As Thailand’s industrial and commercial sectors continue to expand, the need for efficient and sustainable cooling has become more critical than ever. From power plants and refineries to HVAC systems and manufacturing facilities, cooling towers play a vital role in maintaining temperature control while optimizing energy and water use. Understanding the type of cooling tower that best suits a facility’s needs is essential for achieving both performance and sustainability goals.
The Role of Cooling Towers in Industrial Efficiency
Cooling towers are heat rejection devices that remove excess heat from water used in processes, HVAC systems, or industrial operations. By cooling and recirculating this water, facilities significantly reduce their overall water and energy consumption.
In a climate like Thailand’s — warm, humid, and energy-intensive — selecting the right type of cooling tower ensures better system reliability, lower operating costs, and reduced environmental impact.
How Many types of Cooling Tower Systems Exist?
When considering how many types of cooling tower systems are available, they can generally be categorized based on design, air flow, and operation method. Each type offers unique advantages depending on site conditions, climate, and cooling requirements.
1. Natural Draft Cooling Tower
These towers rely on the natural buoyancy of warm air rising and cool air entering from below. They are typically used in power stations and large industrial facilities that require massive heat rejection with minimal mechanical components.
Advantages:
- Low energy consumption (no fan required)
- Ideal for large-scale, continuous operations
- Minimal maintenance
Considerations:
- Requires significant space and height
- Less suitable for smaller plants or urban areas
2. Mechanical Draft Cooling Tower
This is the most common type of cooling tower used in Thailand’s industries and commercial complexes. It uses fans to force or draw air through the water, increasing cooling efficiency.
a. Induced Draft Cooling Tower
Fans are located at the top, pulling air upward through the water flow.
- Advantages: Compact, efficient, and widely used.
- Applications: HVAC, manufacturing, and process industries.
b. Forced Draft Cooling Tower
Fans are positioned at the base, pushing air into the tower.
- Advantages: Easier air control and suitable for variable loads.
- Applications: Chemical and food processing plants.
3. Crossflow and Counterflow Cooling Towers
These designs describe how air and water interact within the tower.
- Crossflow: Air enters horizontally while water flows downward. Offers easy maintenance and a lower pump head.
- Counterflow: Air moves upward against the downward flow of water, enhancing thermal performance but requiring higher fan power.
Both designs are widely used depending on efficiency requirements and available space.
4. Closed Circuit (Fluid) Cooling Tower
In this different type of cooling tower, process fluid circulates within a closed coil, preventing contamination and scaling.
- Advantages: Saves water, prevents fouling, and allows for dry operation during cooler seasons.
- Applications: Pharmaceutical, food, and electronics industries.
Sustainable Cooling Tower Design in Thailand
Thailand’s sustainability goals and energy conservation programs are driving industries to adopt eco-friendly cooling technologies. The focus is on water efficiency, heat recovery, and reduced carbon emissions.
Modern different types of cooling tower designs from Ion Exchange incorporate:
- Water Treatment Integration –Ensuring scale and corrosion control for longer equipment life.
- Energy-Efficient Fans and Motors – Lower power usage without compromising cooling capacity.
- Smart Controls – Automated monitoring and optimization based on real-time conditions.
- Hybrid Designs – Combining wet and dry cooling to reduce water consumption in high-humidity climates.
Ion Exchange’s Expertise in Cooling Water Management
Total Water Management for Reliance Industries Limited, Jamnagar
Speaking volumes for Ion Exchange’s capability for turnkey execution of large and complex water and waste treatment plants, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Jamnagar had entrusted to us a water contract 3 3 treatment plant (13 x 388 m /h), condensate polishing unit (3 x 388 m /h ), and effluent treatment plant.
Wastewater treatment is carried out in a committed, state-of-the-art, completely automated & PLC-operated Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP). The effluent treatment area is designed to contain and treat all internal process/utility wastewater and storm/ rewater, with the objective of zero discharge from the refinery complex. The treated water is recycled back to the high total dissolved solids treatment train. Effluents are 3 isolated into four identical wastewater streams designed for a treatment capacity of 500 m /h each and maximization of reuse.
The Low Total Dissolved Solids (LTDS) stream, a mixture of process/oily water which includes non-phenolic wastewater, is tempered to an effluent quality adequate for reuse for cooling water makeup, rewater makeup up and irrigation water for expansion and preservation of the local green belt.
The High Total Dissolved Solids (HTDS) stream is a mixture of process/oily wastewater that has been in contact with process streams, such as in the crude unit desalters, and has absorbed or dissolved mineral ions such as sodium chloride. This stream also comprises (treated neutralised) process solvents such as spent caustics and phenolic wastewater. This water is treated by a downstream membrane process to an effluent quality adequate for re-use as partial makeup in seawater cooling tower and as process water.
The Oily Water Sewer (OWS) stream is a mixture of process/oily water, which includes oily condensates from various refinery units, sanitary sewage (after primary treatment), drainage from tanks, contaminated stormwater, etc. The treated OWS effluent is perfect for horticulture.
The ambit of treatment also includes three by-product streams generated during the treatment of refinery wastewater – skimmed or slop oils, oily sludge, and biological sludge. Skimmed oil is chemical and heat-treated, with recovered oils transferred back to the refinery for reprocessing. Oily sludge is thickened and then transferred back to the delayed coker unit for reprocessing. Biological sludge is thickened, stabilised, dewatered, and disposed of in landfills.
Each of the above streams employs identical equipment for treating effluents.
The effluent treatment plant is treating 100 of % effluent yielded by the refinery since its commissioning in December 2008 and systematically producing treated effluent (pH 6-8.5, Sulphide < 0.5 ppm, COD < 50 ppm, Oil & Grease < 5 ppm, Phenol < 0.35 ppm), fulfilling guaranteed parameters for re-use for various applications mentioned earlier. We have also supplied a Demineralization (DM) plant, side stream filters, condensate polishing unit, completing our total water management capabilities. We are also operating and managing the cooling tower programs and ETP with our specialty chemicals and expert manpower.
Conclusion
Choosing the right type of cooling tower is a key step toward building efficient and sustainable industrial operations in Thailand. Understanding how many types of cooling tower systems exist — from natural draft and mechanical draft to closed circuit designs — allows operators to select the one that best matches their process needs and environmental goals.
With Ion Exchange’s experience in cooling water management and sustainable design, industries in Thailand can adopt advanced, different types of cooling tower solutions that ensure efficiency, longevity, and environmental responsibility.
