Tag Archives: Cooing Tower Components

Cooling towers themselves do not typically use solar technology directly for their primary cooling function, which involves dissipating heat through evaporation and convection. However, solar technology can be integrated into cooling systems in several ways:

1. Solar-Powered Pumps: Cooling towers often use pumps to circulate water through the system. These pumps can be powered by solar panels, reducing the electricity consumption of the cooling tower.
2. Solar Thermal Cooling: Some advanced systems use solar thermal collectors to generate heat, which can then be used in absorption chillers or desiccant systems for cooling purposes. These technologies are more complex and less commonly used compared to conventional cooling towers.
3. Hybrid Systems: Hybrid cooling systems combine traditional cooling towers with other renewable or energy-efficient technologies, such as geothermal or solar, to optimize energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact.

While cooling towers themselves primarily rely on water evaporation for cooling, integrating solar technology into the auxiliary systems like pumps can contribute to overall energy savings and sustainability.

Our Solar Powered Pumps Effective?

Solar-powered pumps can be effective depending on several factors:

1. Sunlight Availability: Solar pumps rely on sunlight to generate electricity through solar panels. Therefore, their effectiveness is influenced by the amount of sunlight available in your location throughout the day and across different seasons.
2. Pump Efficiency: The efficiency of the pump itself plays a crucial role. Modern solar pumps are designed to be efficient, but the specific model and manufacturer can impact their effectiveness.
3. System Design: Proper system design, including the sizing of solar panels and batteries (if applicable), is essential for ensuring that the pump can meet the required flow rates and operational needs.
4. Application Suitability: Solar pumps are typically used in applications where grid electricity is not available or is unreliable. They are commonly used for irrigation, water supply for livestock, and in some cases, for circulating water in cooling systems like cooling towers.
5. Maintenance and Durability: Like any mechanical equipment, regular maintenance is necessary to ensure the longevity and effectiveness of solar pumps. This includes cleaning solar panels, checking connections, and servicing the pump itself.

In summary, solar-powered pumps can be effective and environmentally friendly alternatives in suitable applications where sunlight availability and system design are optimized for efficient operation.

We offer replacement cooling tower parts for Marley, BAC, Evapco, Tower Tech, Recold, Imeco, Vilter and Frigid Coil cooling towers. We manufacture parts for all makes and models of cooling towers.

• Replacement Heavy Duty Eliminators
• Replacement Drift Eliminators
• Replacement Counterflow Fill Media
• Replacement Cross Flow Fill Media
• Replacement Air Intake Louvers
• Replacement Cooling Tower Sealant
• Replacement Float Valves
• Replacement Cooling Tower Nozzles
• Replacement Evaporative Cooling Media
• Replacement Cooling Towers

Cooling towers typically do not use wind technology in the same way that wind turbines or windmills do. Cooling towers are primarily designed to remove heat from industrial processes or HVAC systems by evaporating water. They rely on the principles of evaporation and convection to cool hot water or air.

While some cooling towers may be located in areas where they are exposed to natural wind currents, their operation does not directly involve harnessing wind energy. However, wind speed and direction can affect the performance and efficiency of cooling towers by influencing airflow patterns around the tower and the dispersion of evaporated water vapor.

In recent years, there has been some exploration of integrating wind turbines into the design of cooling towers to generate electricity from the wind energy captured by the towers. These innovative designs aim to improve the sustainability and energy efficiency of cooling tower operations by utilizing renewable wind energy. However, such implementations are still relatively uncommon and may require additional engineering and investment. To harvest wind energy the following concepts are being investigated.

• Waste heat to usable energy: The hot, rising air from the cooling tower can be used to spin a wind turbine strategically placed at the exhaust. This captures some of the wasted heat energy and converts it into electricity [source].
• Research area: While not a widespread application, it’s an area of ongoing research to improve efficiency in power plants.
• Challenges: The amount of energy generated from a cooling tower’s airflow is typically relatively small compared to the plant’s overall needs.

In summary, cooling towers are not wind-powered devices themselves. But interesting efforts exist to explore using wind turbines to capture some of the waste heat from these towers and generate extra electricity.

We offer replacement cooling tower parts for Marley, BAC, Evapco, Tower Tech, Recold, Imeco, Vilter and Frigid Coil cooling towers. We manufacture parts for all makes and models of cooling towers.

