Chapter-Cooling Towers

Electrical Energy Equipment: Cooling Towers
COOLING TOWERS
1. INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................1
2. TYPES OF COOLING TOWERS ................................................................4
3. ASSESSMENT OF COOLING TOWERS ..................................................7
4. ENERGY EFFICIENCY OPPORTUNITIES .............................................9
5. OPTION CHECKLIST ................................................................................14
6. WORKSHEETS ............................................................................................15
7. REFERENCES..............................................................................................17
1. INTRODUCTION
This section briefly describes the main features of cooling towers.
1.1 What is a cooling tower?

Cooled water is needed for, for example, air conditioners, manufacturing processes or power
generation. A cooling tower is an equipment used to reduce the temperature of a water stream
by extracting heat from water and emitting it to the atmosphere. Cooling towers make use of
evaporation whereby some of the water is evaporated into a moving air stream and
subsequently discharged into the atmosphere. As a result, the remainder of the water is cooled
down significantly (Figure 1). Cooling towers are able to lower the water temperatures more
than devices that use only air to reject heat, like the radiator in a car, and are therefore more
cost-effective and energy efficient.
Figure 1. Schematic diagram of a cooling water system

(Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 2001)
Energy Efficiency Guide for Industry in Asia – www.energyefficiencyasia.org ©UNEP 1

1.2 Components of a cooling tower
The basic components of a cooling tower include the frame and casing, fill, cold-water basin,
drift eliminators, air inlet, louvers, nozzles and fans. These are described below.1
Frame and casing. Most towers have structural frames that support the exterior enclosures
(casings), motors, fans, and other components. With some smaller designs, such as some
glass fiber units, the casing may essentially be the frame.
Fill. Most towers employ fills (made of plastic or wood) to facilitate heat transfer by
maximizing water and air contact. There are two types of fill:
Splash fill: water falls over successive layers of horizontal splash bars, continuously
breaking into smaller droplets, while also wetting the fill surface. Plastic splash fills
promote better heat transfer than wood splash fills.
Film fill: consists of thin, closely spaced plastic surfaces over which the water spreads,
forming a thin film in contact with the air. These surfaces may be flat, corrugated,
honeycombed, or other patterns. The film type of fill is the more efficient and provides
same heat transfer in a smaller volume than the splash fill.
Cold-water basin. The cold-water basin is located at or near the bottom of the tower, and it
receives the cooled water that flows down through the tower and fill. The basin usually has a
sump or low point for the cold-water discharge connection. In many tower designs, the cold-
water basin is beneath the entire fill. In some forced draft counter flow design, however, the
water at the bottom of the fill is channeled to a perimeter trough that functions as the cold-
water basin. Propeller fans are mounted beneath the fill to blow the air up through the tower.
With this design, the tower is mounted on legs, providing easy access to the fans and their
motors.
Drift eliminators. These capture water droplets entrapped in the air stream that otherwise
would be lost to the atmosphere.
Air inlet. This is the point of entry for the air entering a tower. The inlet may take up an
entire side of a tower (cross-flow design) or be located low on the side or the bottom of the
tower (counter-flow design).
Louvers. Generally, cross-flow towers have inlet louvers. The purpose of louvers is to
equalize air flow into the fill and retain the water within the tower. Many counter flow tower
designs do not require louvers.
Nozzles. These spray water to wet the fill. Uniform water distribution at the top of the fill is
essential to achieve proper wetting of the entire fill surface. Nozzles can either be fixed and
spray in a round or square patterns, or they can be part of a rotating assembly as found in
some circular cross-section towers.
Fans. Both axial (propeller type) and centrifugal fans are used in towers. Generally, propeller
fans are used in induced draft towers and both propeller and centrifugal fans are found in
forced draft towers. Depending upon their size, the type of propeller fans used is either fixed
1
Section 1.2 is taken in its entirety from Cooling Towers. In: Energy Efficiency in Electrical Utilities. Chapter 7, pg 135 -
151. 2004, with the permission from Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power, India

