19-05: A Fouling and Thermal Performance Test Rig for Cooling Tower Fill

Eskom's coal-fired power stations mostly have natural draft wet cooling towers, where excessive fouling results in maintenance and performance issues. Eskom is planning to replace the asbestos fill in selected cooling towers, and needs to evaluate potential replacement fills. A set of four test rigs have been built that simulate conditions within a natural draft wet cooling tower. Water tapped from a cooling tower is used in the test. Both the fouling and thermal performance of the fills are measured as fouling occurs over time. This paper presents the overall design of the test rig and initial results.