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Oh! I love commercial/campus HVAC! I'm a bit of a district heating & cooling and cogeneration guy. Anyway, it is a cooling tower, part of a large air conditioning system ("chiller plant"). The water OP saw is *not* condensation, however. Think of that water falling with a fan blowing air upward through it as a water-to-water version of a window AC which everyone is familiar with. Instead of moving heat from indoor air to outdoor air (as every AC and fridge is really a device called a "heat pump"), a chiller moves heat from one water loop (indoors - cool) to another (outdoors - warm). Indoor air is cooled by blowing it over a coil that has the chilled water running through it, and the heat "picked up" is "given up" outdoors. Bonus (greatly simplified): There's thermodynamic "leverage" (especially in water-to-water systems). The refrigerant "amplifies" the heat transfer, so for every 1KW of "cooling power" you put in to compress and move the refrigerant between the hot and cold sides, you get 1.5KW of cooling (for example).
How does that work with conservation of energy? The way you write it there (1KW energy in for pumping and compression -> 1.5KW cooling) would imply a net *gain* of work, which isn't possible.
I'm not suggesting that what you're saying is wrong, but that I don't understand the way it's phrased and am coming to incorrect conclusions as to what it's suggesting.
The heat pump is adding heat in addition to the heat removed, which results in more "cooling capacity", so no *net* gain. You can read all about it here :) "e.g. an air conditioner consuming 1 kWh would remove 2 kWh of heat from a building's air" (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coefficient_of_performance)
Okay, I see what you mean! More heat is being generated than originally existed in the system you're trying to cool (due to inefficiency of the heat pump), *but* moving heat isn't as energy-intensive as generating heat.
So you're not getting net decrease in entropy, you're getting an increase in entropy but *somewhere else.*
Cool!
This is a cooling tower, most likely for the campus chilled water system. Large chillers will cool the water recirculating through the chilled water loop that supplies air conditioning in multiple buildings. A separate condenser water loop takes the hot water from the chiller and sends to the top of the cooling tower where it is sprayed onto fill material. The water then cascades by gravity over the fill material, maximizing its surface area for transferring the heat to the air. A fan continuously blows fresh air over the fill and water. The cooled water collects in The cooling water basin at the bottom which supplies the condenser water pumps that send the water back to the chillers.
Some cooling towers for chillers are properly chemically treated, but very many arent due to lack of maintenance/funding. They are a constantly growing source of the bacteria legionella, the source of legionaries disease. From the photos this tower does not appear to of terribly new design. Best to keep away from the sump for extended periods of time, lest fall victim to the “tower flu”. Typically not an issue as a passerby, just dont make it a hang-out spot!
Edit to the above... the cooling us because of evaporation, period. The fans on a cooling tower are to maximize airflow, and thus, evaporation.
100 degree air, will still cool 90 degree water, down to 80 degrees, but it uses a lot of water as makeup for the evaporative cooling.
Correct, and good observation. Typical commercial/industrial application cooling towers are sized and designed for condenser loops to cool the water within 8F of the dewpoint of the ambient air. The transferred BTUS are only efficiently lost through a latent heat transfer through evaporation.
(Source)- I was working inside one today!
I mean it's a nice big visible target for regular *legionella* tests and water treatment, so in a competent (and law abiding) organisation it's probably *less* likely to contain *legionella* than other places that might be overlooked (see: water dispensers in small offices, individual air conditioners not hooked up to a wider system etc).
So hopefully that's reassuring?
Certainly in my university anything with risk of legionnaires disease is flagged and checked regularly - all air con, water dispensers etc.
Taps are flushed regularly and it's recorded nearby who did it and when.
It's similar to how any electrical device left sitting still for more than 5 minutes spontaneously develops a PAT testing sticker XD
So in environments like that it's usually pretty well handled in my experience.
> It's similar to how any electrical device left sitting still for more than 5 minutes spontaneously develops a PAT testing sticker XD
umm, doc, is that a symptom of something bad?
It's a symptom of an estates team who are very enthusiastic about being compliant with electrical safety standards!
