Certified Facility Manager (CFM) Practice Exam

How is water cooled in a cooling tower?

1. Through condensation

2. By heat exchange

3. By evaporation

4. Through filtration

The correct answer is: By evaporation

Cooling towers are designed to remove heat from water through the process of evaporation. As water enters the cooling tower, it is distributed over fill material that increases its surface area. This allows a portion of the water to evaporate into the air. During the evaporation process, the heat from the remaining water is absorbed, thus cooling it down. This method of cooling is vital for various applications, especially in industrial and HVAC systems, as it effectively lowers the temperature of water that will be recirculated back into the system. The amount of heat removed can vary depending on the design of the cooling tower and environmental conditions, but evaporation is the key mechanism that enables these systems to operate efficiently. The other choices, while related to different processes in heating and cooling systems, do not accurately describe how cooling towers function. For example, condensation refers to the transition of water vapor back into liquid, which does not actively cool but rather releases heat; heat exchange can occur in a variety of systems but encompasses multiple methods; and filtration pertains to cleaning or removing impurities from water and does not involve temperature regulation.