Adiabatic Cooling Tower

Adiabatic cooling tower technology has become a defining solution for sites where reliable heat rejection has to be balanced against water consumption, energy efficiency, and the demands of modern industrial cooling. By using water only when ambient conditions require it, an adiabatic cooling tower can deliver process temperatures unavailable to a standard dry cooler while consuming a fraction of the water a conventional evaporative tower would need. Franklin Hodge manufactures Carter Environmental adiabatic cooling solutions from our Birmingham facility, with installations across data centres, industrial process plants, and commercial buildings.

What Is an Adiabatic Cooling Tower? 

An adiabatic cooling tower is a heat rejection system that uses the evaporative cooling effect to pre-cool the air entering a dry cooling circuit. Water passes over pads or is sprayed into the airstream upstream of the heat exchanger, lowering the air temperature before it reaches the coils. This brings the fluid outlet temperature below the ambient dry-bulb, achieving cooling performance that a standard dry cooler cannot reach on a hot day. 

The advantage sits in the word “adiabatic” itself. The system only adds water and energy when conditions demand it. On cooler days, the unit operates in dry mode, saving water entirely. On hot days, the adiabatic stage activates to maintain the same outlet temperature.

How Adiabatic Cooling Towers Work 

The working principle is straightforward in concept and well-engineered in practice. 

• Warm fluid from your process enters the heat exchanger coils 
• Ambient air is drawn or pushed across those coils by fans 
• When ambient temperature rises above the threshold for dry-mode operation, water is introduced upstream of the coils 
• Evaporation in the airstream lowers the air temperature before it reaches the heat exchanger 
• The cooler air absorbs more heat from the fluid, dropping the outlet temperature below what dry cooling alone would achieve 

The fluid stays inside a closed circuit throughout. Only the cooling air ever contacts the water, which keeps the process fluid clean and removes the water treatment burden associated with open evaporative cooling towers.

Adiabatic Cooler vs Cooling Tower: Choosing Between Them

The two technologies share an end goal but reach it differently. A conventional cooling tower cools through continuous evaporation, with the process water itself contacting the airstream. An adiabatic cooling tower or adiabatic cooler uses water only when ambient air needs pre-cooling, and the process fluid stays in a closed circuit. 

In practice, the decision usually comes down to three factors: water availability, the criticality of the process fluid staying isolated from the atmosphere, and the year-round outlet temperature profile your application needs. For sites where water is scarce, expensive, or treated, adiabatic cooling delivers significant operational savings. 

The WABC Adiabatic Cooler From Franklin Hodge 

Franklin Hodge manufactures the WABC series, our adiabatic dry air blast cooler, as part of the Carter Environmental range. The WABC uses copper or stainless-steel coil sets with a range of fan and motor configurations, and includes an adiabatic mode package that cools incoming air and lowers fluid outlet temperature below the ambient dry-bulb. Like the rest of the Carter range, it’s available in single or multi-cell configurations for site-specific heat loads. 

The full range is designed and supported by our engineering team in Birmingham, with spec sheets available in the downloads section and replacement components stocked through our spare parts service for installations as far back as the 1980s. For projects pursuing carbon and water reduction targets, the adiabatic mode is one of the more measurable ways to bring cooling performance into line with sustainability commitments.

Where Adiabatic Cooling Towers Are Used 

Adiabatic cooling has become the standard for several specific applications: 

• Data centres requiring efficient, year-round IT cooling without the water consumption of open evaporative systems 
• Industrial process plants where outlet temperatures need to drop below ambient dry-bulb but water conservation is a priority 
• Commercial buildings with HVAC heat rejection requirements and sustainability targets 
• Sites in water-scarce regions where reducing freshwater draw is a regulatory or operational obligation 

Examples of cooling installations across these sectors are documented on our projects page.

Speak to Franklin Hodge About Adiabatic Cooling Tower Specification 

Sizing an adiabatic cooling tower correctly is the difference between hitting year-round performance targets and oversizing for a worst-case scenario you may never see. Our engineering team works through the heat load, climate data, water availability, and fluid temperature targets with you before specifying anything. Contact us with your project details and the engineering team will be in touch with the right specification.

Frequently Asked Questions 

What is an adiabatic cooling tower? 

An adiabatic cooling tower pre-cools the incoming air through evaporation before it reaches the heat exchanger coils, lowering fluid outlet temperature below ambient dry-bulb. 

How does an adiabatic cooler differ from a conventional cooling tower? 

A conventional cooling tower cools through continuous evaporation, while an adiabatic cooler uses water only when ambient air needs pre-cooling, with the process fluid kept in a closed circuit. 

Does Franklin Hodge manufacture adiabatic cooling towers? 

Yes, our WABC series is a dry air blast cooler with an adiabatic mode package, manufactured at our Birmingham facility as part of the Carter Environmental range. 

Where are adiabatic cooling towers typically used? 

Data centres, industrial process plants, commercial HVAC installations, and water-scarce sites where reducing freshwater consumption is a priority. 

How much water does an adiabatic cooler use? 

Adiabatic coolers only consume water when ambient temperatures rise above the threshold for dry-mode operation, so consumption is a fraction of an open evaporative cooling tower.