• Replacement Heavy Duty Eliminators
• Replacement Drift Eliminators
• Replacement Counterflow Fill Media
• Replacement Cross Flow Fill Media
• Replacement Air Intake Louvers
• Replacement Cooling Tower Sealant
• Replacement Float Valves
• Replacement Cooling Tower Nozzles
• Replacement Evaporative Cooling Media
• Replacement Cooling Towers

Traditional cooling towers, primarily used in power plants and large industrial facilities, don’t directly use solar technology for their core operation. They typically rely on electricity powered by conventional sources like fossil fuels to operate fans and pumps.

However, there’s a growing trend of integrating solar technology with cooling towers to improve their energy efficiency and sustainability. Here are two ways this is being done:

1. Solar-powered Cooling Towers:

• These specially designed towers have photovoltaic (PV) panels mounted on them to generate electricity that powers the fans and pumps.
• This can significantly reduce the tower’s reliance on grid electricity, leading to cost savings and lower carbon emissions.
• Examples include EVAPCO’s SUN cooling tower, which can achieve net-zero operation under certain conditions.

2. Integrating Solar with Water Chillers:

• This approach pairs conventional cooling towers with solar-powered water chillers.
• The chillers use solar energy to cool the water circulated through the cooling tower, reducing the overall energy consumption of the system.
• This method offers greater flexibility as existing cooling towers can be adapted without major modifications.

Overall, while traditional cooling towers don’t inherently use solar technology, there’s increasing development and adoption of solar-powered solutions to make them more sustainable and energy-efficient.

What Are Photovolatic (PV) Panels?

Photovoltaic (PV) panels, also commonly known as solar panels, are the key components that capture sunlight and convert it into electricity. They are made up of numerous smaller units called solar cells, which are the workhorses of the process. Here’s a breakdown of how they work:

Components and Working:

• Solar cells: These are typically made from semiconductor materials, most commonly silicon, but newer technologies are exploring other options as well. When sunlight hits these cells, it knocks electrons loose, creating an electric current.
• Panel construction: Multiple solar cells are connected electrically and encased within a protective housing, forming a single PV panel. This housing typically includes glass for protection, a frame for mounting, and encapsulating materials to protect the cells from the environment.
• Direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) conversion: The electricity generated by the panels is in the form of direct current (DC). For most applications, however, we need alternating current (AC). This conversion is done by an inverter, which is a separate component in most home and small commercial systems.

Types and Applications:

• There are various types of PV panels available, differing in materials, efficiency, and cost. The most common are crystalline silicon panels, but thin-film and other emerging technologies offer different advantages depending on the application.
• PV panels are used in a wide range of applications, including:
  • Generating electricity for homes and businesses: This is the most popular application, with rooftop solar systems becoming increasingly common.
  • Large-scale solar power plants: These generate electricity for entire communities or even feed into the power grid.
  • Portable and off-grid applications: Solar panels can power anything from small electronics to entire cabins or RVs, making them valuable for remote locations or backup power.

Benefits of PV Panels:

• Renewable energy: Solar energy is a clean and sustainable source of electricity, helping to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and combat climate change.
• Reduced energy costs: Over time, generating your own electricity with solar panels can significantly reduce your energy bills.
• Increased property value: Homes with solar panels often have higher property values.
• Reliable and low maintenance: Once installed, PV panels require minimal maintenance and have a lifespan of 25 years or more.

What is EVAPO’s SUN Cooling Tower?

EVAPCO’s SUN cooling tower is a unique cooling tower model that integrates photovoltaic (PV) panels directly into its design, making it a net-zero energy cooling solution under specific conditions. Here’s a breakdown of its key features:

Core functionality:

• It operates similarly to traditional induced-draft, counterflow cooling towers using water evaporation to cool down water from heat sources like buildings or industrial processes.
• It comes in factory-assembled and field-assembled options, catering to different project requirements.

Solar integration:

• The key differentiator is the strategically placed array of PV panels on the tower’s structure.
• These panels generate electricity that powers the fans and pumps of the cooling tower, significantly reducing its reliance on grid electricity.
• Under typical North American solar exposure and commercial HVAC loading conditions, EVAPCO claims the SUN tower can offset 100% of its annual fan energy consumption through solar power.

Additional benefits:

• Reduced operating costs: By minimizing grid electricity use, the SUN tower can lead to significant cost savings over its lifespan.
• Lower carbon footprint: Its reliance on renewable solar energy reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional towers.
• Easy installation and maintenance: The field-assembled option enables easier installation, and the design incorporates features for simplified maintenance.

Key considerations:

• The tower’s energy offset potential depends on various factors like location, solar irradiation levels, and cooling tower loads.
• While achieving complete net-zero operation may not be possible in all scenarios, the SUN tower still offers substantial energy savings and sustainability benefits.
• The initial cost of the tower might be higher due to the integrated solar panels, but the long-term cost savings can outweigh the initial investment.

