What Is A Cooling Tower?

A cooling tower is a specialized heat exchanger that transfers heat from a high-temperature fluid to a lower-temperature fluid by bringing air and water into direct contact. It is primarily used as a cooling device for air conditioning and refrigeration.

Water that has been heated by an industrial process is pumped into the cooling towers to be exposed to air. When water meets air, it evaporates, creating a cooling action. The already cooled water comes back to absorb heat and then is pumped back to the cooling tower to be cooled once again.

Components

It has three main components: an inlet, an outlet, and a fill system with different water flow levels.

Fill System
- The filling system creates the circulation needed for the water cycle.
Inlet
- The inlet is where the water picks up heat as it enters the tower.
Outlet
- The outlet is where heated air and water enter the low-pressure zone dried by a cooled surface such as fins or a brush.

How Does It Work

The inlet and outlet are connected to a pump. The pump circulates water through the fill system, which runs through the wet part of the tower. The pipe that carries water from the pump to the fill system is called a header. Wet air is pushed up through the fill system by a fan to make direct contact with water flowing down in the wet section. The cooled water is pumped out and circulated back into the facility for further cooling and evaporation.

Where Is The Cooling Tower Needed?

Air-conditioning and refrigeration systems need to heat or cool air, fluid, or both. Air conditioners are often found in hospitals, office buildings, and schools. Refrigerators cool food for consumption.

- Air conditioning towers are used to cool air or water for an air conditioning installation.
- They are also used in facilities that require the cooling of chemicals.
- Refrigeration cooling towers are typically used in food service establishments such as restaurants or manufacturing facilities.

Benefits Of A Cooling Tower

- They are energy-saving devices.
- The use of a cooling tower reduces the amount of energy needed to cool the system.
- It features many benefits over the traditional method of using fans to provide airflow in different ways.
- In cooling towers, the heated air and water mix before entering the cooled surface, which is much more efficient than if it were fan assisted.
- Additionally, when constructed properly, there is little or no blowback from this process which causes problems for air conditioning systems with poor flow rates.

For more information on how cooling towers work, or if you are thinking of installing one, contact us today at A-Plus Quality Inc. in Toronto.

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FAQ

Furnace is blowing cold air in Winter?

This can be due to Ignition lockout, sometimes could be resolved by resetting the power and if this does not resolve the issue you should contact a certified gas technician from A-Plus Quality to get this problem resolved!
What is a heat pump?

Heat pumps use electricity to move heat from a cool space to a warm space, making the cool space cooler and the warm space warmer. During the heating season, heat pumps move heat from the cool outdoors into your warm house and during the cooling season, heat pumps move heat from your cool house into the warm outdoors. Because they move heat rather than generate heat, heat pumps can provide equivalent space conditioning at as little as one quarter of the cost of operating conventional heating or cooling appliances.
Why should I maintain my Furnace or AC?

An annual maintenance will extend the lifetime of your heating and cooling unit. The technician will diagnose and repair any problem with the unit before it fails, so you won't need to worry about any problems when the weather gets very hot in the summer or extremely cold in the winter.
Why is there ice building up on the copper pipes?

There can be many reasons why the refrigerant pipes are freezing up but the most common issue is low refrigerant levels. If your AC unit has ice buildup turn off the unit for at least 4 hours and call us at 416-410-0337
What are mini-split advantages?

Just as the name implies, a “mini-split” system is a “split system” however available in smaller capacities, for single room to whole house conditioning. Mini-split systems may range from as small as 9,000 BTUh per hour, comparable to say, a small window AC unit, for individual room use, up to 4 and 5 ton capacities for “Room By Room” (also known as “Zoning”) and whole house conditioning. With near universal design, mini-splits are “heat pumps” which provide both heating and cooling for a home. Here are key advantages when compared to traditional split systems:

Efficiency- Mini-splits are highly engineered systems which offer attractive operating efficiencies, in many instances, eligible for utility company rebates.
Heat Pump- Most mini-split systems are heat pumps, providing year-round comfort.
Solar friendly- Due to very low power requirements, mini-splits are an ideal complement to “Net Zero Energy” homes, or any home using renewable power.
Carbon footprint- Mini-splits are 100% electric, with zero operating emissions of any type.
Zoning- Most mini-split manufacturers offer systems capable of room-by-room “zoning”, to account for peak demands of a room based upon construction type, exposure orientation and usage.
Variable capacity- Mini-splits are typically DC inverter driven. That is, a variable speed compressor which modulates in proportion to instantaneous demand. Most conventional split systems, by comparison, operate with an ON-OFF strategy. (Would you use an ON-OFF switch as the accelerator in your vehicle?)
Location, Location, Location!- Mini-split outdoor units are compact; they can be located far away from noise-sensitive areas, such as bedrooms and home offices. Mini-split indoor units have the ability to be installed where conventional systems cannot.
They’re perfect for additions and remodels where access to current HVAC system is difficult to access.
Modern mini-split systems are remarkably quiet; in fact, many times their operation is unnoticed by the end user.

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What Is A Cooling Tower?

What Is A Cooling Tower?