Numerical investigation of the adverse effect of wind on the heat transfer performance of two natural draft cooling towers in tandem arrangement

This article reports the findings on the adverse effect of the crosswind on the performance of natural draft cooling towers through numerical computation with thek-ε eddy-viscosity turbulence model. It is observed here that the cause of the adverse effect of the crosswind on the cooling towers can be attributed to the around flow effect which destroys the radial inflow into the cooling towers when the wind is absent. Hence, a significant deterioration in the heat transfer from the heat exchangers at lateral sides occurs. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (19725208) and the National Climbing project of China