Industries · Chemical

Cooling Towers for the Chemical Industry

Corrosion-resistant FRP, RCC and wooden cooling towers, thermally designed for reactor, condenser and heat exchanger duty in chemical plants. Made at our own factory near Mumbai since 1975.

Quick answer

What cooling tower is best for a chemical plant?

For most chemical plants, an induced draft FRP cooling tower is the best fit. FRP does not rust, so it holds up against acidic fumes, chemical-laden air and hard or poor-quality make-up water that corrode steel towers. Pair it with PVC fill, polypropylene nozzles and stainless steel or hot-dip galvanised hardware for a fully corrosion-resistant tower.

Very large, permanent installations often choose an RCC cooling tower for its long-life concrete structure. Either way, the tower should be thermally designed for your circulating flow, hot and cold water temperatures and site wet-bulb temperature.

Applications

Where cooling towers are used in chemical plants

Chemical processes release large amounts of heat, and most of it is rejected through the cooling water circuit. A cooling tower keeps that water at the temperature your process needs.

Reactor jacket and coil cooling

Removes heat from exothermic reactions so batch and continuous reactors stay at a safe, stable temperature.

Distillation condensers

Supplies cold water to overhead condensers that turn vapour back into liquid during separation and solvent recovery.

Process heat exchangers

Feeds shell-and-tube and plate heat exchangers that cool products, intermediates and process streams.

Compressors and chillers

Cools gas compressors, refrigeration plants and chiller condensers that serve the process.

Vacuum systems

Provides cooling water for vacuum pumps, ejectors and barometric condensers used in evaporation and drying.

Utilities and DG sets

Handles cooling for captive power, DG sets, air compressors and other plant utilities.

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

Every wetted and exposed part is chosen to resist corrosion. Final materials are confirmed against your water analysis and the chemicals present on site.

Component	Material of construction
Structure and casing	FRP (or RCC / 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.

Water and chemicals

Make-up water analysis and any chemicals that could enter the circuit.

Site details

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

Why Cooltech

Trusted by chemical and process plants since 1975

Our clients include Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers and Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals, alongside plants across the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa.

51+

years designing cooling towers

4,900+

cooling towers manufactured

1,500+

towers exported

CTI

member · ISO 9001:2015

FAQ

Cooling towers for chemical plants: FAQs

Which type of cooling tower is best for a chemical plant?

An induced draft FRP cooling tower suits most chemical plants because FRP cannot rust in corrosive, humid air. For very large, permanent installations an RCC cooling tower is also a strong choice. Counterflow designs give high performance in a small footprint, while crossflow designs are easier to inspect and clean.

What information do you need to size a cooling tower for a chemical process?

We need the circulating flow rate (or heat load), hot and cold water temperatures, the design wet-bulb temperature for your site, your make-up water analysis, and details of the available space and power supply.

How do you protect a cooling tower from corrosive chemical fumes?

We use corrosion-resistant materials throughout: an FRP structure and fan cylinder, PVC fill and drift eliminators, polypropylene nozzles and stainless steel or hot-dip galvanised hardware.

What if process chemicals leak into the cooling water?

A cooling tower cannot stop a heat exchanger leak, but it can be built from materials that tolerate it. Tell us which chemicals could enter the circuit during design, and we will confirm that the fill, nozzles and structure are compatible.

Can you repair or rebuild an existing cooling tower at our chemical plant?

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.

Do you supply cooling towers to chemical plants outside India?

Yes. We have exported more than 1,500 cooling towers to the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa. Our factory at MIDC Murbad is close to JNPT port for fast shipping.