What type of air flow does a natural cooling tower use?

A natural cooling tower utilizes a chimney effect to facilitate air movement. This design relies on the natural convection of air, where warm air rises and creates a draft that draws in cooler air from the surrounding environment. As hot air inside the cooling tower rises, it creates a low-pressure area that pulls fresh air in through the lower openings, promoting effective cooling without the need for mechanical assistance like a fan.

In contrast, forced airflow and fan-driven systems actively move air using mechanical components, which is not the case with natural cooling towers. Therefore, the key characteristic of a natural cooling tower is this passive, gravity-driven movement of air. The term “naturally aspirated” in the context of air flow does identify passive air flow created by the temperature differential but is less specific compared to the chimney effect, which directly describes the mechanism at play in a cooling tower.