Open cooling towers

How do open circuit cooling towers work?

Our open circuit cooling towers can be of two types: counter-flow (S, KS, KH, ATM, etc.) or cross-flow (X-TAR series).

In the first case of open counter-flow operation, evaporative cooling remains the most ecological and economical technology. It is characterized by high energy performance and competitive cost.

In the second case of open cross-flow cooling systems, the focus is made primarily on energy saving and ease of maintenance.

More globally, an open circuit cooling tower is a heat exchanger, which enables water to be cooled through direct contact with air. The heat transfer from the water to the air is carried out partly by sensible heat transfer, but mainly by latent heat transfer (evaporation of part of the water into the air), which makes it possible to reach cooling temperatures lower than ambient temperatures. The hot water to be cooled is pumped to the top of the open cooling tower through pipes. This water is divided and distributed over the heat exchange surface by low pressure water distribution nozzles. Blown by the fan, the fresh air enters into the lower section of the open cooling tower unit and escapes through the upper section after being heated and saturated by passing through the wetted heat exchange surface. As a result of surface tension, due to the exchange surface, the water spreads in uniform way, falls down the whole height. The exchange surface is then increased. The water, cooled thanks to forced ventilation, falls into the inclined basin at the bottom of the tower. Then the water is sucked through the strainer. Drift eliminators located at air outlet reduces drifts losses.

What characterizes open cooling towers?

We develop the exchange surfaces and casing structures of our cooling towers strictly according to:

• The process to be cooled,
• Water quality,
• Operating conditions.

We also design our cooling towers on two types of ventilation models.

• Axial ventilation generates low electrical consumption.
• Centrifugal ventilation is particularly quiet.

JACIR also offers a cooling tower specially designed for heavy-duty water (RH series). It is characterized by very good resistance to fouling and excellent mechanical strength thanks to its X-STREAM exchange surface, specially developped for this purpose. Accessibility for maintenance operations is always optimized.

The selection of each unit is the subject of a personalized study. The proposed solutions will meet your needs and constraints.