Importance

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Abstract

A heat exchange apparatus is provided with an indirect evaporative heat exchange section and a direct evaporative heat exchange section. A uniform temperature evaporative liquid is downwardly sprayed into the indirect section to indirectly exchange sensible heat with a hot fluid stream flowing within a series of enclosed circuits which comprise the indirect evaporative heat exchange section. After the evaporative fluid descends through the entire indirect heat exchange section and absorbs heat, it is distributed across fill media within the direct evaporative heat exchange section for cooling. Separate streams of ambient cooling air are simultaneously drawn into each of the heat exchange sections crosscurrently to evaporatively cool the evaporative liquid flowing within each section. The water cooled in the direct heat exchange section is then collected in a sump where it is allowed to mix and resultantly become uniform in temperature before being redistributed. The indirect heat exchange section is constructed from a series of spaced circuits having a continuous serpentine shape where the internal fluid to be cooled flows upwardly at a uniform rate and temperature from circuit to circuit. The apparatus can be used as a fluid cooler, an evaporative condenser, or as a wet-air cooler.

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First Claim