Cooling Towers for Data Centres

Data centres don’t get a day off. The cooling load is constant, the consequences of failure are severe, and the volume of heat being rejected is climbing as AI workloads, high-density compute, and 24/7 service requirements push processing demand higher. Cooling towers remain the most efficient, proven, and scalable answer to that heat load. Franklin Hodge supplies cooling towers for data centres across the UK and internationally through our Carter Environmental range, with installations engineered for both legacy halls and the latest high-density AI infrastructure.

Why Data Centre Cooling Demands Cooling Tower Reliability

A data centre cooling failure isn’t an inconvenience. It’s a service-level event with financial impact within minutes. The cooling system has to operate continuously, scale with load, and tolerate UK ambient temperature swings without skipping a beat. Cooling towers deliver that reliability because the underlying technology is mature, thermodynamically efficient at scale, and supported by decades of installed-base data.

Data Centre Cooling Solutions From Franklin Hodge 

Our cooling towers cover the configurations data centres specify, from forced draught and induced draught open towers through to closed-circuit dry air blast coolers with adiabatic mode for water-efficient operation. All series cover water flow rates from 6 to 600 cubic metres per hour and are available in single or multi-cell configurations to match site heat load profiles. 

For new-build data centres specifying full thermal infrastructure, our engineering team works with the design contractor from the heat rejection brief through to commissioning. For existing facilities upgrading or expanding cooling capacity, we handle integration with the systems already on site. 

Adiabatic and Evaporative Cooling Towers for Data Centres 

The two dominant cooling tower approaches for data centre applications are open evaporative and adiabatic dry-mode operation, and each has a different place in modern facilities. 

Open evaporative cooling towers deliver the lowest outlet temperatures across the widest range of conditions, making them the workhorse for high-load installations where cold water supply is critical. Adiabatic cooling, delivered through our WABC dry air blast cooler, runs in dry mode through cooler months and only consumes water when ambient conditions demand pre-cooling. For sites under water-use scrutiny or in regions with regulatory pressure on freshwater consumption, that profile is increasingly the right specification.

Cooling Tower Specifications for AI and High-Density Data Centres

AI training racks and high-density compute halls have shifted data centre cooling from kilowatts to megawatts per row. Higher heat fluxes mean tighter outlet temperatures, and the cooling tower system has to deliver consistently into liquid-cooled rear-door heat exchangers, in-row units, or direct-to-chip cooling loops. Our cooling tower configurations are sized to those evolved thermal targets, with multi-cell installations engineered for redundancy, modular expansion, and the reliability AI workloads require.

Backed by Carter Environmental: A UK Data Centre Cooling Manufacturer 

Franklin Hodge manufactures the Carter Environmental cooling tower range from our Birmingham facility, with engineering, design, and ongoing support all UK-based. The Carter heritage spans decades of industrial and commercial cooling installations, and we hold spare parts for installations dating back to the 1980s. For a sector that values asset longevity and supplier continuity, that track record makes us a credible UK data centre cooling manufacturer. 

You can read more about our engineering heritage on the about page, and see installation examples on our projects page.

Speak to Franklin Hodge About Cooling Towers for Data Centres 

If you’re scoping cooling capacity for a new data centre build or expanding an existing facility, our engineering team can specify the right cooling tower configuration based on heat load, redundancy targets, water availability, and sustainability requirements. Request a quote with your project brief and we’ll be in touch with a response tailored to your specification.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Why are cooling towers used in data centres? 

Cooling towers provide efficient, scalable heat rejection capable of supporting the continuous, high-volume cooling loads modern data centres generate. 

What types of cooling towers does Franklin Hodge supply for data centres? 

We supply forced draught, induced draught, and closed-circuit dry air blast cooling towers, including adiabatic configurations for water-efficient operation. 

Can Franklin Hodge cooling towers support AI and high-density compute? 

Yes, our cooling tower configurations are sized for the elevated heat fluxes generated by AI training racks and high-density compute halls. 

Are Franklin Hodge cooling towers manufactured in the UK? 

Yes, our Carter Environmental cooling tower range is manufactured at our Birmingham facility with full UK-based engineering and support. 

Does Franklin Hodge support older data centre cooling installations? 

Yes, we maintain spare parts and supply replacement components for cooling tower installations dating back to the 1980s.