If a cooling tower circulates 4,300 GPM of water, what is the cooling capacity in tons?

To determine the cooling capacity of a cooling tower in tons based on its water circulation rate, the formula used is based on the flow rate in gallons per minute (GPM) and the temperature difference of the water. The common conversion is that 1 ton of cooling is equivalent to 12,000 BTU/hr (British Thermal Units per hour).

In this case, if the cooling tower circulates 4,300 GPM, the cooling capacity can be calculated using the formula:

[ \text{Cooling Capacity (tons)} = \frac{\text{Flow Rate (GPM)} \times \text{Temperature Change (°F)} \times 8.33}{12,000} ]

Where 8.33 is the weight of 1 gallon of water in pounds. It's important to note that a typical temperature range for the calculation often assumes a 10°F temperature difference. If we use this 10°F temperature change for our calculations, we get:

[ \text{Cooling Capacity} = \frac{4,300 , \text{GPM} \times 10 , \text{°F} \times 8.33}{12,000} ]

Calculating this results in:

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