EXERGY ANALYSIS OF COUNTER FLOW FORCED DRAFT WET COOLING TOWER (CASE STUDY OF PORT HARCOURT REFINERY)

This study evaluated the exergy analysis of the mechanical forced draft counter flow of the Port Harcourt Refinery cooling towers. The exergy analysis was carried out using the exergy destruction method. The results of the investigation and optimization show that the exergy destruction increases with the increases in mass flow rates of the cooling water, makeup water, and Air. Also, exergy destruction decreases with the decreases in Humidity Ratio, Heat sink Temperature, and Relative Humidity of Air. The optimal values of exergy efficiency of (0.7899[-]) and exergy destruction of (42135[W]]) obtained gave the expected minimum values of mass flows rates of Air (2185kg/s), Makeup water (79.33 (kg/s) and cooling water (4781 (kg/s).