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Cooling Tower Sizing Calculator

The Cooling Tower Sizing Calculator finds the tower range, approach, and effectiveness for a heat-rejection duty at a design wet-bulb. Example: for a 500 kW heat-rejection duty at a 28 °C design wet-bulb, Heat rejection = 142.17 TR, Range = 5.5 °C, Approach = 1.5 °C, Effectiveness = 0.79 (per CTI STD-201 | ASHRAE 2021 Ch.39 | ASHRAE 90.1 | ASME PTC 23).

How it works

Computed from your inputs per CTI STD-201 | ASHRAE 2021 Ch.39 | ASHRAE 90.1 | ASME PTC 23.

Worked example (HVAC & Cooling)

Inputs: a 500 kW heat-rejection duty at a 28 °C design wet-bulb.

ResultValue
Heat rejection142.17 TR
Range5.5 °C
Approach1.5 °C
Effectiveness0.79

Computed live by WorkHive's calculation engine; standard: CTI STD-201 | ASHRAE 2021 Ch.39 | ASHRAE 90.1 | ASME PTC 23.

How to use this calculator

  1. Enter the figures for the duty you are sizing: the worked example below uses a 500 kW heat-rejection duty at a 28 °C design wet-bulb.
  2. The calculator returns Heat rejection, Range, Approach, Effectiveness, computed per CTI STD-201 | ASHRAE 2021 Fundamentals.
  3. Check the worked example to confirm the method matches how you would do it by hand, then run your own numbers in the interactive tool.

FAQ

What is a cooling tower sizing calculator range approach?

The Cooling Tower Sizing Calculator is a free online tool that computes finds the tower range, approach, and effectiveness for a heat-rejection duty at a design wet-bulb. It shows the formula and a fully worked example so you can check the method, not just the number.

How is it calculated?

The result is computed from your inputs following CTI STD-201 | ASHRAE 2021 Fundamentals. The worked example on this page shows a real computation with real numbers.

Is the calculator free?

Yes. WorkHive's engineering calculators are free to use, no sign-up needed for the tools. WorkHive is a free, offline-first maintenance platform built for Philippine industrial plants.

Run it on your own numbers

Open the interactive Cooling Tower Sizing Calculator in WorkHive: free, no sign-up needed for the calculators.