Today's Industrial Products and Solutions February 2019 | Page 16

“The tower we were replacing was a traditional steel
model that was rotting out,” Hynes explains. “Also,
metal models tend to rust and corrode, which usually
leads to plugging the water flow – and that can
interfere with cooling capacity.”
This cooling tower is used to expel heat from the
Building One quench system, a 42,000-gallon water
tank into which parts are submerged in water
or polymer baths in order to achieve the desired
hardness.
Hynes and his team took the time to investigate what
other cooling tower design options were available that
could provide reliable, trouble-free operation for a
longer period of time.
The team ultimately chose a cooling tower constructed
on HDPE (high-density polyethylene) manufactured
by Delta Cooling Towers (www.deltacooling.com), the
company that originally developed the engineered
plastic technology.
HDPE cooling towers are impervious to corrosive
environments, and require lower amounts of expensive
water treatment chemicals as well as less downtime
for repair or replacement. The same manufacturer
also offers models with energy-saving features such
14 TIPS Magazine • February ‘19
as direct drive fan motors that can drastically reduce
electricity costs.
“We saw that this was a polymer-based tower that
was UV-protected, and included a 20-year warranty,
so we were convinced that it would offer long-term
dependable service,” Hynes says.
Supporting multiple systems
After the initial HDPE tower was successfully installed
and exceeded expectations, Patriot Forge decided
to acquire a second HDPE cooling tower to support
hydraulic cooling for their new 5,000-ton hydraulic
press, rail-bound manipulator, and hydraulic ring
roller.
“This new tower needed to support multiple systems
within the Building One,” explains Hynes. “This
included cooling the water that flowed through a
heat exchanger used to draw heat off the hydraulic
systems of three large pieces of production equipment,
including the 5,000-ton press that plays a primary role
in the forging processes of the plant.”
“Essentially, all three machines are cycling the water
that flows through their hot hydraulic heat exchangers
and then through this cooling tower. This enables us to