Hot gas discharged from the compressor enters the condenser coil inlets at the top of the unit. Cooled water from the unit basin is pumped through spray distribution nozzles and floods over the condenser coils. Ambient air is simultaneously drawn into the unit at the top in parallel flow with the water through the coil. A portion of the recirculated water evaporates into the air stream, removing heat from the refrigerant and causing it to condense.
The cooled refrigerant liquid drains out of the sloped coil tubes into a pressurized receiver for return to the system. The recirculated water that did not evaporate falls through a crossflow fill section located below the coil. Air is drawn through the side of the unit and fill section, removing additional heat from the water through further evaporation. The cooled water collects in the basin for recirculation over the coil.
The hot, saturated air from both the coil and fill sections passes through internal drift eliminators to strip water droplets entrained in the air stream, reducing water consumption. The unit fan(s) then discharge the saturated air out of the top of the unit at a high velocity, where it dissipates into the atmosphere.