| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Model | ZL-10T |
| Cooling Capacity | 10 RT (35.2 kW heat rejection) |
| Water Flow Rate | 7.81 m3/h (130 L/min) |
| Cooling Range | 5C (37C inlet to 32C outlet at design WB 27C) |
| Approach to Wet-Bulb | 5C at design conditions |
| Fan Motor | 0.37 kW (0.5 HP) 380V 3-phase 50Hz |
| Fan Diameter | 635 mm axial |
| Air Flow Rate | 85 CMM (50,920 m3/h) |
| Head Loss at Design Flow | 13 kPa |
| Tower Dimensions (H x D) | 1820 x 940 mm |
| Dry Weight | 46 kg |
| Operating Weight (filled) | 190 kg |
| Noise Level | 60 dB(A) at 1 m |
| Tower Body Material | FRP (Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic) |
| Fan Blade Material | ABS plastic |
| Configuration | Counter Flow Square |
| Voltage | 380V 3-phase 50Hz (customizable 220V/415V) |
| Certifications | CE / ISO 9001:2015 |
| Warranty | 1 year (consumables excluded) |
The ZL-10T's 10 RT (35.2 kW) cooling capacity matches the typical edge data center IT load profile:
Edge data center cabinet: 5-10 kW per rack. 6-rack edge deployment: 30-60 kW total IT load.
Heat rejection: Data center electrical equipment typically converts 100% of input power to heat. A 30 kW IT load rejects 30 kW of heat to the cooling system, plus 8-10 kW from the chiller's compressor — total 38-40 kW. The ZL-10T's 35.2 kW capacity is slightly undersized for a single-tower edge deployment, but works well with paired ZL-10T in N+1 redundancy.
For a single ZL-10T supporting an edge data center, the recommended IT load is 25-28 kW (tower utilization 71-80%). This buffer allows for peak load excursions during batch processing or data migration without overloading the cooling tower.
PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) is the data center industry's primary efficiency metric. PUE = Total Facility Power / IT Equipment Power. A perfect data center has PUE = 1.0. Typical data centers operate at PUE 1.5-2.0.
For an edge data center with ZL-10T + 10 RT water-cooled chiller pairing:
IT equipment power: 30 kW. Chiller power: 9.5 kW (coefficient of performance 3.5). Cooling tower fan power: 0.37 kW. Lighting and auxiliary: 1.5 kW. Total facility power: 41.4 kW. PUE = 41.4 / 30 = 1.38.
For higher-efficiency edge data centers targeting PUE 1.15 or lower, the configuration requires: (1) Variable-speed fans on the cooling tower (VFD option, reduces fan power to 0.15 kW at partial load); (2) Higher-efficiency chiller (COP 5.0 reduces chiller power to 6 kW); (3) Hot aisle/cold aisle containment (reduces cooling load by 15-20%). With these optimizations, PUE 1.15-1.25 is achievable for an edge data center using ZL-10T.
WUE (Water Usage Effectiveness) measures data center water consumption: WUE = Annual Water Consumption (liters) / IT Equipment Energy (kWh). The unit is L/kWh.
The ZL-10T's WUE calculation for a 30 kW IT load edge data center in a moderate climate (8,760 operating hours/year):
Annual evaporation loss: 0.005 × 7.81 m³/h × 8,760 h = 342 m³/year (drift) + 2,400 m³/year (evaporation at 5°C range) = 2,742 m³/year total water consumption.
Annual IT energy: 30 kW × 8,760 h = 262,800 kWh. WUE = 2,742,000 L / 262,800 kWh = 10.4 L/kWh.
Industry-leading data centers target WUE <2.0 L/kWh (typically achieved with air-cooled chillers in cold climates). The ZL-10T's 10.4 L/kWh is acceptable for moderate-climate water-cooled installations but not for water-stressed regions. For water-stressed regions (US Southwest, Middle East, North China), the ZL-10T's 0.005% drift performance is critical, but adiabatic or dry-cooler hybrid systems may be preferred for very low WUE targets.
Uptime Institute Tier III requires concurrent maintainability — any single component can be removed for maintenance without affecting IT operations. For cooling, this translates to N+1 redundancy in the cooling tower.
Two ZL-10T cooling towers in parallel, each rated at 100% of the design cooling load, provide N+1 redundancy:
Normal operation: Both towers share the load (typically 50/50 split). Each tower operates at 50% capacity, which is below the optimal efficiency point. Counter flow towers lose approximately 1°C approach at 50% flow — acceptable for Tier III.
