Cooling tower control panels
Cooling Tower Control Panels,
Built and Configured Before They Ship
Most water treatment companies already have a panel source. The question is what shows up when the panel arrives. AquaCore panels were designed by water treaters, and every panel ships configured to the AquaCore modem and the AquaCore Hub. Simple installation: mount the panel, plumb the connections, connect the field meters, and plug it in. Control runs, data flows, and there is no integration project and no second vendor to call.
10 yrs
Panels field-proven
Two series
One platform
Mount. Plumb. Connect. Plug in.
That is the install
What’s included
What is included in an AquaCore control panel?
Everything that makes it work, finished before it ships.
You are not buying a box of parts and a wiring diagram. The panel arrives plumbed, wired, configured and already reporting, so the only job left on site is hanging it on the wall.
- Nothing to build on site. Piping, sensor tees, valves, strainer, and Keyence flow switch/meter arrive fully assembled and pressure tested as one complete panel.
- Simple installation. Mount the panel, connect the inlet and outlet piping, connect the field meters, and plug it in. No field assembly of the panel piping or components.
- Configured before it ships. The controller arrives with the panel’s own hardware already mapped: sensors assigned and scaled, flow switch and meter inputs defined, control outputs matched to the right pumps, alarms and datalogging enabled, and cellular communications paired. Your engineer sets the treatment program at startup, which is where setpoints, feed rates, and biocide schedules belong.
- Connected from the moment it powers up. The cellular modem is mounted, enclosed, and already paired with the AquaCore Hub. Once powered, readings, alarms, and controller status are available remotely without relying on the customer’s plant network or IT department.
- Treatment continues between service visits. e-Sens is installed directly on the panel and supplied from the sample line, allowing the treatment program to continue monitoring and responding between technician visits.
- Your equipment. Your brand. Order either series with your company’s branding on the enclosure. AquaCore stays behind the scenes while you deliver a complete, professional solution under your own name.
The two series
Basic and Pro, built to the same standard
Both series run the same controller platform, the same instrumentation and the same remote access. The difference is corrosion coupon monitoring. The Pro panel is built taller and wider to carry two dedicated coupon holder runs and the larger controller option. Coupons come out on a schedule and give a measured corrosion rate on mild steel, copper or paired metals, which is the one thing water analysis alone cannot tell you.
| Specification | Basic Series | Pro Series |
|---|---|---|
| Controller | Walchem Intuition-6 | Walchem Intuition-6, Intuition-9 optional |
| Hub Compatible | Yes, configured before shipment | Yes, configured before shipment |
| Remote connectivity | Cellular connectivity, standard | Cellular connectivity, standard |
| Autonomous water testing | e-Sens, standard | e-Sens, standard |
| Sensors | Up to 3 | Up to 4 |
| Corrosion coupon holders | Not available | 2, quick-release, on dedicated runs |
| Backplane | 24″ × 30″ black HDPE | 30″ × 40″ black HDPE |
| Process piping | 3/4″ PVC | 1″ PVC |
| Clamp-on flow switch / flow meter | Keyence, standard | Keyence, standard |
| Inline strainer | Standard | Standard |
| Isolation and check valves | True-union ball valves at inlet/outlet; inline check valve | True-union ball valves at inlet/outlet; inline check valve |
| Sample and drain valve | 1/4″, standard | 1/4″, standard |
| Make-up water meter | Optional | Optional |
| White-label branding | Available | Available |
Sensor package
What do you want the panel to measure?
You choose the sensors. There is no fixed package and no required order, so a panel can run any combination the program calls for. These four cover most cooling tower work.
Conductivity
Dissolved solids in the circulating water. Drives blowdown so the system holds its cycles of concentration instead of drifting.
Blowdown control
ORP
How much oxidant is actually active in the water, rather than how much was fed. The measurement that tells you whether the biocide program is working.
Oxidizing biocide control
pH
Where the water sits between scaling and corroding. Controls acid feed and keeps the inhibitor program in the range it was designed for.
Acid feed and scale control
PTSA
Fluorescent tracer read straight off the water. Confirms inhibitor is present at the concentration the program calls for, not just that a pump ran.
Verified inhibitor feed rate
How many. A standard Basic Series supports up to three sensor positions, while a standard Pro panel supports up to four, in any combination. Additional parameters can be accommodated as needed and are quoted based on the specific application.
Standard on every panel
Basic and Pro alike
01
Walchem Intuition controller
Full-colour touchscreen controller with flexible sensor inputs, configurable control outputs, onboard datalogging, graphing, alarm management, and remote communications capability.
Intuition-6 standard; Intuition-9 optional on Pro for expanded I/O
02
Cellular modem
Provides secure remote access to live controller data, alarms, and historical trends without requiring connection to the facility’s IT network or firewall changes. Multi-carrier cellular connectivity automatically uses the best available network at the site for more reliable communications.
Enclosed modem with external antenna
03
e-Sens autonomous testing
Cartridge-based water analysis mounted on the panel, so program results are captured between service visits instead of only during them.
23 parameters per test, 100 tests per cartridge
04
Inline flow switch / flow meter
Electronic clamp-on flow meter with local digital display, providing continuous flow measurement without cutting the pipe or placing moving parts in the water stream. Replaces the traditional mechanical flow switch and rotameter with a single monitoring device.
