Natural draft cooling towers and mechanical draft cooling towers are some of the most commonly used types of cooling systems that can be found on the market today. These two cooling systems can all be used to cool water in industrial applications, but they work differently. If you need to ensure efficient heat transfer in industrial operations such as manufacturing, power generation, chemical processing, water treatment, petrochemical processing, and so on, it is crucial to understand the cooling options available to you.

The following information will explain how natural draft cooling towers and mechanical draft cooling towers work, as well as know their specific advantages so that you can select the best cooling tower for your particular industrial application.

Natural draft cooling towers

These cooling towers depend on natural convection to allow for air travel inside the tower. Air travel takes place because there are differences in density between air flowing into the system from outside and the air already present in the tower. As expected, warm internal air, which is denser than cool air from outside, will rise through the tower, causing the dry, cool external air to fall in a continuous cycle of air flow.

A major advantage of natural-draft cooling systems is their extremely low power consumption; the distance between the points where air enters and leaves the cooling tower prevents recirculation of any hot-air back to the system, something that would else undermine the efficiency of the cooling tower. Since there are no revolving parts, operational safety is enhanced.

Mechanical draft cooling towers

In contrast to natural draft cooling systems, mechanical draft cooling towers often use fans to transport air within the system. Mechanical draft cooling systems take various configurations, including, cross flow, counter flow, and mixed flow. Due to their greater air intake capacity, cross-flow towers have significantly lower pressure decline in relation to their heat transfer capacity, resulting in lower energy bills.  

Counter-flow towers, on the other hand, require less ground space than their cross-flow counterparts but are more elevated for any given capacity, hence they require pumps with higher power. It exudes superior tower efficiency, as the driest air from outside comes into contact with the coldest water in the system, generating higher driving force for better heat exchange.

Natural and mechanical draft cooling towers do not work the same way, and they are thus not equally suited for every industrial cooling application. Understanding how these two types of cooling towers operate, along with their benefits and disadvantages, is essential when you're picking the right tower for your specific industrial application.

For more information about these towers and their maintenance, contact a company like Breezewater Pty Ltd.