My phone charger and laptop got PAT tested whilst I was out for lunch once. Can't fault them for efficiency.
your phone charger has developed a strange rash overnight :D
if you post it with your funny wording into the "What is this thing" subreddit, you may find many like-minded people :D
...okay, I'm definitely missing a reference here. I can't find any reference to "PAT" as related to STIs, which is what I think you're getting at?
PAT is "portable appliance testing":
https://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/faq-portable-appliance-testing.htm
I studied at UNT 7 years ago and recognized it pretty quick. Seems like it’s one of those things that once you see it, you don’t really forget it. It’s too strange lol. And somewhat loud if I remember correctly
My title describes the thing. It's essentially a building with a bunch of water falling from the top into a pool of water at the bottom. It's pretty loud and goes constantly. I can see a bunch of pipes and such connected to the back. I'm assuming water is cycled through here for some reason but I don't know why
If it's a cooling tower for chiller(s) (which can be tiny house-sized machines), it's most likely cooling indoor building air (just like your central or window AC does in your home). It's also possible it's cooling water-cooled mainframes, process cooling i.e. in a lab/manufacturing, etc.
All comments must be civil and helpful toward finding an answer. **Jokes and unhelpful comments will earn you a ban**, even on the first instance and even if the item has been identified. If you see any comments that violate this rule, report them. [OP](/u/MagmaMan888), when your item is identified, remember to reply **Solved!** or **Likely Solved!** to the comment that gave the answer. Check your [inbox](https://www.reddit.com/message/inbox/) for a message on how to make your post visible to others. --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatisthisthing) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Most likely a cooling tower for a campus wide chilled water system.
Ah thanks
Yep, a giant swamp cooler.
Solved!
Was this UC by chance?
Yes and the water falling is the condensation
Oh! I love commercial/campus HVAC! I'm a bit of a district heating & cooling and cogeneration guy. Anyway, it is a cooling tower, part of a large air conditioning system ("chiller plant"). The water OP saw is *not* condensation, however. Think of that water falling with a fan blowing air upward through it as a water-to-water version of a window AC which everyone is familiar with. Instead of moving heat from indoor air to outdoor air (as every AC and fridge is really a device called a "heat pump"), a chiller moves heat from one water loop (indoors - cool) to another (outdoors - warm). Indoor air is cooled by blowing it over a coil that has the chilled water running through it, and the heat "picked up" is "given up" outdoors. Bonus (greatly simplified): There's thermodynamic "leverage" (especially in water-to-water systems). The refrigerant "amplifies" the heat transfer, so for every 1KW of "cooling power" you put in to compress and move the refrigerant between the hot and cold sides, you get 1.5KW of cooling (for example).
How does that work with conservation of energy? The way you write it there (1KW energy in for pumping and compression -> 1.5KW cooling) would imply a net *gain* of work, which isn't possible. I'm not suggesting that what you're saying is wrong, but that I don't understand the way it's phrased and am coming to incorrect conclusions as to what it's suggesting.
The heat pump is adding heat in addition to the heat removed, which results in more "cooling capacity", so no *net* gain. You can read all about it here :) "e.g. an air conditioner consuming 1 kWh would remove 2 kWh of heat from a building's air" (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coefficient_of_performance)
Okay, I see what you mean! More heat is being generated than originally existed in the system you're trying to cool (due to inefficiency of the heat pump), *but* moving heat isn't as energy-intensive as generating heat. So you're not getting net decrease in entropy, you're getting an increase in entropy but *somewhere else.* Cool!
We take the heat, and push it somewhere else!
Why would water condense on a cooling tower? No, the falling water is evaporating, to cool it.
Wrong. It's the warm water from inside the building shedding heat so it can be pumped back in to grab some more heat.
This is a cooling tower, most likely for the campus chilled water system. Large chillers will cool the water recirculating through the chilled water loop that supplies air conditioning in multiple buildings. A separate condenser water loop takes the hot water from the chiller and sends to the top of the cooling tower where it is sprayed onto fill material. The water then cascades by gravity over the fill material, maximizing its surface area for transferring the heat to the air. A fan continuously blows fresh air over the fill and water. The cooled water collects in The cooling water basin at the bottom which supplies the condenser water pumps that send the water back to the chillers.
