A cooling tower is a special heat exchanger in which air and water are brought into direct contact with each other to reduce the temperature of the water. When water and air come into contact with each other in the cooling tower, a small volume of water in the cooling tower evaporates, reducing the temperature of the water circulating in the cooling tower. Water heated in an industrial operating process or in an air conditioning condenser is transmitted to the cooling tower through pipes. As the water flows through the cooling tower, it is exposed to air drawn from the cooling tower by the electric motor fan. When water and air meet in the cooling tower, a small amount of water evaporates, creating a cooling effect. The cooled water is then pumped back to the condenser or process equipment where it absorbs heat. It will then be pumped back to the cooling tower to be cooled once again. Our equipment that provides this cooling process is the cooling tower.

Cooling Tower Usage Areas

Cooling towers are used primarily for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and industrial purposes. Cooling towers ensure that systems requiring cooling operate in a cost-effective and energy efficient manner.1. Cooling towers are commonly used to cool industrial facilities 2. Cooling towers are commonly used in HVAC systems in large office buildings, schools and hospitals. 3. Cooling towers are used in industrial cooling to remove absorbed heat in circulating cooling water systems used in power plants, oil refineries, petrochemical plants, natural gas processing plants, food processing plants and other industrial facilities.

Cooling Tower Types According to Flow Types

Cross Flow Cooling Tower 

Cross-flow cooling towers get their name because the air they use cuts the water flow vertically. Cross-flow cooling towers use cooling tower fills that allow air drawn from the outside to flow horizontally through the cooling tower.

Cross Flow Cooling Tower Advantages

Cross-flow cooling towers offer a great height advantage. They are one of the easiest cooling tower models to maintain. They use gravity to assist air-to-water contact, so smaller cooling tower process pumps may be used in the system to be delivered to the cooling tower. Because their sprays are unpressurized, they allow for more variable water flow. These cooling towers provide easy maintenance and low operating costs during use.

Disadvantages of Cross Flow Cooling Towers

Since the fillings of cross-flow water cooling towers that provide heat transfer are open to the outside environment, the risk of freezing is higher than counter-flow water cooling towers. The fillings of cross-flow cooling towers are more affected by the external environment than counter-flow cooling towers. Especially in windy, sandy and dusty regions, the filling is more likely to be clogged with dirt or debris.

Counterflow Cooling Tower

Counterflow cooling towers are so named because air and water enter the cooling tower from opposite ends. In a counterflow cooling tower, as in a crossflow cooling tower, water flows down from the top of the cooling tower. However, in this case the air moves vertically from the bottom of the cooling tower upwards through the heat exchanger.

Advantages of Counterflow Cooling Towers

Counter-flow cooling towers require smaller footprint in size than cross-flow cooling towers, which means they sometimes provide greater efficiency for the counter-flow cooling tower. Due to the water distribution system of the counter-flow water cooling tower, they offer greater resistance to freezing than cross-flow towers. They make heat transfer more efficient on a large surface area with the pressurized water distribution system they produce.

Disadvantages of Counterflow Cooling Towers

The greater energy expenditures and larger pumps required to push air against the water flow in a counterflow cooling tower can also lead to operational inefficiencies and increased electric bills. Counterflow cooling towers also sometimes struggle with variable water flow, as it can interfere with the spraying capabilities of the tower.

Natural Draft Cooling Towers

Air flows naturally through the cooling tower, and differences in air density create specific movement patterns.

The cold, dry air flowing into the cooling tower is less dense than the warm, moist air flowing out after contact with hot water, so warm air naturally rises while cold air falls. These movements create a stable, continuous air circulation pattern that helps cool incoming water and release heat. Natural draft cooling towers often feature steep chimney architecture to increase natural vertical airflow.

A particularly effective type of natural draft cooling tower is the hyperbolic cooling tower. These cooling towers use a chimney stacking design to allow dry, cold outside air to push out warm, moist air. The base of the cooling tower contains splash pad, and the cold air moving upward cools the water sprayed onto it.

You can contact us to get more detailed information about the cooling tower.