Sustainability is now a key priority for manufacturers, especially when it comes to reducing emissions and water consumption. Industrial operations, particularly those involving machinery cooling and system washing, account for around 19% of water withdrawals.
To support a more sustainable supply chain, Atlas Copco has developed the TDV, an innovative closed-loop air cooler designed to reduce both water and energy use. Installed upstream of water-cooled compressors, the TDV integrates dry cooling (used in winter) and adiabatic cooling (activated in summer when ambient temperatures rise) in a single unit, ensuring optimal thermal regulation year-round.
Traditional cooling systems—vapor compression chillers and evaporative towers—each have drawbacks. The former use large amounts of electricity; the latter consume significant water. TDV coolers combine the best of both worlds, offering high efficiency with minimal environmental impact. The system primarily uses ambient air for cooling, with fans enabling low-energy heat dissipation. When temperatures exceed 26°C, adiabatic panels evaporate small amounts of water to pre-cool the air, improving thermal exchange without high water usage.
This approach allows for 90–95% less water consumption compared to evaporative towers and significantly reduces water treatment and maintenance costs. Energy consumption is also on par with or lower than evaporative systems, and much lower than traditional chillers.
“Cooling equipment manufacturers are under increasing pressure to improve environmental performance. With the TDV line, we’ve combined the energy savings of dry coolers with the thermal efficiency of adiabatic systems”, says Nicola Losi, Business Development Manager for Energy Conversion & Process Cooling at Atlas Copco Italy. “The result is a low-maintenance, high-efficiency system that doesn’t require specialized personnel and reduces overall operating costs”.