Multi Purpose Multistage Evaporative Cold Water and 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:
 an initial-stage (IS) cooling assembly that comprises an IS 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 pump that is adapted to pump cooling fluid through FS supply piping; 
   
       wherein
 the IS cooling fluid reservoir at least connects to a pre-cooling coil of a primary cooling load and 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  wherein a cooling circuit connects the FS cooling fluid reservoir, the primary cooling load, and a means for supplemental cooling (SCM). 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 22  wherein the SCM comprises:
 thermally driven adsorption chillers supplying water or water-glycol solution; 
 thermally driven absorption supplying water or water-glycol solution; 
 conventional mechanical water chillers; 
 natural cold fluid sources; 
 river water; 
 sea or ocean water; 
 lake water; or 
 geothermal water. 
 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23  further comprising a computer-based command-and-control system that is configured to control the SCM. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 21  additionally comprising:
 an 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 pump that is adapted to pump 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. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 25  wherein the IS cooling tower or the FS cooling tower is selected from cross-flow or counter-flow cooling towers. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 25  wherein the FS cooling fluid reservoir connects to a final cooling coil of the primary cooling load. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 27  wherein a cooling circuit connects the FS cooling fluid reservoir, the primary cooling load, and a means for supplemental cooling (SCM). 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 28  wherein the circuit additionally comprises at least one pump or variable-speed pump. 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 29  further comprising a computer-based command-and-control system that is configured to control the SCM. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 30  wherein the computer-based command-and-control system adjusts an IS variable-speed fan or variable-speed pump, a MS variable-speed fan or variable-speed pump, or a FS variable-speed fan or variable-speed pump. 
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 31  wherein the computer-based command-and-control system is adapted to adjust fan speed in response to a monitored cooling load. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 32  wherein the computer-based command-and-control system is adapted to adjust cooling tower pump speed in response to monitored parameters. 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 33  wherein the computer-based command and control system is a programmable logic controller. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 34  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. 
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 35  further comprising:
 another liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger positioned between the FS cooling tower and the primary cooling load 
 or 
 positioned between the IS cooling tower and the primary cooling load. 
 
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 36  wherein at least
 the IS cooling fluid reservoir connects to 2 or more cooling loads; 
 the MS cooling fluid reservoir connects to 2 or more cooling loads; 
 or 
 the FS cooling fluid reservoir connects to 2 or more cooling loads. 
 
     
     
         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  further comprising another liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger:
 positioned between the FS cooling tower and the primary cooling load 
 and 
 positioned between the IS cooling tower and the primary cooling load. 
 
     
     
         40 . The system of  claim 21  wherein the primary cooling load is a comfort cooling load or a process cooling load.