Advanced Multi-Purpose Multistage Evaporative Cold Water/Cold Air Generating and Supply System

Abstract

This discloses apparatuses for industrial or commercial cooling (or any other cooling) using staged cooling towers to evaporatively reach temperatures below the wet bulb temperature of the ambient air. Methods for using such apparatuses are disclosed as well.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A system comprising:
 a initial-stage (IS) cooling assembly that comprises a cooling tower having:
 an ambient air inlet without an associated heat exchanger, 
 an air outlet, 
 a cooling fluid reservoir disposed near a bottom of the IS cooling tower; 
 and 
 a fan dedicated to the IS cooling tower, and configured to move air through the IS cooling tower, 
   a final-stage (FS) cooling assembly that comprises a cooling tower having:
 an air inlet, 
 an air outlet, 
 a cooling fluid reservoir disposed near a bottom of the FS cooling tower, 
 a fan dedicated to the FS cooling tower, and configured to move air first through the FS air-inlet heat exchanger then the FS cooling tower, 
 a heat exchanger at the air inlet of the FS cooling tower; and 
 a variable flow cooling fluid pump that is adapted to pump cold cooling fluid through FS supply piping; 
   
       wherein
 the IS cooling fluid reservoir at least connects to one or more of the following heat exchangers:
 the FS air-inlet heat exchanger; 
 and 
 an optional mid-stage (MS) air-inlet heat exchanger; 
 
 wherein warmed cooling fluid returns directly to wet media of the IS cooling tower and to the IS cooling fluid reservoir for reuse, 
 
       wherein
 the FS cooling fluid reservoir connects to a primary cooling load and optionally one or more additional cooling loads and warmed cooling fluid returns directly to wet media of the FS cooling tower and returns to the FS cooling fluid reservoir for reuse. 
 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21  further comprising at least one pump connected between the IS cooling fluid reservoir and the two or more heat exchangers. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 22  where in the at least one pump is a variable-speed pump. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23  wherein at least one fan is a variable-speed fan. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 24  wherein the computer-based command-and-control system is configured to monitor at least one cooling parameter. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 25  wherein the cooling parameter is air temperature and is measured at the primary cooling load. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 26  wherein the computer-based command-and-control system is configured to control at least one of the IS fan or the FS fan. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 26  additionally comprising:
 the MS cooling assembly that comprises a cooling tower having:
 an air inlet, 
 an air outlet, 
 a cooling fluid reservoir disposed near a bottom of the MS cooling tower, 
 a fan dedicated to the MS cooling tower, and configured to move air first through the MS air-inlet heat exchanger then the MS cooling tower, 
 a heat exchanger at the air inlet of the MS cooling tower, 
 and 
 a cooling fluid pump that is adapted to pump cold cooling fluid through MS supply piping; 
 
 
       wherein the MS cooling fluid reservoir connects at least to one or more of the following heat exchangers:
 the FS air-inlet heat exchanger; 
 and 
 an MS air inlet heat exchanger serving the air inlet of another optional MS cooling tower; 
 
       and 
       wherein warmed cooling fluid returns directly to wet media of the MS cooling tower and to the MS cooling fluid reservoir for reuse. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 28  further comprising at least one variable-speed pump connected between the IS cooling fluid reservoir, the MS cooling fluid reservoir, or the FS cooling fluid reservoir and the primary cooling load. 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 29  wherein the computer-based command-and-control system adjusts a IS variable-speed fan, an MS variable-speed fan, or a FS variable-speed fan. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 30  wherein the computer-based command-and-control system is adapted to adjust fan speed in response to a monitored parameter. 
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 31  wherein the computer-based command-and-control system is adapted to adjust cooling tower pump speed in response to the monitored parameter. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 30  wherein the computer-based command-and-control system runs software that monitors cooling parameters and optimizes cooling by modifying cooling controls. 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 33  wherein the computer-based command and control system is a programmable logic controller. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 33  wherein the IS cooling fluid reservoir additionally connects to a heat exchanger serving a cooling load other than the MS or FS air-inlet heat exchangers. 
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 33  wherein
 the MS cooling fluid reservoir additionally connects to a heat exchanger serving a cooling load other than the MS or FS air-inlet heat exchangers; 
 or 
 the FS cooling fluid reservoir additionally connects to a heat exchanger serving a cooling load other than the primary cooling load. 
 
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 33  wherein the IS cooling tower, the MS cooling tower, or the FS cooling tower further comprises an energy recovery system connected to the cooling tower air outlets. 
     
     
         38 . The system of  claim 37  wherein the primary cooling load is a comfort cooling load or a process cooling load. 
     
     
         39 . The system of  claim 21  wherein the primary cooling load is a comfort cooling load or a process cooling load. 
     
     
         40 . The system of  claim 21  wherein the IS cooling tower or the FS cooling tower is selected from cross-flow or counter-flow cooling towers.