How Large Buildings Cool Their Water

I was walking around trying out my new app (Shameless Plug) and I came across a building that was pouring water through the middle of it.

Here is some of the basics:

‘The UW structure is an evaporative cooling tower connected to the campus chilled-water system. Chilled water absorbs heat while circulating through campus buildings, and that heat is transferred into a separate condenser-water loop at a central chiller. The resulting warm condenser water is pumped to the top of the cooling tower and distributed across internal surfaces called “fill,” which spread it into thin films and droplets.

Large fans, the round housings visible on the roof, pull outside air through the open sides of the tower and upward through the falling water. As the air and water meet, a small portion of the water evaporates. Evaporation requires energy, so it draws heat from the remaining water, cooling it. The fans then discharge the warm, humid air from the top, while devices inside the tower capture stray droplets to reduce water loss.

The cooled water collects in a basin at the bottom and is pumped back to the chiller, where it absorbs more heat before returning to the tower. This cycle operates continuously when cooling is needed. Because some water evaporates and minerals become concentrated, the system must add replacement water, drain a controlled amount, and chemically treat the loop to prevent scale, corrosion, algae, and bacteria such as Legionella.’

The water coming out is 85-95 degrees. I wonder if hanging out in there would feel like a nice hot shower. It’s amazing how you can go through your whole life and still find and learn about completely new things.