or variable pitch. A fan with non-automatic adjustable pitch blades can be used over a wide
kW range because the fan can be adjusted to deliver the desired air flow at the lowest power
consumption. Automatic variable pitch blades can vary air flow in response to changing load
conditions.
1.3 Tower materials
Originally, cooling towers were constructed primarily with wood, including the frame,
casing, louvers, fill and cold-water basin. Sometimes the cold-water basin was made of
concrete. Today, manufacturers use a variety of materials to construct cooling towers.
Materials are chosen to enhance corrosion resistance, reduce maintenance, and promote
reliability and long service life. Galvanized steel, various grades of stainless steel, glass fiber,
and concrete are widely used in tower construction, as well as aluminum and plastics for
some components.2
Frame and casing. Wooden towers are still available, but many components are made of
different materials, such as the casing around the wooden framework of glass fiber, the inlet
air louvers of glass fiber, the fill of plastic and the cold-water basin of steel. Many towers
(casings and basins) are constructed of galvanized steel or, where a corrosive atmosphere is a
problem, the tower and/or the basis are made of stainless steel. Larger towers sometimes are
made of concrete. Glass fiber is also widely used for cooling tower casings and basins,
because they extend the life of the cooling tower and provide protection against harmful
chemicals.
Fill. Plastics are widely used for fill, including PVC, polypropylene, and other polymers.
When water conditions require the use of splash fill, treated wood splash fill is still used in
wooden towers, but plastic splash fill is also widely used. Because of greater heat transfer
efficiency, film fill is chosen for applications where the circulating water is generally free of
debris that could block the fill passageways.
Nozzles. Plastics are also widely used for nozzles. Many nozzles are made of PVC, ABS,
polypropylene, and glass-filled nylon.
Fans. Aluminum, glass fiber and hot-dipped galvanized steel are commonly used fan
materials. Centrifugal fans are often fabricated from galvanized steel. Propeller fans are made
from galvanized steel, aluminum, or molded glass fiber reinforced plastic.
2
Section 1.3 is taken from Cooling Towers. In: Energy Efficiency in Electrical Utilities. Chapter 7, pg 135 - 151. 2004, with
the permission from Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power, India

2. TYPES OF COOLING TOWERS

This section describes the two main types of cooling towers: the natural draft and mechanical
draft cooling towers.
2.1 Natural draft cooling tower

The natural draft or hyperbolic cooling tower makes use of the difference in temperature
between the ambient air and the hotter air inside the tower. As hot air moves upwards through
the tower (because hot air rises), fresh cool air is drawn into the tower through an air inlet at
the bottom. Due to the layout of the tower, no fan is required and there is almost no
circulation of hot air that could affect the performance. Concrete is used for the tower shell
with a height of up to 200 m. These cooling towers are mostly only for large heat duties
because large concrete structures are expensive.
Figure 2. Cross flow natural draft cooling tower Figure 3. Counter flow natural draft cooling tower
(Gulf Coast Chemical Commercial Inc, 1995)
There are two main types of natural draft towers:

Cross flow tower (Figure 2): air is drawn across the falling water and the fill is located
outside the tower
Counter flow tower (Figure 3): air is drawn up through the falling water and the fill is
therefore located inside the tower, although design depends on specific site conditions
2.2 Mechanical draft cooling tower
Mechanical draft towers have large fans to force or draw air through circulated water. The
water falls downwards over fill surfaces, which help increase the contact time between the
water and the air - this helps maximize heat transfer between the two. Cooling rates of
mechanical draft towers depend upon various parameters such as fan diameter and speed of
operation, fills for system resistance etc.

