Cooling Towers

A comprehensive range of cooling towers for all types of application and requirements.

About Cooling Towers

Cooling towers offer unlimited thermal performance and unrivalled size.

The team at Aqua are equipped to design, supply and install a full range of cooling towers, whether they are a one-off unit or a multi-cell solution.

Aqua provides durable, flexible solutions for cooling towers in all settings. We can help you every step of the way from initial site visits, to cooling towers for sale, through to final installation. Your operating conditions will determine the design that we can create for you, but we’re confident we’ve got the best equipment solution for you.

Looking for help & advice on buying cooling towers?

Get in touch with the Aqua team to discuss with our specialist engineers today.

How do Cooling Towers work?

Cooling towers are effectively an organic heat exchanger. Warm or hot water from a process is cooled by passing it through the tower and back out again into the process.

A cooling tower enables the water to meet the air so that some of the water evaporates, lowering the overall water temperature.

Water is pumped – usually from either the basin of the tower or a sump tank below the cooling tower – through pipework to the process. This then returns to the cooling tower. The water is either sprayed by nozzles onto the fill media (counterflow) or returns to a top tank to gravity drain onto the fill media. This part of the process maximises air to water contact. The water flows over the fill media – or packing – meeting the air which is pulled (induced draft) or pushed through (forced draft) by a fan. This is referred to as evaporative cooling.

Cooling Tower Design Options

Aqua can supply cooling towers in a variety of materials, the most common being galvanised, stainless steel (304 or 316) and glass-reinforced plastic (GRP).

Galvanised stainless steel is the most popular option as it is the most cost-effective. Yet in environments that might be corrosive, we’d recommend stainless steel and glass-reinforced plastic cooling towers as a better option.

Aqua Cooling can also create low-profile cooling towers, which are best suited for city centres and rooftop applications. We can add centrifugal fans and silencers to reduce noise pollution wherever needed, because we don’t just sell cooling towers. Our expert team have the knowledge and skill to customise and build a cooling tower for any business in the UK.

Regular Maintenance Options

Water treatment & regular maintenance are key to keeping a cooling tower operating safely and efficiently.  The correct treatment plan will protect against scale build up, corrosion, fouling and microbiological contamination, including Legionella. Please note, good care of a cooling tower is a legislative requirement.  Our Service team can give you full support here – call 0333 004 4433 for free, no-obligation advice. 

For more information on Aqua’s cooling towers or for help with product selection and technical support, call our Sales team on 0333 004 4433, chat with us on LiveChat or email sales@aquacooling.co.uk

Closed Circuit

A closed-circuit cooling tower includes a heat exchanger. The process water is separated from the ambient air so quality, and cleanliness is maintained. However, the heat exchanger adds to the size of the tower and can impact on cost.

Open Circuit

With open circuit, process water comes directly into contact with the external air stream. Disadvantages with the open design is that any contaminate within the air is passed into the water. Over time, because the water is treated and softened, these substances can build up within the system.

Crossflow

The air and water flow effectively cross each other, the air flows horizontally and the water drops vertically through the fill media. This enables variable flow in addition to lower water noise, when compared to a counterflow tower.

Counterflow

Air is pushed up vertically, counter to the water which is flowing downwards under gravity. Because it’s not possible to take advantage of the gravity flow, pressurised spray systems are used to spray the water onto the fill media. The spray system maximises heat transfer and this design is less likely to freeze in low ambient conditions. Counterflow towers tend to be more efficient and have smaller footprints, so better suited if space is restricted. This style of cooling tower often uses a more powerful fan, so sound attenuation packages can be added if the location is noise sensitive.

Download our Data Sheets

We have created a range of pdf data sheets for you to download and look at in detail. Each will have technical specifications as well as other useful pieces of information to help you decide which one to hire.

Please click below to view our datasheets.

Frequently
asked questions

Cooling towers are effectively an organic heat exchanger. Warm or hot water from a process is cooled by passing it through the tower and back out again into the process. A cooling tower enables the water to meet the air so that some of the water evaporates, lowering the overall water temperature.

Water is pumped – usually from either the basin of the tower or a sump tank below the cooling tower – through pipework to the process. This then returns to the cooling tower. The water is either sprayed by nozzles onto the fill media (counterflow) or returns to a top tank to gravity drain onto the fill media. This part of the process maximises air to water contact. The water flows over the fill media – or packing – meeting the air which is pulled (induced draft) or pushed through (forced draft) by a fan. This is referred to as evaporative cooling.

Water treatment and regular maintenance are key to keeping a cooling tower operating safely and efficiently. The correct treatment plan will protect against scale build up, corrosion, fouling and microbiological contamination, including Legionella. Please note, good care of a cooling tower is a legislative requirement. Our Service team can give you full support here – call 0333 004 4433 for free, no-obligation advice.

There are fundamental differences between a cooling tower and a chiller, although both can be used within a process cooling system. Both remove heat from liquids, it is just the way they do it that differs. A chiller removes heat from the coolant source by the refrigeration process contained within the chiller system. A cooling tower uses evaporative cooling to remove heat. The two also have different component parts. A cooling tower will have fans and a water basin, whereas a chiller has a refrigeration system. Both have different benefits depending on the application being considered.

Design & Installation

A Complete 360 Service including:

Design Consultancy

Free design consultancy including AutoCAD drawings, 3D modelling and energy calculations.

Project Management

Encompassing civil works, offloading & positioning, pipework installation, mains power & cabling, commissioning and CDM compliance. All our Engineers are F-Gas accredited specialists and manage work according to agreed RAMS and site-specific H&S conditions.

Aftersales Support

Including preventative maintenance service plans to maximise efficiency and extend product lifespan. We can also help with spare parts, glycol, and water treatment.