May 2020CIOAPPLICATIONS.COM9For example, the Everest series tower modules can be built in as little as six to eight weeks, which is about one-third to one-half of the lead time necessary to deliver field-erected tower components.Additionally, on-site performance testing of field-erected towers is often required to verify they meet the specified cooling capacity. The tests, conducted by independent third-party agencies, add costs of about $25,000. Because these new modular towers are certified by the Cooling Technology Institute (CTI) to meet thermal performance as specified, additional testing costs are eliminated.A recent construction estimate to replace a field-erected cooling tower in the southeast United States required 4,500 hours and seven weeks of field labor. By specifying the modular Marley NC Everest instead, installation duration contracted to less than two weeks ­ an enormous savings in time, expense and operational efficiency. At a new data center project in upstate New York, two NC Everest tower cells providing nearly 5,000 tons of cooling were installed in one day, which was crucial to the operators who had strict security requirements and highly restricted access to the site.In the Midwest, an oil and gas refiner needed to replace or rebuild a field-erected tower within a 19-day outage. Because it would have taken eight to 10 weeks to reconstruct the cooling tower, and longer to build from the ground up, the modular MD Everest tower was selected, allowing completion within the outage window. The customer also benefited from the smaller work crew required, which reduced logistical complexity and safety risk on-site.Previously, field-erected cooling towers were the only solution available to meet the capacity demands of industrial and large HVAC projects. Now, construction and engineering managers charged with evaluating cooling systems must also consider the advantages modular cooling tower systems offer in a broad range of applications. Greater cooling capacity with energy efficiency, faster delivery, shorter construction duration, fewer logistical requirements and safer assembly techniques all contribute to the value these highly-engineered modular cooling products offer to engineers, contractors and owners. Robust construction materials, counterflow and crossflow configurations, easier inspection and maintenance access, and performance testing and certification give end users the justification and confidence needed to move away from traditional field-erected products and embrace advanced modular cooling tower systems.
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