There’s hardly any industrial plant or commercial building you’ll visit that you won’t spot a cooling tower. These devices ensure that machines get to work at optimal temperatures so that processes can continue smoothly.

When most people initially learn about how cooling towers work, the explanation may sound complicated. Nevertheless, the principles behind how they work are straightforward.

In essence, all you need to know is that without cooling towers, machines would break down, and their parts would experience a lot more wear and tear. Facilities wouldn’t be able to churn out products at an optimal rate due to frequent repairs and replacements of machine parts. That’s why these companies pay to have cooling tower services check out their equipment.

Manufactured products would also cost a lot more if there weren’t cooling towers since the utility bills in these facilities would be through the roof. Below, you’ll get to explore how these cooling towers work and why they’re important.

How a Cooling Tower Operates

Cooling towers work based on evaporation which involves eliminating heat from water. The fundamental components of a cooling tower include a basin to accumulate water, and a distribution system to spread the water over the tower fill.

Another essential part of the cooling tower is the fill media that expands the surface area needed for evaporation.

The cooling tower begins operations by collecting the hot water from the industrial process into its basin. As the water gets onto the fill media, it gets exposed to air. Once the air gets in contact with the hot water, it evaporates and becomes cooler.

The cooled water is then accumulated in the basin and directed back to the machine, repeating the process. Nevertheless, some of the water is lost to evaporation when it hits the atmosphere. 

The Importance of Cooling Towers

Heat Elimination

Cooling towers help disperse the heat caused by machines. They ensure that machines get to operate at favorable temperatures which prevents overheating.

Increased Energy Efficiency

If manufacturing facilities were to use the refrigeration process, energy usage would be high. However, cooling towers harness evaporation which saves both expenses and energy when cooling water.

Environmentally Friendly

Cooling towers ensure that manufacturing facilities leverage natural processes to keep machines operating at desirable temperatures. The alternative would be to use a fossil fuel-based cooling system which would cause damage to the environment by releasing hydrofluorocarbons into the atmosphere.

Water Conservation

Even though cooling towers require water to work, they recycle most of the water already in the facility. This way, water is conserved better. Also, cooling tower technological advancements ensure little to no wastage of water.