In preparing this manual, I have attempted the monumental task of bringing together under one cover all the pertinent information necessary to provide a practical approach to the entire subject of fan engineering as it is applied to the cooling tower.

Several factors inspired me to write this manual. First and foremost was the fact that to my knowledge such a practical manual had never been written. Second was the fact that I had to repeat the same answers or to write a letter for the cooling tower engineers whenever I was asked of questions on the fan engineering. The questions for information on this subject were frequently asked to me by cooling tower engineers.

The first step was to arrange all the answering letters corresponded with the cooling tower engineers during that time. To make a systematic view of manual, I had to read and study some hundred or more references scattered through many different sources. Whenever I was unable to resolve the contents of a particular reference, and this did occur several times, I corresponded with the fan engineers of Hudson or author for explanation. This proved most valuable, as all the fan engineers at Hudson were most co-operative.

In addition to the above reference material, I have collected for my own use over the years a vast amount of information of great practical value derived from personal experience in the aircraft design. A great deal of the information contained in this manual has never been published before to my knowledge.

It is intended that this manual be a handbook for the cooling tower engineers and operators. I have tried to present this information so that anyone with a background of designing or operating the cooling tower will have no difficulty in understanding the manual.

Five years have been passed since the publication of the first edition, and only four months have been passed since the publication of the sixth edition. However the amount of changes in the contents has been much greater since then than in the first edition. The inspiration that gave me the enthusiasm needed to produce a seventh edition was probably caused by several factors. KEPCO Anyang Combined Heat & Power Plant had become more concerned about the cooling tower noise control, and some chemical & petrochemical firms had pushed me to suggest a way for the energy saving. Also, the fan failure in operation turned out to be much worse in the summer of 1994 that anyone had imaged. All of these situations caused me to prepare this seventh edition some earlier.

Developing this seventh edition turned out to be enormous amount of work for the engineers. I had to work long stretches of 12-14 hour days for four months, during which time I had to take care of my consulting practice. However, as is always the case, the end result is most rewarding because I believe my efforts will help many people.

I take this opportunity to thank all of cooling tower engineers and operators out who have given the motivation to me. I hope this work will please you. I believe that this will provide an understanding of the basic design criteria to enable you to better evaluate the performance of many designs available. For the readers, one example for the cooling tower thermal design and fan rating is presented throughout this manual for giving enough confidence to you. If any questions on this issue, please feel free to contact me.

September 8, 1994

Chungrok ENC Company
Oick Kwon, Rep. Consultant