Patent ID: 8136797

Claim:
A cooling tower comprising: an evaporator vessel having an interior adapted to hold a warm liquid that is to be cooled in the evaporator vessel; a gas tube disposed within the evaporator vessel and adapted to transport a cool gas into the interior of the evaporator vessel, the cool gas mixing with the warm liquid in the evaporator vessel allowing heat to transfer from the warm liquid to the cool gas; a weir disposed within the evaporator vessel adjacent to the gas tube; a gas exit port adapted to transport gas from the interior of the evaporator vessel; a warm liquid inlet adapted to supply the warm liquid to the interior of the evaporator vessel; and a level sensor and control that measures a level of the warm liquid within the evaporator vessel and controls a rate of warm liquid supplied into the evaporator vessel through the warm liquid inlet to maintain the warm liquid within the evaporator vessel at a predetermined operating level; wherein the weir includes a first weir end and a second weir end and is disposed within the evaporator vessel to define a first liquid circulation gap between the first weir end and a first wall of the evaporator vessel and to define a second liquid circulation gap between the second weir end and a second wall of the evaporator vessel which enables warm liquid within the evaporator vessel to flow through the first and second circulation gaps when gas is introduced into the evaporator vessel from the gas tube, the second weir end being located at a level that is at or below the predetermined operating level of the warm liquid within the evaporator when gas is introduced into the evaporator vessel through the gas tube causing the warm liquid to flow over the second end of the weir.