Mechanical draft towers are available in a large range of capacities. Towers can be either
factory built or field erected – for example concrete towers are only field erected.
Many towers are constructed so that they can be grouped together to achieve the desired
capacity. Thus, many cooling towers are assemblies of two or more individual cooling towers
or “cells.” The number of cells they have, e.g., a eight-cell tower, often refers to such towers.
Multiple-cell towers can be lineal, square, or round depending upon the shape of the
individual cells and whether the air inlets are located on the sides or bottoms of the cells.
The three types of mechanical draft towers are summarized in Table 1.
Table 1. Main features of different types of draft cooling towers (based on AIRAH)
Type of cooling tower Advantages Disadvantages
Forced draft cooling tower (Figure 4): air is Suited for high air Recirculation due to high
blown through the tower by a fan located in resistance due to air-entry and low air-exit
the air inlet centrifugal blower velocities, which can be
fans solved by locating towers
Fans are relatively in plant rooms combined
quiet with discharge ducts
Induced draft cross flow cooling tower Less recirculation Fans and the motor drive
(Figure 5): than forced draft mechanism require
water enters at top and passes over fill towers because the weather-proofing against
air enters on one side (single-flow tower) speed of exit air is moisture and corrosion
or opposite sides (double-flow tower) 3-4 times higher because they are in the
an induced draft fan draws air across fill than entering air path of humid exit air
towards exit at top of tower
Induced draft counter flow cooling tower
(Figure 6):
hot water enters at the top
air enters bottom and exits at the top
uses forced and induced draft fans
Figure 4. Forced Draft Cooling Tower ((GEO4VA))

Figure 5. Induced draft counter flow cooling tower

(GEO4VA)
Figure 6. Induced draft cross flow cooling tower

(GEO4VA)

3. ASSESSMENT OF COOLING TOWERS

This section describes how the performance of cooling powers can be assessed.3 The
performance of cooling towers is evaluated to assess present levels of approach and range
against their design values, identify areas of energy wastage and to suggest improvements.
During the performance evaluation, portable monitoring instruments are used to measure the
following parameters:
Wet bulb temperature of air
Dry bulb temperature of air
Cooling tower inlet water temperature
Cooling tower outlet water temperature
Exhaust air temperature
Electrical readings of pump and fan motors
Water flow rate
Air flow rate
Hot Water Temperature (In)
Range (In) to the Tower

(Out) from the Tower
Cold-water Temperature (Out)
Approach
Wet Bulb Temperature (Ambient)
Figure 7. Range and approach of cooling towers
These measured parameters and then used to determine the cooling tower performance in
several ways. (Note: CT = cooling tower; CW = cooling water). These are:
a) Range (see Figure 7). This is the difference between the cooling tower water inlet and
outlet temperature. A high CT Range means that the cooling tower has been able to
reduce the water temperature effectively, and is thus performing well. The formula is:
CT Range (°C) = [CW inlet temp (°C) – CW outlet temp (°C)]
3
Section 1.2 is based on Cooling Towers. In: Energy Efficiency in Electrical Utilities. Chapter 7, pg 135 - 151. 2004, with

b) Approach (see Figure 7). This is the difference between the cooling tower outlet cold-
water temperature and ambient wet bulb temperature. The lower the approach the better
the cooling tower performance. Although, both range and approach should be monitored,
the `Approach’ is a better indicator of cooling tower performance.
CT Approach (°C) = [CW outlet temp (°C) – Wet bulb temp (°C)]
c) Effectiveness. This is the ratio between the range and the ideal range (in percentage), i.e.
difference between cooling water inlet temperature and ambient wet bulb temperature, or
in other words it is = Range / (Range + Approach). The higher this ratio, the higher the
cooling tower effectiveness.
CT Effectiveness (%) = 100 x (CW temp – CW out temp) / (CW in temp – WB temp)
d) Cooling capacity. This is the heat rejected in kCal/hr or TR, given as product of mass
flow rate of water, specific heat and temperature difference.
e) Evaporation loss. This is the water quantity evaporated for cooling duty. Theoretically
the evaporation quantity works out to 1.8 m3 for every 1,000,000 kCal heat rejected. The
following formula can be used (Perry):
Evaporation loss (m3/hr) = 0.00085 x 1.8 x circulation rate (m3/hr) x (T1-T2)