Overall, EVAPCO’s SUN cooling tower represents a significant advancement in sustainable cooling technology, offering an appealing solution for businesses and organizations seeking to reduce their environmental impact and energy costs.

We offer replacement cooling tower parts for Marley, BAC, Evapco, Tower Tech, Recold, Imeco, Vilter and Frigid Coil cooling towers. We manufacture parts for all makes and models of cooling towers.

• Replacement Heavy Duty Eliminators
• Replacement Drift Eliminators
• Replacement Counterflow Fill Media
• Replacement Cross Flow Fill Media
• Replacement Air Intake Louvers
• Replacement Cooling Tower Sealant
• Replacement Float Valves
• Replacement Cooling Tower Nozzles
• Replacement Evaporative Cooling Media
• Replacement Cooling Towers

If you are looking for replacement Cooling Tower Parts such as cooling tower fill media, drift eliminators, spray nozzles, cooling tower fans, water level controls, or inlet lovers we can help!  Learn more about the internal functions of a cooling tower and which ones you can replace in this post.  Cooling Tower Products is the largest supplier of cooling tower parts and products! See below for a list of cooling tower parts we sell and a description of each of their functions.

Cooling Tower Parts & Functions

Here are a list of the most common cooling tower parts that might need to be repair or replaced during the life of your cooling tower.

Cooling Tower Fill Media

What is cooling tower fill media? Fill media is by far one of the most important cooling tower parts. It could be considered the middle man of the entire process. Many of today’s cooling towers use efficient plastic film fills or fill media that maximize the surface area for evaporative cooling processes. Water gets distributed onto the fill, which spreads into thin film. This process increases the water-air interface and allows extra heat to evaporate at a fast pace. The major factors in choosing fill media are TSS levels or Total Suspended Solids, intended treatment, water make-up and contamination potential. The 2 basic types of fill media are film type fill media (spreads the water out into a thin layer) and splash type fill media (breaks the water up). There is also fill media for specific types of towers such as crossflow fill media and counterflow fill media.

Cooling Tower Instrumentation

Cooling Tower Instrumentation systems usually include: Flow Meters For Cooling Tower Makeup Water, Blow Down Rate, Water Level Switches For Cold & Hot Water Basins, Thermocouples for Cold & Hot Water Measurement Of Temperature, Vibration Switches and Low & High Oil Level Switches.

Cooling Tower Drift Eliminators

What are cooling tower drift eliminators used for? Cooling tower drift eliminators and heavy duty drift eliminators are parts of a cooling tower that are designed to remove droplets of water from the air and minimize loss of process water. Drift eliminators cause the droplets and air to change direction suddenly. This process causes the water to become separated from the air and put back into the cooling tower.

Cooling Tower Nozzles

What are cooling tower nozzles used for? Cooling tower nozzles are most frequently used in crossflow cooling towers because they use gravity-flow distribution basins. With these types of systems, the water supply is raised to the distribution basins above the fill media and then flows down over the fill (by way of gravity) through the cooling tower nozzles in the basin floor.

Cooling Tower Fans

What are cooling tower fans used for? Cooling tower fans are used to force or push large amounts of air throughout the cooling tower. They must be built to withstand the corrosive effects in which the environment that they operate. These fans are usually loud but there are certain types of low-sound cooling tower fans. Cooling tower fans are used in crossflow, counterflow, induced/forced draft cooling towers. Natural draft cooling towers don’t need fans because they use the natural air flow and different processes that cool the water.

Fan Deck & Fan Cylinder

The deck of the fan is a supporting platform for cylinders of the fan, which also makes an access way to the fan and water distribution system.

Cooling Tower Fan Motor:

Petrochemical & Refinery cooling tower applications need explosion proof fan motors to prevent leaks in heat exchangers. Fan motors need to be manufactured with Earth fault relay and over load relay protection systems.

Drive Shafts

What are cooling tower Cooling tower drive shafts used for? Drive shafts transmit power from the motor’s output shaft into the gear reducer’s input shaft. Drive shafts must also be corrosion resistant due to the harmful environment it which they operate. The drive shaft is the connecting link between the electric motor and the input shaft of the gearbox.

Gear Box:

The different types of gear boxes include A series single reduction gear boxes, A series double reductions gear boxes, single reduction gear boxes and double reduction gear boxes.

