If water is leaving an efficiently operating induced draft cooling tower, what is the temperature of the water?

The temperature of the water leaving an efficiently operating induced draft cooling tower is typically between the wet bulb and the dry bulb temperature of the air. In a cooling tower, the primary function is to remove heat from the water by transferring it to the ambient air. The wet bulb temperature reflects the cooling potential of the air as it accounts for the effects of humidity, while the dry bulb temperature represents the actual air temperature.

As the water passes through the cooling tower, it comes into contact with the air. Due to the evaporation of a small portion of the water, heat is removed from the bulk water, resulting in a decrease in its temperature.

Since the cooling process is only able to bring the water down to a temperature that is influenced by the ambient air conditions, the leaving water temperature will be lower than the dry bulb temperature—indicating that the water is cooler than the standard air temperature—and higher than the wet bulb temperature, as the wet bulb temperature reflects what is achievable through evaporative cooling but does not account for the cooling effects of airflow.

Thus, the correct understanding is that water exiting an efficiently operating cooling tower will have a temperature that is comfortably situated between these two air temperature metrics, demonstrating efficient heat exchange and cooling while reflecting the balance between ongoing