T1 - T2 = temperature difference between inlet and outlet water
f) Cycles of concentration (C.O.C). This is the ratio of dissolved solids in circulating water
to the dissolved solids in make up water.
g) Blow down losses depend upon cycles of concentration and the evaporation losses and is
given by formula:
Blow down = Evaporation loss / (C.O.C. – 1)
h) Liquid/Gas (L/G) ratio. The L/G ratio of a cooling tower is the ratio between the water
and the air mass flow rates. Cooling towers have certain design values, but seasonal
variations require adjustment and tuning of water and air flow rates to get the best cooling
tower effectiveness. Adjustments can be made by water box loading changes or blade
angle adjustments. Thermodynamic rules also dictate that the heat removed from the
water must be equal to the heat absorbed by the surrounding air. Therefore the following
formulae can be used:
L(T1 – T2) = G(h2 – h1)
L/G = (h2 – h1) / (T1 – T2)
Where:
L/G = liquid to gas mass flow ratio (kg/kg)
T1 = hot water temperature (0C)
T2 = cold-water temperature (0C)

h2 = enthalpy of air-water vapor mixture at exhaust wet-bulb temperature (same units

as above)
h1 = enthalpy of air-water vapor mixture at inlet wet-bulb temperature (same
units as above)
4. ENERGY EFFICIENCY OPPORTUNITIES

This section includes main areas for improving energy efficiency of cooling towers. The main
areas for energy conservation include: 4
Selecting the right cooling tower (because the structural aspects of the cooling tower
cannot be changed after it is installed)
Fills
Pumps and water distribution system
Fans and motors
4.1 Selecting the right cooling towers
Once a cooling tower is in place it is very difficult to significantly improve its energy
performance. A number of factors are of influence on the cooling tower’s performance and
should be considered when choosing a cooling tower: capacity, range, approach, heat load,
wet bulb temperature, and the relationship between these factors. This is described below.
4.1.1 Capacity
Heat dissipation (in kCal/hour) and circulated flow rate (m3/hr) are an indication of the
capacity of cooling towers. However, these design parameters are not sufficient to understand
the cooling tower performance. For example, a cooling tower sized to cool 4540 m3/hr
through a 13.9 0C range might be larger than a cooling tower to cool 4540 m3/hr through 19.5
0
C range. Therefore other design parameters are also needed.
4.1.2 Range
Range is determined not by the cooling tower, but by the process it is serving. The range at
the exchanger is determined entirely by the heat load and the water circulation rate through
the exchanger and going to the cooling water. The range is a function of the heat load and the
flow circulated through the system:
Range 0C = Heat load (in kCal/hour) / Water circulation rate (l/hour)
Cooling towers are usually specified to cool a certain flow rate from one temperature to
another temperature at a certain wet bulb temperature. For example, the cooling tower might
be specified to cool 4540 m3/hr from 48.9oC to 32.2oC at 26.7oC wet bulb temperature.
4.1.3 Approach
As a general rule, the closer the approach to the wet bulb, the more expensive the cooling
tower due to increased size. Usually a 2.8oC approach to the design wet bulb is the coldest
water temperature that cooling tower manufacturers will guarantee. When the size of the
4
Section 1.2 is based on Cooling Towers. In: Energy Efficiency in Electrical Utilities. Chapter 7, pg 135 - 151. 2004, with

tower has to be chosen, then the approach is most important, closely followed by the flow
rate, and the range and wet bulb would be of lesser importance.
Approach (5.50C) = Cold-water temperature 32.2 0C – Wet bulb temperature (26.7