Automatic Water Level Controls

Water Level Controls or float switches are manufactured to control water levels automatically. This helps ensure there is always the correct amount of water inside your storage tank. The level controls are typically used to automatically fill water and stop the fill once it reaches the adequate height. These controls can also be installed with LED sensors that will let you know when your levels are getting too low or too high, called high and low level alarms. “Automatic water level controllers switch the motor on whenever the water level drops below a certain level and shuts the motor off when the water rises well above a fixed level.” Water Level Controls

Piping For Water Distribution:

Piping, for water distribution in a cooling tower, is buried underground and should be supported in-ground to prevent thrust loading in the cooling tower because of self weight and water pressure in the pipe.

Air Inlet Louvers

What are air inlet used for? Air inlet louvers or air intake louvers prohibit the sun light from entering the basin, which prohibits algae growth and lowers chemical costs. These louvers also lower the amount of splash-out, which lowers the volume of water and chemical use. Also, you will experience easier basin removal and access. The air inlet louvers in counterflow towers can sometimes become scaly if they are not correctly maintained and cleaned. Scaled louvers lessen the amount air flow which lowers the efficiency of the unit.

Electronic Float Valves

What are electronic float valves used for? Electronic Float Valves are design for cooling tower functionality, brass float valves and electronic water level systems have little maintenance with an extended life. Typically, there are electronic float valve kits available which include the float arm, float valve and float in kits to fit specific applications.

Distribution Valves:

Distribution Valves regulate the flow of hot water to evenly distribute it in cells. The body of the valve in a distribution valve is made withstand corrosive environments.

Cooling Tower Sealants & Coatings

Interior cooling tower coatings, or cooling tower sealants, help prevent corroding, leaking or rusting inside a cooling tower, while exterior coatings protect the outside of the cooling tower from corrosion and rust. Protecting all sides of your cooling tower helps prevent future problems and costly repairs.

Cooling Tower Basin Heaters

What are cooling tower basin heaters used for? Cooling Tower Basin heaters prevent the cold water basin from freezing up during the winter weather conditions and can be used on Evapco, BAC, Marley and other industrial manufacturers’ products. BAC basin heaters are CSA and UL rated. They have strong long lasting copper heating elements to ensure a long-life. The MPT connection is simple to fit into any cold water basin for closed circuit fluid coolers, cooling towers, and evaporative condensers.

Replacement Cooling Tower Parts & Products

We offer replacement cooling tower parts for Marley, BAC, Evapco, Tower Tech, Recold, Imeco, Vilter and Frigid Coil cooling towers. We manufacture parts for all makes and models of cooling towers.

• Replacement Heavy Duty Eliminators
• Replacement Drift Eliminators
• Replacement Counterflow Fill Media
• Replacement Cross Flow Fill Media
• Replacement Air Intake Louvers
• Replacement Cooling Tower Sealant
• Replacement Float Valves
• Replacement Cooling Tower Nozzles
• Replacement Evaporative Cooling Media
• Replacement Cooling Towers

If you are looking for replacement Cooling Tower Parts such as cooling tower fill media, drift eliminators, spray nozzles, cooling tower fans, water level controls, or inlet lovers we can help!  Learn more about the internal functions of a cooling tower and which ones you can replace in this post.  Cooling Tower Products is the largest supplier of cooling tower parts and products! See below for a list of cooling tower parts we sell and a description of each of their functions.

Cooling Tower Parts & Functions

Here are a list of the most common cooling tower parts that might need to be repair or replaced during the life of your cooling tower.

Cooling Tower Fill Media

What is cooling tower fill media? Fill media is by far one of the most important cooling tower parts. It could be considered the middle man of the entire process. Many of today’s cooling towers use efficient plastic film fills or fill media that maximize the surface area for evaporative cooling processes. Water gets distributed onto the fill, which spreads into thin film. This process increases the water-air interface and allows extra heat to evaporate at a fast pace. The major factors in choosing fill media are TSS levels or Total Suspended Solids, intended treatment, water make-up and contamination potential. The 2 basic types of fill media are film type fill media (spreads the water out into a thin layer) and splash type fill media (breaks the water up). There is also fill media for specific types of towers such as crossflow fill media and counterflow fill media.

Cooling Tower Instrumentation

Cooling Tower Instrumentation systems usually include: Flow Meters For Cooling Tower Makeup Water, Blow Down Rate, Water Level Switches For Cold & Hot Water Basins, Thermocouples for Cold & Hot Water Measurement Of Temperature, Vibration Switches and Low & High Oil Level Switches.

Cooling Tower Drift Eliminators

What are cooling tower drift eliminators used for? Cooling tower drift eliminators and heavy duty drift eliminators are parts of a cooling tower that are designed to remove droplets of water from the air and minimize loss of process water. Drift eliminators cause the droplets and air to change direction suddenly. This process causes the water to become separated from the air and put back into the cooling tower.

