The air cooling tower in the air separation equipment is the core device of the air pre cooling system, which runs through the entire process of air separation and directly affects the efficiency, energy consumption, and safety of the entire device.
Cooling, the air cooling tower reduces the temperature of high-temperature compressed air (usually 120-160 ℃) to 30-40 ℃ through heat exchange, approaching room temperature. This process is based on the principle of countercurrent contact: cooling water sprays down from the top of the tower and comes into full contact with compressed air entering from the bottom of the tower. The heat in the air is transferred to the cooling water through sensible heat and latent heat of evaporation, thereby reducing its own temperature. Cooling can significantly reduce the load on subsequent molecular sieve adsorbers, improve adsorption efficiency, and reduce the total energy consumption of the air separation system.
Dehumidification causes a decrease in air temperature leading to an increase in relative humidity, and some water vapor condenses into liquid water, which is discharged outside the tower along with the cooling water. This process can prevent moisture from entering subsequent low-temperature equipment (such as a cold box) and causing freezing blockage, while reducing the self clearing burden of the switching heat exchanger.
Pre treatment, the air cooling tower cleans mechanical impurities (such as dust and oil) and acidic substances (such as CO ₂ and SO ₂) in the air through gas-liquid contact, providing more stable inlet conditions for the molecular sieve purification system. The design of the packing layer or tray extends the gas-liquid contact time and enhances the heat and mass exchange efficiency.
