Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Cooling towers are heat rejection systems that cool water by evaporating a small portion of it into a moving air stream.
Specific terminology is used to define the performance and temperature changes of the water.
Detailed Explanation:
Let us define the key terms used in cooling tower engineering:
- Range of Cooling Tower (D): This is the difference between the temperature of the hot water entering the cooling tower (\(T_{\text{in}}\)) and the cold water leaving it (\(T_{\text{out}}\)):
\[ \text{Range} = T_{\text{in}} - T_{\text{out}} \]
It represents the total amount of cooling achieved by the tower.
- Approach of Cooling Tower (A): This is the difference between the temperature of the cold water leaving the tower (\(T_{\text{out}}\)) and the wet-bulb temperature of the ambient air (\(T_{\text{wb}}\)):
\[ \text{Approach} = T_{\text{out}} - T_{\text{wb}} \]
This value indicates how close the tower's performance is to the theoretical thermodynamic limit (wet-bulb temperature).
Therefore, the difference between the entering and leaving water temperatures is defined as the Range.
Step 2: Final Answer:
The difference between the entering and leaving water temperatures is called the Range of cooling tower.