Relationship Between Evaporation, Blowdown, and Makeup

The operation of cooling towers c a n be described by t h e relationship between evaporation, blow down, a n d
makeup. Makeup water must equal blow down water plus water evaporation to maintain a constant
operating water level in t h e system:
E Q U A T I O N : M=B+E
where
M = makeup water, liters/sec (gpm)
B = blow down, liters/sec (gpm) (all sources)
E = evaporation, liters/sec (gpm)
NOTE: Blow down (B) includes discharge to sewer, drift loss, a n d any leaks from t h e system

Cycles of Concentration (COC):

One of t h e common terms used in Describing t h e water u s e efficiency of cooling tower water systems is
COC. COC represents t h e relationship between t h e makeup water quantity a n d blow down quantity.
C O C is a measure of t h e total amount of minerals that is concentrated in t h e cooling tower water relative to
t h e amount of minerals in t h e makeup water or to t h e volume of each type of water. The higher t h e COC, the
greater t h e water u s e efficiency. Most cooling tower systems operate with a COC of 3 to 10, where 3
represents acceptable efficiency a n d 10 represents v e r y good efficiency. It h a s been found that t h e range
of 5 to 7 C O C represents t h e most cost-effective situation.
Calculating COC by Volume:
If both makeup a n d blow down water volumes are known, COC by volume c a n be calculated. The term is
defined as:
E Q U A T I O N : C=MB
where
C = COC, no units
M = makeup water, kg/hr (gpm)
B = blowdown losses, kg/hr (gpm
Determining COC by Water Analyses:
To determine COC, you m u s t k n o w t h e mineral content of both makeup a n d blowdown water. For example,
you m u s t determine both t h e conductivity of t h e recirculating cooling tower water a n d t h e conductivity of
t h e makeup water. (Note that t h e blowdown water will h a v e t h e sameconductivity as t h e recirculating
water.) Conductivity is commonly measured inmicromhos (mhos). You c a n also estimate COC by using
other water quality parameters s u c h as chlorides, silica, or sulfates. The relationship is represented by this
E Q U ATI O N :

Bm h os
BCl
C = ------ or -----Mm h os

M Cl

where
C= COC, no units
Bm h o s = conductivity of blowdown (recirculating water), micromhos(mhos)
Mm h o s = conductivity of makeup water, m h o s
Cl = chlorides in blowdown, ppm
Cl= chlorides in makeup water, p p m

EXAMPLE 4-1:
The measured conductivity of t h e blowdown (recirculating water) is 800
micromhos a n d t h e makeup is 300 micromhos.
The COC is:
C = 800 300 = 2.67

Relationship Between Blowdown, Evaporation, and C O C

t h e cooling water evaporation loss to calculate t h e blowdown rate that m u s t be maintained to operate at a
selected COC. The relationship between blowdown, evaporation, a n d COC is represented with this
equation:
E Q U A T I O N : B = E (C - 1)
where
B = blowdown, liters per d a y or liters per second (gpd or gpm)
E = evaporation, liters per d a y or liters per second (gpd or gpm)
C = COC, no units

How to calculate cycles, blowdown, evaporation, makeup

Here are the governing relationships for the makeup flow rate, the evaporation and windage
losses, the draw-off rate, and the concentration cycles in an evaporative cooling tower system:

In the customary USA units:

M = Make-up water in gal/min
C = Circulating water in gal/min
D = Draw-off water in gal/min
E = Evaporated water in gal/min
W = Windage loss of water in gal/min
X = Concentration in ppmw (of any completely soluble salts usually chlorides)

XM = Concentration of chlorides in make-up water (M), in ppmw

XC = Concentration of chlorides in circulating water (C), in ppmw
Cycles = Cycles of concentration = XC / XM
ppmw = parts per million by weight
A water balance around the entire system is:
M=E+D+W
Since the evaporated water (E) has no salts, a chloride balance around the system is:
M (XM) = D (XC) + W (XC) = XC (D + W)
and, therefore:
XC / XM = Cycles = M / (D + W) = M / (M E) = 1 + {E / (D + W)}
From a simplified heat balance around the cooling tower:
(E) = (C) (T) (cp) / HV
where:
HV = latent heat of vaporization of water = ca. 1,000 Btu/pound
T = water temperature difference from tower top to tower bottom, in F
cp = specific heat of water = 1 Btu/pound/F
Windage losses (W), in the absence of manufacturer's data, may be assumed to be:
W = 0.3 to 1.0 percent of C for a natural draft cooling tower
W = 0.1 to 0.3 percent of C for an induced draft cooling tower
W = about 0.01 percent of C if the cooling tower has windage drift eliminators
Concentration cycles in petroleum refinery cooling towers usually range from 3 to 7. In some
large power plants, the cooling tower concentration cycles may be much higher.
(Note: Draw-off and blowdown are synonymous. Windage and drift are also synonymous.)
In SI metric units:
M = Make-up water in m3/hr
C = Circulating water in m3/hr
D = Draw-off water in m3/hr
E = Evaporated water in m3/hr
W = Windage loss of water in m3/hr
X = Concentration in ppmw (of any completely soluble salts usually chlorides)
XM = Concentration of chlorides in make-up water (M), in ppmw
XC = Concentration of chlorides in circulating water (C), in ppmw
Cycles = Cycles of concentration = XC / XM
ppmw = parts per million by weight
A water balance around the entire system is:
M=E+D+W

Since the evaporated water (E) has no salts, a chloride balance around the system is:
M (XM) = D (XC) + W (XC) = XC (D + W)
and, therefore:
XC / XM = Cycles = M / (D + W) = M / (M E) = 1 + {E / (D + W)}
From a simplified heat balance around the cooling tower:
(E) = (C) (T) (cp) / HV
where:
HV = latent heat of vaporization of water = ca. 2260 kJ / kg
T = water temperature difference from tower top to tower bottom, in C
cp = specific heat of water = 4.184 kJ / kg / C
Windage losses (W), in the absence of manufacturer's data, may be assumed to be:
W = 0.3 to 1.0 percent of C for a natural draft cooling tower
W = 0.1 to 0.3 percent of C for an induced draft cooling tower
W = about 0.01 percent or less of C if the cooling tower has windage drift eliminators
Concentration cycles in petroleum refinery cooling towers usually range from 3 to 7. In some
large power plants, the cooling tower concentration cycles may be much higher.
(Note: Draw-off and blowdown are synonymous. Windage and drift are also synonymous.)