NEW YORK CITY - There’s nothing quite so impressive as seeing a huge cooling tower in the middle of the trade show floor. Such was the case in New York, where dwarfing most other products on display, cooling tower manufacturers proudly displayed their wares at the 2008 International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo).

More efficient controls, corrosion-resistant materials, and water conservation features were the highlighted items on many of the new towers.

NEW MATERIALS, CONTROLS

Baltimore Aircoil Co. (www.baltimoreaircoil.com) had several products it introduced during the AHR Expo, including the PT2 induced draft counterflow cooling tower, which covers the range of 100 to 2,000 nominal tons. The PT2 has been designed with features that make the unit maintenance friendly and is an ideal low energy, low sound alternative for replacement applications, said spokesperson Candice Kassin.

Also highlighted was the company’s new IBC compliant cooling tower, which provides cost-effective, energy-efficient cooling in a compact footprint, with capacity ranging from 100 to 1,300 tons. Tested on a shake table and operational afterwards, the tower satisfies the IBC requirements for buildings with a 1.5 importance factor.

BAC also announced that corrosion-resistant Evertough™ construction would be available for Series 3000 and the PT2 cooling towers. Evertough construction is resistant to all water chemistries and water treatment.

Cool Water Technologies (www.coolwatertech.com) featured new components for its evaporative cooling towers, including iD Direct Drive and controls.

According to the company, the iD Direct Drive runs 7 percent more efficiently than belt-driven applications and requires less maintenance. It also uses one-half as many bearings, which means one-half as many bearing failures.

The iD controls use the latest embedded microprocessor technology to provide real-time monitoring and control of the metrics that can affect a tower. iD integrates up to 10 essential parameters, handles multiple fans, permits wireless operation, and is compatible with all makes of towers.

Delta Cooling Towers (www.deltacooling.com) re-introduced its induced draft counterflow design Premier™ cooling tower with several improvements and upgrades.

In six single-cell models from 250 to 500 cooling tons, the Premier features a low profile design and carries a 15-year warranty on the seamless unitarily-molded engineered plastic casing.

The completely factory assembled cooling tower features corrosion-proof construction, direct-drive fan system, and totally enclosed VFD-rated motors. The company states these towers will last longer and save huge amounts on maintenance costs and downtime compared to conventional metal towers.

SPX Cooling Technologies (www.spxcooling.com) introduced the Marley® NCWD package cooling tower, which is configured for applications of 500 tons and greater but are factory assembled. By combining direct contact (evaporative) and indirect contact (dry) heat exchangers in a parallel arrangement, the NCWD’s crossflow system can result in water savings as high as 20 percent versus conventional cooling towers, while markedly limiting visible plume. The NCWD line offers energy-efficient operation, lower maintenance requirements, cost-effective installation, and less blowdown with fewer chemicals.

TowerTech (www.towertechinc.com) featured its new TTXE series factory-assembled modular cooling towers. The TTXE is a counterflow, mechanical-draft cooling tower designed to reduce installation time and costs, operating costs, and tower maintenance.

Individual cooling tower modules are available in sizes ranging from 155 to 882 tons, with modular plug-and-play interconnectivity that allows up to 100,000 cooling tons, or 300,000 gpm per installation. The company states that the TTXE has the lowest life-cycle cost of any cooling tower.

SIDEBAR: A/C System

Munters (www.munters.com) introduced the Oasis® indirect evaporative air conditioning system. Indirect evaporative cooling cools air without added humidity. By using a cross-fluted heat exchanger, the water never comes in contact with the air. Using indirect evaporative cooling for the first stage of cooling make-up air reduces energy costs. The second stage is handled by conventional air conditioning. The use of an indirect evaporative cooling system in conjunction with a mechanical air conditioning system offsets cooling loads and significantly reduces energy consumption during peak design conditions. The company estimates that make-up air can be treated for 50 percent less when using the Oasis system, and the technology may also result in utility rebates and/or LEED credits.

Publication Date: 02/18/2008