Maintenance operation: One tower isolated (valve closed), the other operates at 100% capacity to handle full load. The single tower delivers 32°C leaving water at WB 27°C, with approach degradation of 2°C (acceptable for non-precision data center cooling).
Failure operation: If a fan motor or fill media fails on one tower, the valve isolation allows the second tower to carry full load until repair. Maximum tolerable repair time: 96 hours (Tier III requirement).
For Tier IV (fault-tolerant), two ZL-10T plus a third emergency cooling source (chilled water buffer tank, well water, or emergency generator-powered chiller) are required.
For indoor edge data center installations where the ZL-10T is placed adjacent to the IT room (rather than rooftop), the 60 dB sound level is acceptable for most installations. The ZL-10T's acoustic signature is dominated by broadband fan noise (no tonal whine), which is masked by typical data center HVAC noise (65-75 dB from CRAC units).
For indoor installations, additional considerations:
Vibration isolation: Mount the ZL-10T on rubber isolation pads (4 corners, 10 mm deflection) to prevent structure-borne vibration from transmitting to the IT room. Typical vibration reduction: 15-20 dB at the IT room boundary.
Condensate management: In indoor installations, the cooling tower's evaporation provides minor dehumidification, but in cold conditions the tower may produce condensate that requires drainage. Install a condensate drain pan under the tower with floor drain connection.
Air management: Indoor cooling towers consume a large volume of air — 85 CMM = 5,100 m³/h. The supply air must come from a source that can supply this volume without starving the data center's CRAC units. Typically, indoor cooling towers require dedicated outside air ducts or roof penetrations.
Emerging data center cooling architectures use direct-to-chip liquid cooling, which can operate with warmer supply water temperatures (up to 40-45°C leaving the cooling tower). The ZL-10T's standard 32°C leaving water at design WB 27°C is well-suited for warm-water cooling loops:
Traditional data center cooling: 7°C supply water, 12°C return. Uses 40% of chiller capacity for sensible cooling.
Warm-water direct-to-chip: 40°C supply, 45°C return. Uses 90% of cooling capacity for sensible cooling. Chiller compressor power drops 35-40%.
The ZL-10T's 32°C leaving water at design WB 27°C supports warm-water cooling with a chiller boost to 40°C (if needed). For data centers operating with 100% outside air cooling (no chiller), the ZL-10T can deliver water cool enough for direct-to-chip cooling in climates where ambient WB stays below 25°C.
For hyperscale data centers with hot-water cooling (45°C+ supply), the ZL-10T would need to operate at 5-7°C approach, which exceeds design specifications. Larger counter flow towers (ZL-100T or ZL-200T) would be required.
For a 30 kW IT load edge data center (6 racks at 5 kW each), the ZL-10T provides 35.2 kW cooling capacity. Recommended IT load is 25-28 kW (tower utilization 71-80%) to allow headroom for peak load excursions.
For a 30 kW IT load with ZL-10T + 10 RT water-cooled chiller: PUE 1.38. With VFD-driven fans, higher-efficiency chiller (COP 5.0), and hot/cold aisle containment: PUE 1.15-1.25 is achievable.
ZL-10T WUE = 10.4 L/kWh at moderate climate (8,760 operating hours/year). Industry-leading targets are <2.0 L/kWh (typically air-cooled in cold climates). ZL-10T is suitable for moderate-climate water-cooled installations.
Two ZL-10T cooling towers in parallel (each rated 100% of design load) provide Tier III concurrent maintainability. Normal operation: 50/50 split. Maintenance: one isolated, the other at 100% capacity. Maximum repair time: 96 hours.
Yes. The 60 dB sound level is acceptable for indoor installations adjacent to IT rooms. Requires vibration isolation pads, condensate drain pan, and dedicated outside air duct (85 CMM air flow = 5,100 m³/h supply air).
Authoritative References: Uptime Institute Tier Classification System | The Green Grid — PUE/WUE Metrics
Explore other ZL-10T 10 Ton FRP Counter Flow Cooling Tower variants engineered for different applications:
Zillion has supplied industrial cooling towers since 2009, with FRP counter flow construction as our standard since 2014. The ZL-10T's 7.81 m3/h flow at 5C range and 35.2 kW heat rejection cover the 10-ton process cooling capacity class at 0.37 kW fan power — the lowest power consumption per ton in our ZL series.
Contact: Leika Li, +86 185 2053 2504, Leika@gdzillion.cn. Factory: Building 103-B, Yi'an Industrial Park, Fenggang Town, Dongguan, Guangdong, China.