0
C)
4.1.4 Heat load

The heat load imposed on a cooling tower is determined by the process being served. The
degree of cooling required is controlled by the desired operating temperature of the process.
In most cases, a low operating temperature is desirable to increase process efficiency or to
improve the quality or quantity of the product. However, in some applications (e.g. internal
combustion engines) high operating temperatures are desirable. The size and cost of the
cooling tower is increases with increasing heat load. Purchasing undersized equipment (if the
calculated heat load is too low) and oversized equipment (if the calculated heat load is too
high) is something to be aware of.
Process heat loads may vary considerably depending upon the process involved and are
therefore difficult to determine accurately. On the other hand, air conditioning and
refrigeration heat loads can be determined with greater accuracy.
Information is available for the heat rejection requirements of various types of power
equipment. A sample list is as follows (BEE, 2004):
Air Compressor
- Single-stage - 129 kCal/kW/hr
- Single-stage with after cooler - 862 kCal/kW/hr
- Two-stage with intercooler - 518 kCal/kW/hr
- Two-stage with intercooler and after cooler - 862 kCal/kW/hr
Refrigeration, Compression - 63 kCal/min/TR
Refrigeration, Absorption - 127 kCal/min/TR
Steam Turbine Condenser - 555 kCal/kg of steam
Diesel Engine, Four-Cycle, Supercharged - 880 kCal/kW/hr
Natural Gas Engine, Four-cycle - 1523 kCal/kW/hr (= 18 kg/cm2 compression)
4.1.5 Wet bulb temperature

Wet bulb temperature is an important factor in performance of evaporative water cooling
equipment, because it is the lowest temperature to which water can be cooled. For this reason,
the wet bulb temperature of the air entering the cooling tower determines the minimum
operating temperature level throughout the plant, process, or system. The following should be
considered when pre-selecting a cooling tower based on the wet bulb temperature:
Theoretically, a cooling tower will cool water to the entering wet bulb temperature. In
practice, however, water is cooled to a temperature higher than the wet bulb temperature
because heat needs to be rejected from the cooling tower.
A pre-selection of towers based on the design wet bulb temperature must consider
conditions at the tower site. The design wet bulb temperature also should not be
exceeded for more than 5 percent of the time. In general, the design temperature selected
is close to the average maximum wet bulb temperature in summer.
Confirm whether the wet bulb temperature is specified as ambient (the temperature in
the cooling tower area) or inlet (the temperature of the air entering the tower, which is
often affected by discharge vapors recirculated into the tower). As the impact of

recirculation cannot be known in advance, the ambient wet bulb temperature is

preferred.
Confirm with the supplier if the cooling tower is able to deal with the effects of
increased wet bulb temperatures.
The cold-water temperature must be low enough to exchange heat or to condense vapors
at the optimum temperature level. The quantity and temperature of heat exchanged can
be considered when choosing the right size cooling tower and heat exchangers at the
lowest costs.
4.1.6 Relationship between range, flow and heat load

The range increases when the quantity of circulated water and heat load increase. This means
that increasing the range as a result of added heat load requires a larger tower. There are two
possible causes for the increased range:
The inlet water temperature is increased (and the cold-water temperature at the exit
remains the same). In this case it is economical to invest in removing the additional heat.
The exit water temperature is decreased (and the hot water temperature at the inlet
remains the same). In this case the tower size would have to be increased considerably
because the approach is also reduced, and this is not always economical.
4.1.7 Relationship between approach and wet bulb temperature

