Conventional “wet” cooling towers generate visible condensation plumes that form when the hot saturated cooling tower exhaust plume cools in the atmosphere. Plume-abated cooling towers are installed in areas where a visible cooling tower plume is not desirable. Plume-abated cooling towers may be installed near airports or highways where plumes can reduce visibility and lead to safety concerns. Plume-abated towers may also be installed where visible plumes in scenic locations or in locations where industry and residential areas co-exist where visible plumes may be objectionable.
CleanAir performs tests of plume-abated towers under the guidelines of CTI ATC-150 to determine whether the tower will form a condensing plume at the thermal design point.