Industries · Nuclear

Cooling Towers for Nuclear Power Plants

Induced draft FRP, RCC and wooden cooling towers for auxiliary and conventional-side cooling at nuclear power stations and research facilities. Built to CTI standards since 1975.

Quick answer

What cooling towers are used at nuclear power plants?

The giant hyperbolic towers seen at many nuclear stations are natural draft cooling towers that cool the main turbine condenser. Alongside them, nuclear plants use many smaller induced draft cooling towers for auxiliary systems such as equipment cooling, HVAC chillers, turbine auxiliaries and on-site workshops.

Cooltech designs and builds induced draft FRP, RCC and wooden cooling towers for these duties, built to CTI standards and supplied with thermal design data.

Applications

Where induced draft cooling towers are used at nuclear plants

Beyond the main condenser, a nuclear station has many auxiliary systems that each need a reliable supply of cooling water.

Auxiliary equipment cooling

Cools heat exchangers that serve pumps, motors and other plant equipment.

Turbine auxiliaries

Cools lube oil, generator and seal oil coolers on the conventional side of the plant.

HVAC chiller condensers

Condenser water for chillers serving control buildings, offices and support facilities.

Research reactors and laboratories

Cooling water for research facilities, test loops and laboratories.

Workshops and support facilities

Cools compressors and workshop equipment around the site.

Standby and construction power

Cooling for DG sets and temporary plant during construction and outages.

Challenges

We manufacture all three materials in-house, so we recommend the one that fits your duty, not the one we happen to make.

Feature	RCC cooling tower	FRP cooling tower	Wooden cooling tower
Best for	Large, permanent auxiliary duties	Corrosion-resistant and coastal duties	Economical large-flow cooling
Corrosion resistance	Very good – concrete structure with HDG / SS hardware	Excellent – no rust; suits chemical, coastal and seawater duty	Good – CCA-treated timber with HDG / SS hardware
Models	92	98	107
Capacity	Sized to project	Up to 6,000 m³/hr per cell (pultruded)	45 – 5,000 m³/hr per cell
Civil work	Civil structure built locally from our drawings	Minimal – FRP or RCC cold water basin	RCC cold water basin by purchaser (drawings provided)

Materials are confirmed against your specification, water analysis and site conditions.

Component	Material of construction
Structure and casing	RCC, FRP or treated timber
Fill	PVC film or splash fill
Drift eliminator	PVC, cellular or blade type
Nozzles	Polypropylene (PP)
Hardware	Stainless steel or hot-dip galvanised MS
Fan	Cast aluminium alloy or GRP blades
Fan cylinder	FRP
Electric motor	To suit your site standards and area classification

How it works

What we need to size your cooling tower

Send these details and our engineers will recommend the model, number of cells and fill for guaranteed performance.

Flow rate

Circulating water flow in m³/hr, or heat load in kW or TR.

Temperatures

Hot water inlet and required cold water outlet temperatures.

Wet-bulb temperature

Design wet-bulb temperature for your site location.

Specification

Applicable specifications, water analysis and quality requirements.

Site details

Available space, existing basin, power supply and site standards.

Why Cooltech

Five decades of cooling tower engineering

Since 1975 we have manufactured more than 4,900 cooling towers for power, process and engineering plants. Our clients include Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd and Kenya Electricity Generating Company.

51+

years designing cooling towers

4,900+

cooling towers manufactured

1,500+

towers exported

CTI

member · ISO 9001:2015

FAQ

Cooling towers for nuclear power plants: FAQs

What type of cooling tower does a nuclear power plant use?

The main condenser is usually cooled by large natural draft hyperbolic towers or by once-through seawater. Auxiliary systems such as equipment cooling, chillers and turbine auxiliaries use smaller induced draft cooling towers.

Do you supply cooling towers for auxiliary systems?

Yes. We design induced draft FRP, RCC and wooden cooling towers for auxiliary and conventional-side cooling duties, built to CTI standards.

What is the difference between natural draft and induced draft towers?

A natural draft tower uses the height of a hyperbolic shell to draw air through by buoyancy, with no fans. An induced draft tower uses fans to pull air through, so it is much smaller and its performance is easier to control. Read more about natural draft cooling towers.

Why are nuclear power plant cooling towers so large?

Nuclear units are large, so their condensers reject huge amounts of heat. Natural draft towers need a tall shell to create enough airflow without fans, which is why they are so visible.

What documentation do you provide?

For large cooling towers we provide thermal data such as air quantity, L/G ratio, KaV/L, fan curves and performance curves, along with drawings.

Can you repair existing cooling towers at a power station?

Yes. We repair and reconstruct cooling towers of any make, and supply spares such as FRP fans, fills, nozzles, drift eliminators, fan stacks and gearboxes.