Keyence FD-Q Series
05
Inline strainer
Full-flow inline strainer with a durable stainless-steel 20-mesh screen, protecting downstream sensors and instrumentation from debris while maintaining unrestricted flow through the sample line.
Removable, serviceable stainless-steel screen
06
Isolation and sampling
True-union ball valves at inlet and outlet, an inline check valve, and a dedicated sample and drain valve with hose connection.
Full sensor service without draining the loop
07
Sensor tees
Serviceable sensor tees with a sample and drain port for electrode removal and calibration. Panel inlet and outlet valves isolate side-stream flow for service.
Isolatable and serviceable
08
Preassembled panel system
Equipment is mounted on durable black HDPE marine board and delivered fully plumbed, wired, programmed, tested, and commissioned. Field installation is limited to panel inlet and outlet connections, field device connections, and power.
Wall or stand mount
09
Your brand, front and centre
Available with your company logo and brand colours applied before shipment, creating a finished system that presents as your own. Remote monitoring can also be configured under your branded subdomain.
Available on both series, branded in the shop
Options and upgrades, quoted per application
| Contacting-head water meter | Provides pulse input to the controller for cooling tower make-up and blowdown monitoring, water usage tracking, and flow-proportional chemical feed. | Both series |
|---|---|---|
| Intuition-9 controller | Expanded Walchem controller platform for applications requiring additional sensors, control loops, I/O, and advanced control strategies. | Pro series |
| Additional sensor positions | Additional serviceable sensor positions configured to match the required water treatment program and monitoring parameters. | Both series |
| Custom panel configuration | Panels can be engineered and built around site-specific piping, instrumentation, controls, and monitoring requirements. | Both series |
| Dual-tower panel | Single panel configuration designed to support and monitor dual cooling tower applications. | Pro series |
Field guidance
Which one do you spec?
Specify Basic when
Corrosion rate is tracked through coupon racks elsewhere in the system or through water analysis alone, circulation flow suits 3/4″ service piping, and three measured parameters cover the program.
Specify Pro when
Corrosion rate monitoring belongs on the panel, the system warrants 1″ service piping, a fourth measured parameter is in scope, or the site needs the expanded control capability of the Intuition-9.
Upgrade paths. A panel can take on a parameter later as long as a sensor position is free, so leaving one open is cheap insurance. Coupon holders and the Intuition-9 need the Pro footprint and cannot be retrofitted onto a Basic backplane, so if corrosion rate monitoring is likely to come into scope later, spec Pro now.
Why switch
Why AquaCore instead of your current panel provider?
Pedigree
Designed by people who service cooling towers
Not by a controls shop that has never held a test kit. Ten years of field service have shaped every detail.
Turnkey that means it
Configured to its modem and the Hub
A typical panel purchase leaves integration, connectivity, and configuration to you. An AquaCore panel arrives already configured. The customer installs it and powers it, and everything works.
Every AquaCore panel ships with the AquaCore cellular modem installed and configured. Controller data flows to the AquaCore Hub over cellular, where it feeds fleet dashboards, analytics, alarms, and AI-generated virtual service reports. See cellular connectivity and the AquaCore Hub.
Frequently asked questions
Control panel questions
What does a cooling tower control panel do?
A cooling tower control panel continuously monitors your tower system’s water and automatically manages the water treatment program. It controls blowdown based on conductivity to maintain proper cycles of concentration, feeds scale and corrosion inhibitors and biocides according to the treatment program, and monitors sensors, flow, and connected equipment to verify proper operation. Remote monitoring and alarms keep you informed of changing water conditions or system issues between service visits.
What is the difference between the Basic and Pro panel?
Both panels use the same Walchem Intuition series family of controllers, instrumentation, and cellular remote access. The Pro uses a larger 30″ × 40″ backpanel with 1″ process piping, supports two dedicated corrosion coupon monitoring runs, a fourth sensor position, and the Intuition-9 controller option. The Basic uses a 24″ × 30″ backpanel with 3/4″ process piping, supports up to three sensor positions, and does not include corrosion coupon holders.
Do AquaCore panels arrive ready to install?
Yes. Each AquaCore panel is fully assembled, plumbed, wired, programmed, and tested before shipment, including configuration of the AquaCore modem and the AquaCore Hub. Field installation is limited to mounting the panel and connecting power, panel inlet and outlet, sensors, field meters, chemical feed pumps, and the blowdown valve. Remote monitoring is operational at startup with no on-site programming or IT integration required.
How long have AquaCore panels been used in the field?
AquaCore control panels were designed by water treatment professionals and have been in field service for 10 years. The design has been used, tested, and refined in daily water treatment operations on real cooling tower systems, not developed as a new product for launch.
Can the panels be monitored remotely?
Yes. AquaCore panels pair with the AquaCore cellular modem package, which sends controller data to the AquaCore Hub cloud platform for dashboards, alarming, analytics, and AI-generated virtual service reports.
See live data from systems running today.
We will walk you through fleet view, site analytics, analyzer results, and an AI virtual service report generated from real systems in service. Ask about charter dealer availability, or book a meeting slot at the AWT Annual Convention.