A cooling tower is a device for heat removal that uses water to transfer waste heat into the atmosphere. When warm water is mixed with a cooler, the air released after this latent heat of vaporization cause the water to cool.
If you are living in a building and have looked down, you might know that below the building is a square unit with fans on top of it. That is known as a water cooling tower. Now the question is why there is a need for a water cooling tower because no one wants to stay in a place with inadequate air conditioning. A water cooling tower will help build excellent cooling, which will help you enjoy the air. It’s a new form of modernization and innovation.
Purpose of a water cooling tower
A water cooling tower is used for cooling water, and it is used to exchange heat and helps in throwing out heat that is building up in the atmosphere and returning the cold water to the chiller. The cooling tower will receive warm water from the chiller, and this warm water is known as the condenser because it gets heat in the chiller’s condenser. The main work of a cooling tower is to cool down water, so it gets back to the chiller and picks up more heat.
Type of cooling tower used in buildings and industries
There are different cooling towers, including open or wet cooling towers. These are the two typical standard cooling towers in a city or office-type building.
The water in the pipework leaves the pipe inside the cooling tower because the soaking in the tower causes evaporation and heat loss. The water inside it will be able to leave the circuit and is known as open, and the spray inside the tower for soaking is referred to as wet.
Some of the other different types of cooling towers used in industries and buildings are:
- Natural draft cooling tower
These cooling towers are used for large industrial power plants and have finite cooling water flow. This tower helps in its operation by removing waste and heat by riding the hot air and releasing it into the atmosphere.
- Mechanical draft cooling tower
In this type of cooling tower, the air is forced through the structure by a fan and circulates all the air through the tower. Fans used in such towers are propeller fans and centrifugal fans. These towers are more potent than the natural draft tower.
- Forced draft cooling tower
In such a cooling tower, the air-moving fan is placed at the base of the cooling tower, allowing the air to blow through the bottom. But these towers are used for limited purposes due to their water distribution challenge and the possibility of re-circulation.
- Crossflow cooling tower
These cooling towers allow the air to flow horizontally through the tower’s structure into the open area. Hot air flows downward, and the fans and motor drive require weatherproofing against moisture which can cause freezing.
Working of cooling towers
All the air conditioning equipment is used to generate heat in the form of hot water that needs to be cooled down. And for cooling off, this water cooling tower is there. The overheated water flows through the cooling tower, which is redistributed and exposed to cool air.
The heat leaves the recirculating water through evaporation. The colder water then re-enters the air conditioning equipment, and the cooling cycle repeats. When the warm condenser goes into the cooling tower, the water inside it passes through some nozzles, spraying the water into tiny droplets, increasing the surface area of water and allowing better heat loss through greater evaporation.
Now, what is the purpose of the fan on top of the water cooling tower? The fans in a cooling tower bring in air from the bottom of the tower and help it move up and out in opposite directions of the warm condenser water at the top of the unit. And the air will help in evaporating water from the cooling tower into the atmosphere.
Bottom line
Cooling towers are used in almost every company and building that require cooling. At Towertech, we ensure that we inspect and clean the cooling tower and minimize lifecycle damage. Currently, Towertech is the best cooling tower manufacturer in India as they have affordable cleaning services which help improve the air quality in buildings.
