Which statement about forced-draft cooling towers is true?

• A. They require no electricity
• B. They provide a smaller tower size compared to natural draft towers
• C. They operate without fans
• D. They are less reliable than natural draft towers

Answer: (B)

Forced-draft cooling towers rely on fans to push air through the tower, boosting air flow and improving heat transfer. That added air movement means you can achieve the same cooling with a smaller footprint and shorter height than a natural-draft tower, which depends on buoyancy and wind and therefore typically needs a taller, larger structure to achieve the same duty.

Because fans and motors are essential to forced-draft operation, they do require electricity; so the idea that they need no electricity is incorrect, and the idea that they operate without fans is also incorrect. Reliability isn’t inherently worse than natural draft—both types can be dependable with proper design and maintenance, though forced-draft systems do have different maintenance needs due to the moving parts.