The design wet bulb temperature is determined by the geographical location. For a certain
approach value (and at a constant range and flow range), the higher the wet bulb temperature,
the smaller the tower required. For example, a 4540 m3/hr cooling tower selected for a
16.67oC range and a 4.45oC approach to 21.11oC wet bulb would be larger than the same
tower to a 26.67oC wet bulb. The reason is that air at the higher wet bulb temperature is
capable of picking up more heat. This is explained for the two different wet bulb
temperatures:
Each kg of air entering the tower at a wet bulb temperature of 21.1oC contains 18.86
kCal. If the air leaves the tower at 32.2oC wet bulb temperature, each kg of air contains
24.17 kCal. At an increase of 11.1oC, the air picks up 12.1 kCal per kg of air.
Each kg of air entering the tower at a wet bulb temperature of 26.67oC contains 24.17
kCals. If the air leaves at 37.8oC wet bulb temperature, each kg of air contains 39.67
kCal. At an increase of 11.1oC, the air picks up 15.5 kCal per kg of air, which is much
more than the first scenario.
4.2 Fill media effects
In a cooling tower, hot water is distributed above fill media and is cooled down through
evaporation as it flows down the tower and gets in contact with air. The fill media impacts
energy consumption in two ways:
Electricity is used for pumping above the fill and for fans that create the air draft. An
efficiently designed fill media with appropriate water distribution, drift eliminator, fan,
gearbox and motor with therefore lead to lower electricity consumption.
Heat exchange between air and water is influenced by surface area of heat exchange,
duration of heat exchange (interaction) and turbulence in water effecting thoroughness of
intermixing. The fill media determines all of these and therefore influences the heat
exchange. The greater the heat exchange, the more effective the cooling tower becomes.
There are three types of fills:

Splash fill media. Splash fill media generates the required heat exchange area by
splashing water over the fill media into smaller water droplets. The surface area of the
water droplets is the surface area for heat exchange with the air.
Film fill media. In a film fill, water forms a thin film on either side of fill sheets. The
surface area of the fill sheets is the area for heat exchange with the surrounding air. Film
fill can result in significant electricity savings due to fewer air and pumping head
requirements.
Low-clog film fills. Low-clog film fills with higher flute sizes were recently developed to
handle high turbid waters. Low clog film fills are considered as the best choice for sea
water in terms of power savings and performance compared to conventional splash type
fills.
Table 1: Design Values of Different Types of Fill

(BEE India, 2004; Ramarao; and Shivaraman)
Splash fill Film fill Low clog film fill
Possible L/G ratio 1.1 – 1.5 1.5 – 2.0 1.4 – 1.8
Effective heat exchange area 30 – 45 m2/m3 150 m2/m3 85 - 100 m2/m3
Fill height required 5 – 10 m 1.2 – 1.5 m 1.5 – 1.8 m
Pumping head required 9 – 12 m 5–8m 6–9m
Quantity of air required High Lowest Low
4.3 Pumps and water distribution
4.3.1 Pumps
Areas for energy efficiency improvements are discussed in details in the Pumps and Pumping
Systems chapter.
4.3.2 Optimize cooling water treatment

Cooling water treatment (e.g. to control suspended solids, algae growth) is mandatory for any
cooling tower independent of what fill media is used. With increasing costs of water, efforts
to increase Cycles of Concentration (COC), by cooling water treatment would help to reduce
make up water requirements significantly. In large industries and power plants improving the
COC is often considered a key area for water conservation.
4.3.3 Install drift eliminators

It is very difficult to ignore drift problems in cooling towers. Nowadays most of the end user
specifications assume a 0.02% drift loss.
But thanks to technological developments and the production of PVC, manufacturers have
improved drift eliminator designs. As a result drift losses can now be as low as 0.003 –
0.001%.
4.4 Cooling tower fans
The purpose of a cooling tower fan is to move a specified quantity of air through the system.
The fan has to overcome the system resistance, which is defined as the pressure loss, to move
the air. The fan output or work done by the fan is the product of air flow and the pressure
loss. The fan output and kW input determines the fan efficiency.

