US20250027731A1

US20250027731A1 - Support for a supporting beam of a cooling tower

Info

Publication number: US20250027731A1
Application number: US18/775,415
Authority: US
Inventors: Frank Dirkskötter
Original assignee: Hewitech GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Hewitech GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 2023-07-20
Filing date: 2024-07-17
Publication date: 2025-01-23
Also published as: DE102023119246B4; DE102023119246A1; EP4495528A1

Abstract

The support (18) for a supporting beam (14) of a cooling tower (10) for supporting installation packages (20) of grid or foil mats (22) for cooling a useful fluid, such as water vapor, by a working fluid, such as sprayed water, is provided with a grid plate (16) having a top side for supporting installation packages (20) and having a bottom side, wherein the grid plate (16) comprises protruding encompassing projections (28) on its bottom side with an intermediate space therebetween to receive a supporting beam (14), with the encompassing projections (28) arranged on both sides of the supporting beam (14).

Description

The present application claims priority of the German patent application 10 2023 119 246.9 filed on Jul. 20, 2023, the content thereof is herewith incorporated by reference and belongs to the disclosure of the present application.
The invention relates to a support for a supporting beam for supporting structured packages and installation packages, respectively, for e.g. cooling in cooling towers, for scrubbers and for water treatment, in particular wastewater treatment (including trickling filters and submerged fixed beds).
Cooling towers, in particular those of power plants and including those for industrial cooling, are used to cool the cooling water, which in turn is used to cool various components and plant components. To improve the cooling effect, cooling towers have installation packages made of grid or foil mats, which typically provide improved cooling of the water vapor using the counterflow principle. The installation packages are typically stored on supporting beams inside the cooling tower with the grid or foil mats oriented upright.
A cooler comprising a support for grid or foil packages carried on individual beams is disclosed in WO-A-2018/144857. U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,165 and DE-T-69319761 both relate to floor constructions with beams carrying individual floor plates.
An object of the invention is to further improve the storage of structured packages and of installation packages, respectively, in e.g. cooling towers, scrubbers and in the wastewater sector.
The object is achieved with the invention proposing a support for a supporting beam, e.g. of a cooling tower, a scrubber or a fixed bed in water treatment for supporting installation packages of grid or foil mats for cooling and treatment of a useful fluid, such as water vapor, by a working fluid, such as sprayed water, the support being provided with

- a grid plate having a top side for supporting installation packages and having a bottom side,
- wherein the grid plate comprises protruding encompassing projections on its bottom side with an intermediate space therebetween to receive one supporting beam, with the encompassing projections arranged on both sides of the supporting beam.

In the following, the invention is described with reference to its application in a cooling tower.
According to the invention, a grid plate is used as a support, which typically has two groups of grid struts extending at right angles to each other, preferably in the form of grid strut strips extending on edge. The top side of such a grid plate is used to support an installation package partially supported on the grid plate.
The bottom side of the grid plate is provided with protruding encompassing projections between which an intermediate space is formed that serves to receive a supporting beam. The encompassing projections are located on both sides of the supporting beam and as close as possible to it, preferably making contact with both sides of the supporting beam. This results in an enlarged support surface on the supporting beams. The grid plates placed on two adjacent supporting beams do not necessarily span the entire area between the two supporting beams; rather, a free space is preferably left between the facing edges of the grid plates supported on two adjacent supporting beams. The installation packages “span” said free space.
In an expedient configuration of the invention, it may be provided that the encompassing projections are formed as grid struts extended in sections or continuously over the bottom side of the grid plate.
In a further expedient configuration of the invention, it may be provided that the encompassing projections are connected to the grid struts by means of gusset plate-like connections and are thus reinforced.
In a further expedient configuration of the invention, it may be provided that the grid plate comprises plastic.
In a further expedient configuration of the invention, it may be provided that the grid plate comprises grid struts extending at right angles to each another.
In a further expedient configuration of the invention, it may be provided that the grid plate comprises a fiber-reinforced plastic.
In a further expedient configuration of the invention, it may be provided that the grid plate is formed as a profile body.
In a further expedient configuration of the invention, it may be provided that the encompassing projections are clipped from the bottom side of the grid plate to the latter or are integrally formed therewith.

The invention is described in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment and with reference to the drawing. In detail, the Figures show:

FIG. 1 schematically shows the structure of a cooling tower in its inside, and

FIG. 2 shows different views on a grid plate.

FIG. 1 schematically shows the inner structure of a cooling tower 10, which is arranged on a frame 12 above a sump (not shown). In the lower area of cooling tower 10, there are supporting beams 14 extending parallel to each other. Grid plates 16 are arranged on said supporting beams 14, which are supported thereon to enlarge support 18 for the installation packages of grid or foil mats 22 indicated at 20.
FIG. 2 shows different views of grid plate 16. It comprises a top side 24 as a support for the installation packages 20 and a bottom side 26. Encompassing projections 28 protrude from bottom side 26, which in this exemplary embodiment are formed as an extension of two central grid struts 30. There is an intermediate space 32 between said encompassing projections, which serves to receive a supporting beam 14. The two encompassing projections 28 are then located on both sides of supporting beam 14 and, in particular, in contact with the side surfaces of supporting beam 14.
They are stabilized by triangular gusset plate-like stiffening formations 34 between bottom side 26 of grid plate 16 and the outer sides of the encompassing projections 28.
Water vapor from the cooling water introduced into cooling tower 10 from below rises; sprayed water is introduced from above (not shown) and runs down the grid or foil mats 22, increasing the surface area inside the installation packages 20, where it comes into contact with the water vapor to cool it.
A supporting beam as defined by the invention also includes supporting legs that are successively arranged in alignment along a row. The encompassing projections encompass the supporting legs on two opposite sides or on all sides.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

- 10 cooling tower
- 12 frame
- 14 supporting beam
- 16 grid plate
- 18 support
- 20 installation packages
- 22 grid or foil mat
- 24 top side
- 26 bottom side
- 28 encompassing projections
- 30 grid struts
- 32 intermediate space
- 34 stiffening formation

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A support for a supporting beam, e.g. of a cooling tower for supporting installation packages of grid or foil mats for cooling a useful fluid, such as water vapor, by a working fluid, such as sprayed water, comprising

a grid plate having a top side for supporting installation packages and having a bottom side,

wherein the grid plate comprises protruding encompassing projections on its bottom side with an intermediate space therebetween to receive a supporting beam, with the encompassing projections arranged on both sides of the supporting beam.

2. The support according to claim 1, characterized in that the encompassing projections are formed as grid struts extended in sections or continuously over the bottom side of the grid plate.

3. The support according to claim 1, characterized in that the encompassing projections are connected to the grid struts by means of gusset plate-like connections or junction plate-like connections and are thus reinforced.

4. The support according to claim 1, characterized in that the grid plate comprises plastic.

5. The support according to claim 1, characterized in that the grid plate comprises grid struts extending at right angles to each another.

6. The support according to claim 1, characterized in that the grid plate comprises a fiber-reinforced plastic.

7. The support according to claim 1, characterized in that the grid plate is formed as a profile body.

8. The support according to claim 1, characterized in that the encompassing projections are clipped with the bottom side of the grid plate or are integrally formed with the bottom side of the grid plate.