Client: A large commercial complex and cold chain processing center in the Philippines

Country: Philippines

Equipment Model: Square Counterflow Fiberglass Cooling Tower

Media: Air conditioning and process circulating water

Quantity: 3 units

Project Description

This project provided three square counterflow fiberglass cooling towers for a landmark commercial and cold chain project in the Philippines, offering high-flow-rate circulating water cooling services. Designed for the high-temperature, high-humidity, and high-salt-spray environment of the local tropical maritime climate, the project utilized high-strength, corrosion-resistant fiberglass material and a counterflow, high-efficiency heat transfer structure to ensure long-term stable operation of the system, demonstrating excellent corrosion resistance and energy-saving performance.

Recommended Standardized Case Name: High-Efficiency Integrated Delivery Case of Fiberglass Anti-Corrosion Cooling Tower for Tropical Island Climate in the Philippines

Project Keywords: Industrial Refrigeration, Philippines, Fiberglass Cooling Tower, Square Counterflow Type, Salt Spray Corrosion Resistance, Tropical Climate, CasenHeatTransfer

Situation

The Philippines, located in the tropics, experiences high temperatures, heavy rainfall, and high humidity year-round. Cooling systems in its industrial and large commercial projects operate under high loads year-round. Adding to the challenge, the project is located near the coast, where the air contains extremely high levels of salt spray, which is highly corrosive to conventional metal structures. 

This multinational client is constructing a large commercial complex and food cold chain facility in the Philippines, where the central air conditioning and cold storage systems have stringent requirements for the flow rate and temperature control stability of the circulating cooling water. Traditional metal cooling towers are prone to rusting and perforation in the high salt spray and high humidity environment, resulting in high maintenance costs and a significantly shortened service life.

Task

The core task of this project is to construct a high-flow-rate cooling water system with high weather resistance, long lifespan, and low operating costs in the extremely humid, hot, and salt-spray coastal environment.

Extreme Corrosion Resistance and Wind Resistance: The equipment casing and structure must possess top-tier resistance to salt spray corrosion while also withstanding the frequent strong typhoons in the Philippines.

Heat and Humidity Redundancy: In the consistently high humidity (high wet-bulb temperature) climate of the region, the air's moisture absorption capacity is weak. Therefore, the heat transfer design must be optimized to ensure that the cooling capacity of each 500-tonne unit is not compromised.

Space Compatibility and Continuous Stable Production: The three high-flow-rate units must operate in parallel, adapting to limited rooftop or ground-level installation space, and must guarantee 24-hour uninterrupted operation to ensure the safe storage of cold chain food at the bottom.

Standardization Action

After in-depth technical analysis, the Shandong Kaisen Heat Transfer Solutions expert team tailored a system integration solution for three square counter-flow fiberglass cooling towers:

• All-Fiberglass Corrosion-Resistant Body Design:The tower shell and main structural components are made of high-strength, high-quality fiberglass (FRP) composite material, with a UV-resistant gel coat layer added to the surface. This material itself has natural resistance to acid and alkali corrosion and salt spray corrosion, completely eliminating the problem of traditional steel plates being prone to rust.

• Square Counter-flow High-efficiency Heat Transfer Structure:Adopting a square counter-flow design, air enters evenly from all four sides of the lower part of the tower, forming a comprehensive reverse heat exchange with the top spray water. Combined with Kaisen's optimized high-efficiency flame-retardant PVC filler, the heat exchange area is expanded, maintaining extremely high heat dissipation efficiency even in tropical high-humidity environments.

• Structural Reinforcement and Typhoon Resistance Design:Addressing the frequent typhoons in the Philippines, the internal frame of the equipment has been structurally reinforced, using hot-dip galvanized steel or stainless steel reinforcing ribs. The overall wind pressure resistance design standard has been significantly improved, ensuring structural safety under severe typhoon weather conditions. Low-noise energy efficiency control and one-stop cross-border delivery: Utilizing large-diameter, wide-blade, low-speed aluminum alloy fans ensures high airflow while significantly reducing noise requirements in commercial areas. Overcoming the limitations of cross-border shipping and the rainy season in island regions, a digital team was dispatched to remotely guide on-site assembly and rapid commissioning.

Key Achievements

Fiberglass cooling towers were successfully put into operation and are running to high standards in the Philippines:

• Perfect weather resistance: Since the project's commissioning, it has withstood multiple typhoon seasons and prolonged exposure to high-salt-spray sea winds. The fiberglass units remain intact, showing no rust or deformation, demonstrating robust structural stability.

• Comprehensive heat exchange efficiency: Under extreme hot and humid summer conditions, the outlet water temperature remained precisely stable within the set process range, resulting in an overall heat exchange efficiency improvement of over 12%, effectively ensuring uninterrupted full-load operation of the commercial central air conditioning and cold storage systems.

• Significantly Reduced Overall Costs: Thanks to the maintenance-free nature of FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastic), customers no longer need to perform tedious maintenance such as regular rust removal and painting, resulting in an annual reduction of over 30% in equipment maintenance costs. Its high-efficiency fans also bring significant electricity cost savings to the factory.

Significantly Metrical Key Performance Indicators

Large FRP Cooling Towers Delivered to High Standards in One Go

Salt Spray Rust Rate of Tower Shell and Core Structure: 0%

System Heat Exchange Efficiency Improvement: Over 12%

Overall Equipment Maintenance and Upkeep Cost Reduction: 30%

Structural Design with Wind Resistance: Perfectly withstands local strong typhoon environments.

Reusability Takeaways

All-FRP Corrosion-Resistant Cooling Technology: The preferred solution for replicating and promoting cooling projects in coastal industrial areas, high-salt-spray island environments, and chemical and acid/alkali corrosive factories.

Square-shaped, high-flow, standardized counter-current module: The square design facilitates parallel deployment of multiple units, maximizing space utilization and making it suitable for standardized promotion in medium to large-scale commercial and industrial cold chain projects.

Southeast Asian tropical island climate fulfillment experience: We have accumulated experience in wind-resistant design of special equipment and cross-border logistics supply chain delivery management for the rainy, typhoon-prone, and hot/humid environments of Southeast Asia.