Cooling Tower Nozzles

What are cooling tower nozzles used for? Cooling tower nozzles are most frequently used in crossflow cooling towers because they use gravity-flow distribution basins. With these types of systems, the water supply is raised to the distribution basins above the fill media and then flows down over the fill (by way of gravity) through the cooling tower nozzles in the basin floor.

Cooling Tower Fans

What are cooling tower fans used for? Cooling tower fans are used to force or push large amounts of air throughout the cooling tower. They must be built to withstand the corrosive effects in which the environment that they operate. These fans are usually loud but there are certain types of low-sound cooling tower fans. Cooling tower fans are used in crossflow, counterflow, induced/forced draft cooling towers. Natural draft cooling towers don’t need fans because they use the natural air flow and different processes that cool the water.

Fan Deck & Fan Cylinder

The deck of the fan is a supporting platform for cylinders of the fan, which also makes an access way to the fan and water distribution system.

Cooling Tower Fan Motor:

Petrochemical & Refinery cooling tower applications need explosion proof fan motors to prevent leaks in heat exchangers. Fan motors need to be manufactured with Earth fault relay and over load relay protection systems.

Drive Shafts

What are cooling tower Cooling tower drive shafts used for? Drive shafts transmit power from the motor’s output shaft into the gear reducer’s input shaft. Drive shafts must also be corrosion resistant due to the harmful environment it which they operate. The drive shaft is the connecting link between the electric motor and the input shaft of the gearbox.

Gear Box:

The different types of gear boxes include A series single reduction gear boxes, A series double reductions gear boxes, single reduction gear boxes and double reduction gear boxes.

Automatic Water Level Controls

Water Level Controls or float switches are manufactured to control water levels automatically. This helps ensure there is always the correct amount of water inside your storage tank. The level controls are typically used to automatically fill water and stop the fill once it reaches the adequate height. These controls can also be installed with LED sensors that will let you know when your levels are getting too low or too high, called high and low level alarms. “Automatic water level controllers switch the motor on whenever the water level drops below a certain level and shuts the motor off when the water rises well above a fixed level.” Water Level Controls

Piping For Water Distribution:

Piping, for water distribution in a cooling tower, is buried underground and should be supported in-ground to prevent thrust loading in the cooling tower because of self weight and water pressure in the pipe.

Air Inlet Louvers

What are air inlet used for? Air inlet louvers or air intake louvers prohibit the sun light from entering the basin, which prohibits algae growth and lowers chemical costs. These louvers also lower the amount of splash-out, which lowers the volume of water and chemical use. Also, you will experience easier basin removal and access. The air inlet louvers in counterflow towers can sometimes become scaly if they are not correctly maintained and cleaned. Scaled louvers lessen the amount air flow which lowers the efficiency of the unit.

Electronic Float Valves

What are electronic float valves used for? Electronic Float Valves are design for cooling tower functionality, brass float valves and electronic water level systems have little maintenance with an extended life. Typically, there are electronic float valve kits available which include the float arm, float valve and float in kits to fit specific applications.

Distribution Valves:

Distribution Valves regulate the flow of hot water to evenly distribute it in cells. The body of the valve in a distribution valve is made withstand corrosive environments.

Cooling Tower Sealants & Coatings

Interior cooling tower coatings, or cooling tower sealants, help prevent corroding, leaking or rusting inside a cooling tower, while exterior coatings protect the outside of the cooling tower from corrosion and rust. Protecting all sides of your cooling tower helps prevent future problems and costly repairs.

Cooling Tower Basin Heaters

What are cooling tower basin heaters used for? Cooling Tower Basin heaters prevent the cold water basin from freezing up during the winter weather conditions and can be used on Evapco, BAC, Marley and other industrial manufacturers’ products. BAC basin heaters are CSA and UL rated. They have strong long lasting copper heating elements to ensure a long-life. The MPT connection is simple to fit into any cold water basin for closed circuit fluid coolers, cooling towers, and evaporative condensers.

Replacement Cooling Tower Parts & Products

We offer replacement cooling tower parts for Marley, BAC, Evapco, Tower Tech, Recold, Imeco, Vilter and Frigid Coil cooling towers. We manufacture parts for all makes and models of cooling towers.

• Replacement Heavy Duty Eliminators
• Replacement Drift Eliminators
• Replacement Counterflow Fill Media
• Replacement Cross Flow Fill Media
• Replacement Air Intake Louvers
• Replacement Cooling Tower Sealant
• Replacement Float Valves
• Replacement Cooling Tower Nozzles
• Replacement Evaporative Cooling Media
• Replacement Cooling Towers