Cooling Tower in a Fertilizer Production Plant

This study evaluates the efficiency and effectiveness of Cooling Tower at Indorama Petrochemicals, Port-Harcourt. Cooling towers are known to have high energy losses from heat loss, evaporation losses and from other sections of tower, leading to water source limitation, the variation in the climatic conditions, particularly, the relative humidity of the ambient air and its cooling tower or its components deterioration. Thus, the efficiency of the cooling tower varies from time to time, and this affects the quantum of heat energy dissipation in production processes because of insufficient air flow, irregular cleaning and maintenance of the inner part of the cooling tower, decreased water treatment, decreased fan operation system, poor fill media materials and the geometrical arrangement of the cooling tower lead to many problems such as reduced efficiency, low production output, substandard condition and quality, and high maintenance cost are the major concern of this research work as it affects the efficiency, productivity, and overall effectiveness of the petrochemical plant. The heating load, influenced by water temperatures, rises from 72.73 MW at an inlet temperature of 36°C to 108.08 MW at 52°C, emphasizing the substantial impact of inlet water temperature on thermal load. Additionally, the evaporation loss, influenced by water volume flow-rate, exhibited a predictable rise with increased flow-rates. For instance, at a flow-rate of 6950 m3/h, evaporation loss is 95.70 m3/h, escalating to 142.21m3/h at 7150 m3/h, highlighting the role of water-air contact in promoting evaporation. The positive correlation between water volume flow-rate and pumping power is evident, as an increase from 1.93 m3/s to 1.99 m3/s results in a rise in pumping power from 284.08 kW to 292.26 kW. The study further revealed an inverse relationship between the cycle of concentration and both blow-down and makeup water rates. As the cycle of concentration increased from 2 to 10, blow-down rate decreases from 95.70 m3/h to 15.80 m3/h, suggesting water conservation benefits. Cooling efficiency, influenced by inlet water temperature and liquid to gas ratio, improves from 65% to 71% as temperatures rise from 36°C to 52°C and the ratio decreases from 1.4 to 0.97. These findings offer valuable insights into optimizing cooling tower operations, emphasizing resource conservation and sustainability. In conclusion, the study provides a nuanced understanding of the cooling tower performance, offering practical implications for operational enhancements and resource efficiency.