The fan efficiency in turn is greatly dependent on the profile of the blade. Blades include:
Metallic blades, which are manufactured by extrusion or casting processes and therefore
it is difficult to produce ideal aerodynamic profiles
Fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) blades are normally hand molded which makes it easier to
produce an optimum aerodynamic profile tailored to specific duty conditions. Because
FRP fans are light, they need a low starting torque requiring a lower HP motor, the lives
of the gear box, motor and bearing is increased, and maintenance is easier.
A 85-92% efficiency can be achieved with blades with an aerodynamic profile, optimum
twist, taper and a high coefficient of lift to coefficient of drop ratio. However, this efficiency
is drastically affected by factors such as tip clearance, obstacles to airflow and inlet shape,
etc.
Cases reported where metallic or glass fiber reinforced plastic fan blades have been replaced
by efficient hollow FRP blades. The resulting fan energy savings were in the order of 20-30%
and with simple pay back period of 6 to 7 months (NPC).
The chapter Fans and Blowers gives more information about fans.

5. OPTION CHECKLIST
This section lists the most important options to improve energy efficiency of cooling towers.
Follow manufacturer’s recommended clearances around cooling towers and relocate or
modify structures that interfere with the air intake or exhaust
Optimize cooling tower fan blade angle on a seasonal and/or load basis
Correct excessive and/or uneven fan blade tip clearance and poor fan balance
In old counter-flow cooling towers, replace old spray type nozzles with new square spray
nozzles that do not clog
Replace splash bars with self-extinguishing PVC cellular film fill
Install nozzles that spray in a more uniform water pattern
Clean plugged cooling tower distribution nozzles regularly
Balance flow to cooling tower hot water basins
Cover hot water basins to minimize algae growth that contributes to fouling
Optimize the blow down flow rate, taking into account the cycles of concentration (COC)
limit
Replace slat type drift eliminators with low-pressure drop, self-extinguishing PVC
cellular units
Restrict flows through large loads to design values
Keep the cooling water temperature to a minimum level by (a) segregating high heat
loads like furnaces, air compressors, DG sets and (b) isolating cooling towers from
sensitive applications like A/C plants, condensers of captive power plant etc. Note: A 1oC
cooling water temperature increase may increase the A/C compressor electricity
consumption by 2.7%. A 1oC drop in cooling water temperature can give a heat rate
saving of 5 kCal/kWh in a thermal power plant
Monitor approach, effectiveness and cooling capacity to continuously optimize the
cooling tower performance, but consider seasonal variations and side variations
Monitor liquid to gas ratio and cooling water flow rates and amend these depending on
the design values and seasonal variations. For example: increase water loads during
summer and times when approach is high and increase air flow during monsoon times and
when approach is low.
Consider COC improvement measures for water savings
Consider energy efficient fibre reinforced plastic blade adoption for fan energy savings
Control cooling tower fans based on exit water temperatures especially in small units
Check cooling water pumps regularly to maximize their efficiency

6. WORKSHEETS
This section includes following worksheets:
1. Key Technical Specifications
2. Cooling Tower Performance
Worksheet 1 : KEY TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
No. Parameter Units Cooling tower

reference
CT 1 CT 2
1. Type of cooling tower

2. Number of tower
3. Number of cells per tower
4. Area per cell
5. Water flow m3/hr
6. Pumping power kW
7. Pumping head m
8. Fan power kW
0
9. Design hot water temperature C
0
10. Design cold-water temperature C
0
11. Design wet bulb temperature C

Worksheet 2: COOLING TOWER PERFORMANCE
No. Parameter reference Units Cooling tower (CT)
CT 1 CT 2
1. Dry bulb temperature °C

2. Wet bulb temperature °C
3. CT inlet temperature °C
4. CT outlet temperature °C
5. Range °C
6. Approach °C
7. CT effectiveness %
8. Average water flow kg/hr
9. Average air quantity kg/hr
10. Liquid/gas (L/G) ratio kg water/kg air
11. Evaporation loss m3/hr
12. CT heat loading kCal/hr