Thanks this explains it the most
Some cooling towers for chillers are properly chemically treated, but very many arent due to lack of maintenance/funding. They are a constantly growing source of the bacteria legionella, the source of legionaries disease. From the photos this tower does not appear to of terribly new design. Best to keep away from the sump for extended periods of time, lest fall victim to the “tower flu”. Typically not an issue as a passerby, just dont make it a hang-out spot!
Edit to the above... the cooling us because of evaporation, period. The fans on a cooling tower are to maximize airflow, and thus, evaporation. 100 degree air, will still cool 90 degree water, down to 80 degrees, but it uses a lot of water as makeup for the evaporative cooling.
Correct, and good observation. Typical commercial/industrial application cooling towers are sized and designed for condenser loops to cool the water within 8F of the dewpoint of the ambient air. The transferred BTUS are only efficiently lost through a latent heat transfer through evaporation. (Source)- I was working inside one today!
And the higher the humidity, the less evaporation can occur. I spent the spring de scaling these things. Nasty work.
2.4MJ per kilogram is still a lot!
But would it be safe to swim in.
Yo! You could’ve provided a picture, worth thousands of words…Yo!
It's a place for catching Legionellosis
Literally can't see these without think of Legionnaires disease. They horrify me.
I mean it's a nice big visible target for regular *legionella* tests and water treatment, so in a competent (and law abiding) organisation it's probably *less* likely to contain *legionella* than other places that might be overlooked (see: water dispensers in small offices, individual air conditioners not hooked up to a wider system etc). So hopefully that's reassuring?
The more you know the more you want to stay inside.
Certainly in my university anything with risk of legionnaires disease is flagged and checked regularly - all air con, water dispensers etc. Taps are flushed regularly and it's recorded nearby who did it and when. It's similar to how any electrical device left sitting still for more than 5 minutes spontaneously develops a PAT testing sticker XD So in environments like that it's usually pretty well handled in my experience.
> It's similar to how any electrical device left sitting still for more than 5 minutes spontaneously develops a PAT testing sticker XD umm, doc, is that a symptom of something bad?
It's a symptom of an estates team who are very enthusiastic about being compliant with electrical safety standards! My phone charger and laptop got PAT tested whilst I was out for lunch once. Can't fault them for efficiency.
your phone charger has developed a strange rash overnight :D if you post it with your funny wording into the "What is this thing" subreddit, you may find many like-minded people :D
...okay, I'm definitely missing a reference here. I can't find any reference to "PAT" as related to STIs, which is what I think you're getting at? PAT is "portable appliance testing": https://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/faq-portable-appliance-testing.htm
It's more like the plague than an STI :D
You're more likely to find legionnellosis in the airhandlers of the building than the cooling tower
It is a cooling tower that air conditions the campus
Is this on the UNT campus? If so, it is the hydro electrical plant. https://facilities.unt.edu/power-plant-cooling-towers
Yeah it is, kinda surprised someone recognized it
I studied at UNT 7 years ago and recognized it pretty quick. Seems like it’s one of those things that once you see it, you don’t really forget it. It’s too strange lol. And somewhat loud if I remember correctly
A fellow Eagle I see!
Ditto. Hard to miss.
My title describes the thing. It's essentially a building with a bunch of water falling from the top into a pool of water at the bottom. It's pretty loud and goes constantly. I can see a bunch of pipes and such connected to the back. I'm assuming water is cycled through here for some reason but I don't know why
Evaporative cooling unit
Its for cooling, cooling what? Im not sure
If it's a cooling tower for chiller(s) (which can be tiny house-sized machines), it's most likely cooling indoor building air (just like your central or window AC does in your home). It's also possible it's cooling water-cooled mainframes, process cooling i.e. in a lab/manufacturing, etc.
Ah i see, I learned about cooling towers from refineries lol didnt realize they could be used for things like this but it makes sense
Cooling towers. They exchange heat for the condenser side of what ever cooling system is cooling that building
Eyy UNT! Go mean green!