Course Description

Cooling towers play a fundamental role in rejecting unwanted heat from HVAC systems, particularly in water-cooled chiller plants. After heat is absorbed from indoor spaces by chilled water, it is ultimately transferred to a refrigerant loop and then rejected at the cooling tower. In simple terms, the cooling tower is the final heat sink of the system. Its performance directly influences how hard the chiller has to work. If the cooling tower is inefficient, the condenser temperature rises, which increases compressor power consumption significantly. What is often overlooked is that cooling towers operate in a very sensitive balance with ambient air conditions. Unlike mechanical equipment, their performance is strongly governed by environmental parameters such as wet bulb temperature, humidity, and airflow conditions. So in practice, a well-designed cooling tower system can reduce overall HVAC energy consumption by a substantial margin, sometimes even more than upgrading the chiller itself.

What you'll learn in this course?

• Understand the working principles of cooling towers and condensers in HVAC systems.

• Identify different types of cooling towers and condensers and their applications.

• Apply practical thumb rules for sizing, selection, and performance evaluation.

• Analyze key performance parameters such as approach, range, and efficiency.

• Recognize common operational issues and troubleshooting techniques.

• Improve energy efficiency and water management strategies in HVAC systems.

Prerequisites

• Basic understanding of HVAC refrigeration and chilled-water systems

• Familiarity with heat transfer, psychrometrics, and mechanical equipment is helpful