Evaporative cooling devices, systems, and methods

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices for evaporative cooling include one or more heat exchanger coils, one or more evaporative pads external to the one or more heat exchanger coils, and one or more nozzle assemblies external to the one or more evaporative pads. The one or more nozzle assemblies can be coupled to a supply of liquid and configured to provide the liquid to at least one of the one or more evaporative pads. A basin can be configured to collect a portion of liquid from the one or more evaporative pads, and an injector disposed between the supply of liquid and the one or more nozzle assemblies. The injector includes a first inlet coupled to the supply of liquid, a second inlet coupled to the basin, and an outlet coupled to the one or more nozzle assemblies.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cooling system, comprising:
 one or more heat exchanger coils;   one or more evaporative pads external to the one or more heat exchanger coils;   one or more nozzle assemblies external to the one or more evaporative pads, the one or more nozzle assemblies being coupled to a supply of liquid and configured to provide the liquid to at least one of the one or more evaporative pads;   a basin configured to collect a portion of liquid from the one or more evaporative pads; and   an injector disposed between the supply of liquid and the one or more nozzle assemblies, the injector comprising a first inlet coupled to the supply of liquid, a second inlet coupled to the basin, and an outlet coupled to the one or more nozzle assemblies.   
     
     
         2 . The cooling system of  claim 1 , wherein the injector comprises a venturi coupled to the first and second inlets and the outlet, the venturi configured to receive a flow of liquid through the first inlet; draw in a fluid through the second inlet; form a mixture of the liquid from the first inlet and the fluid from the second inlet; and discharge the mixture through the outlet of the injector. 
     
     
         3 . The cooling system of  claim 2 , wherein the injector is configured to draw air from the basin. 
     
     
         4 . The cooling system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more nozzle assemblies comprises one or more electrostatic spray nozzles. 
     
     
         5 . The cooling system of  claim 4 , wherein the one or more electrostatic spray nozzles is configured to distribute the liquid with an electrostatic charge to the one or more evaporative pads. 
     
     
         6 . The cooling system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more nozzle assemblies comprises one or more drip nozzles, misting nozzles, drip emitters, or drip headers. 
     
     
         7 . The cooling system of  claim 2 , further comprising a controller communicably coupled to a flow control valve coupled to the first inlet of the injector. 
     
     
         8 . The cooling system of  claim 7 , wherein the controller is configured to perform operations comprising operating the flow control valve to control a flow rate of the supply of liquid to the injector. 
     
     
         9 . The cooling system of  claim 7 , further comprising a flow meter communicably coupled to the controller and configured to measure a flow rate of the liquid downstream of the injector. 
     
     
         10 . The cooling system of  claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to perform operations comprising operating the flow control valve to adjust the flow rate of the supply of liquid based at least in part on the measured flow rate of the liquid. 
     
     
         11 . The cooling system of  claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to perform operations comprising operating the flow control valve to adjust the flow rate of the supply of liquid to be less than the measured flow rate. 
     
     
         12 . The cooling system of  claim 7 , wherein the controller is configured to perform operations comprising adjusting a flow rate of the supply of liquid based at least in part on an expected rate of evaporation of the liquid from the one or more evaporative pads. 
     
     
         13 . The cooling system of  claim 1 , further comprising a check valve coupled between the basin and the second inlet and configured to prevent the supply of liquid from flowing into the basin through the second inlet. 
     
     
         14 . The cooling system of  claim 1 , further comprising a filter coupled between the basin and the second inlet of the injector. 
     
     
         15 . The cooling system of  claim 14 , wherein the filter comprises a calcium filter. 
     
     
         16 . A method of operating a cooling system, comprising:
 operating a cooling system that comprises one or more heat exchanger coils, one or more evaporative pads external to the one or more heat exchanger coils, one or more nozzle assemblies external to the one or more evaporative pads, a basin positioned adjacent the one or more evaporative pads, and an injector disposed between a supply of a first fluid and the one or more nozzle assemblies, the injector comprising a first inlet coupled to the supply of the first fluid, a second inlet coupled to the basin, and an outlet coupled to the one or more nozzle assemblies;   providing a liquid from the one or more nozzle assemblies to at least one of the one or more evaporative pads;   collecting at least a portion of the liquid from at least one of the one or more evaporative pads in the basin;   providing a flow of the first fluid into the first inlet of the injector;   drawing a second fluid from the basin into the second inlet; and   discharging a mixture of the first fluid and the second fluid as the liquid through an outlet of the injector to the one or more nozzle assemblies.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the first fluid comprises air, and the second fluid comprises water. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the first fluid comprises water. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the one or more nozzle assemblies comprise drip nozzles, and the method further comprises distributing the liquid to the one or more evaporative pads through the drip nozzles of the one or more nozzle assemblies. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the one or more nozzle assemblies comprise electrostatic spray nozzles, and the method further comprises distributing the liquid with an electrostatic charge to the one or more evaporative pads. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising controlling a flow of the first fluid into the first inlet of the injector using a flow control valve communicably coupled to a controller. 
     
     
         22 . A liquid injection assembly for an adiabatic gas cooling system comprising:
 one or more nozzle assemblies external to one or more evaporative pads, the one or more nozzle assemblies configured to provide a liquid to at least one of the one or more evaporative pads;   a basin configured to collect a portion of liquid from the one or more evaporative pads; and   an eductor disposed between a supply of a first fluid and the one or more nozzle assemblies, the eductor comprising a first inlet coupled to the supply of the first fluid, a second inlet coupled to the basin, and an outlet coupled to the one or more nozzle assemblies.   
     
     
         23 . The liquid injection assembly of  claim 22 , wherein the eductor comprises a venturi coupled to the first and second inlets and the outlet, the venturi configured to receive a flow of the first fluid through the first inlet; draw in a second fluid through the second inlet; form a mixture of the first fluid and the second fluid; and discharge the mixture through the outlet of the eductor. 
     
     
         24 . The liquid injection assembly of  claim 23 , wherein the eductor is configured to draw air from the basin. 
     
     
         25 . The liquid injection assembly of  claim 22 , wherein the one or more nozzle assemblies comprises one or more electrostatic spray nozzles. 
     
     
         26 . The liquid injection assembly of  claim 25 , wherein the one or more electrostatic spray nozzles is configured to distribute the liquid with an electrostatic charge to the one or more evaporative pads. 
     
     
         27 . The liquid injection assembly of  claim 22 , wherein the one or more nozzle assemblies comprises one or more drip nozzles. 
     
     
         28 . The liquid injection assembly of  claim 24 , further comprising a check valve coupled between the basin and the second inlet and configured to prevent the first fluid from flowing into the basin through the second inlet. 
     
     
         29 . The liquid injection assembly of  claim 28 , further comprising a filter coupled between the basin and the second inlet of the eductor. 
     
     
         30 . The liquid injection assembly of  claim 29 , wherein the filter comprises a calcium filter.