What is Multi cell Cooling Tower
A Multicell Cooling Tower is a cooling tower system that consists of two or more cooling tower cells (modules) connected together, working either in parallel or series, to handle larger cooling loads and provide operational flexibility.
How It Works
- Each cell has its own fan(s), fill, drift eliminators, and water distribution system.
- The cells share a common cold-water basin at the bottom.
- Hot water from the plant can be distributed across multiple cells, and the cooled water is collected in the shared basin.
- Operators can run one or more cells depending on cooling demand → improving efficiency.
Key Characteristics
- Flexibility:
- Cells can be started/stopped independently based on cooling load.
- Helps save energy when full capacity isn’t needed.
- Redundancy / Reliability:
- If one cell is under maintenance or fails, others can continue operating.
- Ensures uninterrupted cooling for critical processes.
- Scalability:
- Additional cells can be added to increase capacity.
- Efficiency:
- At partial load, operating fewer cells at higher efficiency is often more economical than running all cells at low efficiency.
- Design Types:
- Can be Induced Draft or Forced Draft.
- Cells can be counter flow or cross flow design.
Applications
- Power plants
- Large HVAC systems (airports, malls, skyscrapers)
- Refineries & chemical plants
- Any facility with large, variable cooling demands