Patent ID: 8585024

Claim:
A cooling tower for the cooling of water, comprising: an outer shell having a plurality of legs attached thereto, said outer shell having a length and a width; a volume of fill material disposed within said outer shell, for passage of water vertically downward therethrough; a means for distributing water across an upper surface of said fill material; a means for moving air vertically upward through said fill material; and a water collection system disposed below said fill material, comprising: a plurality of upper troughs substantially spanning said width of said outer shell, forming a first layer of troughs; and a plurality of lower troughs substantially spanning said width of said outer shell, forming a second layer of troughs disposed below said upper troughs and substantially parallel to said upper troughs; one or more elongated dividers positioned above said lower troughs and substantially parallel to said lower troughs; and a plurality of pairs of elongated hinged baffles disposed substantially parallel to said upper and lower troughs and between said upper and lower troughs, and movable between a first position wherein said baffles cover the s aces between an upper trough and adjacent lower troughs below said upper trough, and a second position wherein said baffles are rotated upward to uncover said space.