DYNAMIC SIMULATION IN MODELICA

MODELING AND SIMULATION OF COOLING TOWERS

In this article, we demonstrate how we built a model of a wet cooling tower in Modelica and how we "played" with the model to better understand how it works.

Cooling towers are often associated with large thermal power plants around the world. We picture a large hyperbolic concrete structure with a plume of steam. However, cooling towers can vary greatly in appearance and size. What they all have in common is that they are used to transfer waste heat to the atmosphere.

In a recent project, we identified a need for cooling towers to dissipate waste heat — that is, heat which, for various reasons, cannot be utilized for district heating. In this case, we are dealing with wet cooling towers with forced air circulation.

To understand how cooling towers function, we — in addition to reading a lot of literature and speaking with cooling tower suppliers — built a model of a wet cooling tower in Modelica. The goal was to use this knowledge when advising our clients.

Hopefully, this article also provides a small insight into how we work in a model-based way at Added Values when we need to familiarize ourselves with a new topic.