Selecting the Right Fill - CE Shepherd

We all know that "fill" is the heart of every cooling tower. We also know every cooling tower operates with differing environmental constraints, water quality and thermal performance needs so there is no "one size fits all" when it comes to choosing fill for your project. Whatever your needs, we have them covered from splash filled crossflow components to high efficiency film fill and everything in between. 

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Longzhuo.

Counterflow fills

When selecting a counterflow fill many factors must be considered. Your customers are looking for reliable thermal performance as well as durability in the product; you can deliver both with CE Shepherd fills.

We have fills available in various sheet thicknesses and profiles for virtually any application. If you need help selecting one, just give us a call or refer to the "Technical Resources" section of this website for guidelines based on water quality. For thermal performance assessments, give us a call and we will help you choose the most cost effective fill for your specific application.

For Counterflow Fills, click a link below for product information:

CES 120 High Efficiency Film Fill 

CES 190 High Efficiency Film Fill

CES VF190+ Low Fouling Film Fill

CES VE210 Counterflow Low Fouling Film Fill

CES CF25 Low Fouling Film Fill

HPS20.2 High Performance Modular Splash Fill

Crossflow Fills

"Gull Wing" fill, available in 4-inch or 6-inch widths, is our latest and most efficient fill slat offering. The unique design of the Gull Wing Fill effectively addresses two key concepts clearly lacking in the majority of competitive fill slats: span and water bypass. Span is assured with full bearing surface contact between the slat and hanger and a center rib stiffener for increased strength. A unique retainer notch placed at regular intervals creates a space for the hanger grid while providing a full eighth-inch overhang per side to virtually eliminate water bypass. Gull Wing fill bars are manufactured of extruded PVC with either carbon black or titanium dioxide as a UV inhibitor. The fill bars are 50 mil (+/- 0.005") thickness with a uniform hole punch pattern surface to aid in water break-up.

"V-Bar" splash bars are also available and, like "Gull Wing", are manufactured of extruded PVC with either carbon black or titanium dioxide as a UV inhibitor. The fill bars are 50 mil (+/- 0.005") thickness with a uniform hole punch pattern surface to aid in water break-up.

And of course crossflow fills need quality wire hangers and accessories to insure reliable installations.  For many years CE Shepherd has been the leading crossflow fill hanger wire manufacturer offering both fusion bonded pvc coated galvanized steel wire as well as stainless steel hangers.  Our crossflow systems also include hanger brackets for attaching the wire hangers to the cooling tower structure as well as retainer clips for securing the fill bars to the hanger wire.  We are truly a "One Stop Shop" for crossflow fill systems.

Additional resources:
When to Use chinese crown pear？
NPK 15-5-30+TE Compound Fertilizer for Stronger, Healthier Crops
Above-the-Knee Amputation Guide - PrimeCare

For more cooling tower fillinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.

For Crossflow Fills, click a link below for product information:

CES Gull Wing Crossflow Splash Bars

CES V Bar Crossflow Splash Bars

Crossflow Splash Fill Accessories

Cooling towers aren’t all crafted the same or even from the same materials. For example, natural draft towers use convection for air circulation. Mechanical draft towers instead use fans to encourage or increase air circulation. Even within a mechanical draft unit, construction can vary depending on the airflow direction (crossflow vs. counterflow). However, one component all cooling towers share is a fill, or fill media. The fill is essentially what allows cooling and evaporation to happen as it provides a surface on which water and airflow to meet. Understanding clearly what fills are, the types of fills most often used, and their role of them in the cooling process is important for all tower owners and operators.

The Role of a Fill in the Cooling Process

The term “fill” refers to the medium used to create a greater surface area for water passing through the tower to be cooled. Fills are also sometimes called wet decks or fill mediums. More surface area means contact between airflow and water is maximized, leading to quicker evaporation and ultimately, cooling rates. Essentially, a fill keeps water in contact with a surface for longer and increases the heat exchange area – this allows the process to happen much faster.  

Fills (or Fill Medias) can be crafted from a variety of materials, plastic being one of the most common. While there are also several types of fills, most applications make use of two, splash fill and film fill.

The Two Main Types of Cooling Tower Fills

A splash fill, as its name suggests, causes water to splash by cutting across, or interrupting water flow. This type of fill uses layers of horizontal bars that when water hits them, break it up into smaller droplets. More (and smaller) droplets mean quicker evaporation. PVC is often the material of choice for splash fills, as it is more consistent (and efficient) than traditional wood splash fills. It is also considered a very “wettable” material, meaning it is easy for liquids to spread across it. PVC is also very durable and has a long lifespan as well as being easy for water to cover it completely.

For applications in areas with chronically poor water quality, splash fills are often preferred. Because this type doesn’t have spaces for dirt or debris from the incoming water to collect, efficiency remains intact.

The other main type of fill is a film fill, in which very thin, textured sheets of PVC are placed close together so that water spreads across them (forming a type of film). Textures used on the PVC are called channels or flutes. Flutes can run horizontally, vertically, in a cross-corrugated fashion, or any other number of directions and patterns. The channels essentially send incoming water on a long journey of twists and turns rather than allowing it to fall in a single line. Because the water is allowed to travel in so many directions, the resulting film is very thin, and water evaporates quickly.  

It might seem like film fills would always be the best option, because of their very fast evaporation rate. However, in applications where incoming water is very concentrated with dirt or debris, these fills are not ideal. That debris can clog the flutes easily if not sized correctly. One solution to this issue if a film fill is preferred is to widen the flute/channel size to make it more difficult for debris to collect and clog the fill. However, if water quality is a very serious issue, then an alternative fill might work better, such as a bar fill – which helps very dirty water to be processed, albeit in a way that is less efficient than in instances of cleaner water.

Choosing a New Cooling Tower and Fill Type

Cooling towers are essential components of most manufacturing industries and large commercial HVAC systems. Selecting a new or replacement cooling tower involves a lot of key decisions, including the size, type of airflow, and the type of fill. These decisions can’t be made correctly without extensive industry knowledge and experience as well as a deep understanding of the specific tower’s intended use and any nuances that come with that (including water quality).

Unless you have a team of experts on hand with the knowledge and training to properly select, install, and maintain a cooling tower, we suggest partnering with a team that does. At Cooling Tower Experts, our leaders bring decades of experience as industry experts and contributors. Our team is highly trained and qualified, each bringing extensive knowledge of the technical side of towers and everything that goes into getting (and keeping) them running efficiently for years.

We provide consulting services for those owners/operators needing that added expertise and tower experience. With this service, you get experts to help you avoid many of those common pitfalls and mistakes that owners make when installing, maintaining, or repairing towers. Additionally, expert consulting often leads to a much quicker decision-making process as well as an overall shorter project timeline. Good managers know the value of a shortened timeline – less labor cost and less downtime, meaning more money saved.