7. REFERENCES
Australian Institute of Air Conditioning Refrigeration and Heating (AIRAH). Types of
Cooling Towers. In: Selecting a Cooling Tower Level 1 – Participant Guide Version 1.0
www.airah.org.au/downloads/CPD-samplepg.pdf.
National Productivity Council (NPC). NPC Case Studies.
Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power, India. Cooling Towers. In: Energy
Efficiency in Electrical Utilities. Chapter 7, pg 135 - 151. 2004
Perry. Perry’s Chemical Engineers Handbook. Page 12-17.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Photo Library. 2001. www.pnl.gov,

www.cce.iastate.edu/courses/ce525/Cooling%20Towers.doc
Gulf Coast Chemical Commercial Inc. Cooling Systems. 1995

www.gc3.com/techdb/manual/coolfs.htm
GEO4VA, Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy. Ground Loop Configuration
and Installation. www.geo4va.vt.edu/A2/A2.htm
Ramarao, R.A. Paltech Cooling Towers and Equipment Ltd. Design of Fills.
Shivaraman, T. Shiriram Towertech Ltd. Selection and Design of Cooling Towers.

www.shiriramtowertech.com
Copyright:
Copyright © United Nations Environment Programme (year 2006)
This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational or non-profit purposes without
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receiving a copy of any publication that uses this publication as a source. No use of this publication may be made for resale
or any other commercial purpose whatsoever without prior permission from the United Nations Environment Programme.
Disclaimer:
This energy equipment module was prepared as part of the project “Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction from Industry in
Asia and the Pacific” (GERIAP) by the National Productivity Council, India. While reasonable efforts have been made to
ensure that the contents of this publication are factually correct and properly referenced, UNEP does not accept
responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the contents, and shall not be liable for any loss or damage that may be
occasioned directly or indirectly through the use of, or reliance on, the contents of this publication.

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Electrical Energy Equipment: Cooling Towers

1.1 What is a cooling tower?

Figure 1. Schematic diagram of a cooling water system

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1.2 Components of a cooling tower

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1.3 Tower materials

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2. TYPES OF COOLING TOWERS

2.1 Natural draft cooling tower

(Gulf Coast Chemical Commercial Inc, 1995)

There are two main types of natural draft towers:

2.2 Mechanical draft cooling tower

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The three types of mechanical draft towers are summarized in Table 1.

Figure 4. Forced Draft Cooling Tower ((GEO4VA))

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Figure 5. Induced draft counter flow cooling tower

Figure 6. Induced draft cross flow cooling tower

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3. ASSESSMENT OF COOLING TOWERS

Hot Water Temperature (In)

Range (In) to the Tower

Cold-water Temperature (Out)

Figure 7. Range and approach of cooling towers

CT Range (°C) = [CW inlet temp (°C) – CW outlet temp (°C)]

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Evaporation loss (m3/hr) = 0.00085 x 1.8 x circulation rate (m3/hr) x (T1-T2)

Blow down = Evaporation loss / (C.O.C. – 1)

L(T1 – T2) = G(h2 – h1)

L/G = (h2 – h1) / (T1 – T2)

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h2 = enthalpy of air-water vapor mixture at exhaust wet-bulb temperature (same units

4. ENERGY EFFICIENCY OPPORTUNITIES

4.1 Selecting the right cooling towers

Range 0C = Heat load (in kCal/hour) / Water circulation rate (l/hour)

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Approach (5.50C) = Cold-water temperature 32.2 0C – Wet bulb temperature (26.7

4.1.4 Heat load

4.1.5 Wet bulb temperature

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recirculation cannot be known in advance, the ambient wet bulb temperature is

4.1.6 Relationship between range, flow and heat load

4.1.7 Relationship between approach and wet bulb temperature

4.2 Fill media effects

There are three types of fills:

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Table 1: Design Values of Different Types of Fill

4.3 Pumps and water distribution

4.3.2 Optimize cooling water treatment

4.3.3 Install drift eliminators

4.4 Cooling tower fans

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Worksheet 1 : KEY TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

No. Parameter Units Cooling tower

1. Type of cooling tower

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Worksheet 2: COOLING TOWER PERFORMANCE