2019-12-03
Data Center
Cooling Tower Noise Issues and Corporate Responsibility — ASE Group
Project Overview
- Project Date: April 2018
- Client: Commissioned by ASE Group through Taipei Oxygen
- Installation Site: Zhongli District, Taoyuan City
- Industry: Semiconductor Manufacturing
- Main Products: Semiconductor Packaging and Testing
- Cooling Application: Water-cooled air compressors — addressing scaling issues in shell-and-tube heat exchangers
- Model Adopted: HCT-100 × 8 units (Learn more about HCT)
Project Introduction
The world’s leading semiconductor packaging and testing company, ASE Group, upgraded its Zhongli plant’s water-cooled air compressor system to improve cooling performance and address community concerns about noise from nearby schools and residential areas. To achieve this, ASE adopted Linkcooling’s low-noise, high-efficiency closed-circuit cooling tower system.
Implementation Challenges
The project faced multiple challenges beyond improving cooling performance:
- Strict Noise Control Standards: The facility is located near schools and residential zones, requiring compliance with stringent environmental decibel limits.
- Scaling in Heat Exchangers: Traditional open-loop systems often suffer from water quality issues that lead to clogging in shell-and-tube heat exchangers, causing unstable compressor operation.
- Tight Construction Schedule: To align with plant operations, transportation, hoisting, and installation had to be completed within a very limited timeframe.
Solutions
Based on the above requirements, the Linkcooling engineering team implemented the following technical measures:
- All-Stainless Closed-Circuit Cooling Towers (HCT-100S Series): Ensuring corrosion resistance, anti-scaling performance, and long-term durability.
- Fan Design: Equipped with 12P customized low-noise fans and a multi-fan parallel system with non-additive noise logic, effectively controlling overall noise output.
- Airflow Optimization: Installed noise-reducing air ducts to further isolate sound waves and minimize environmental disturbance.
- Multi-Unit Parallel Configuration: Offers high operational flexibility, enabling staggered maintenance without disrupting system performance, improving serviceability and stability.
- Hoisting Simulation: Multiple installation route simulations were conducted beforehand, allowing full system positioning and testing to be completed within three days, minimizing on-site disruption.
Understanding Needs & Communication Process
Through close communication and collaboration with ASE’s plant management team, the project maintained high safety and efficiency standards throughout implementation—reflecting ASE’s strong corporate culture and social responsibility.
Given the cooling tower’s proximity to schools and residential areas, strict noise control was crucial. A certified acoustic engineer was invited to assess and advise on mitigation measures. Following expert guidance, Linkcooling optimized both thermal performance and acoustic treatment to minimize the system’s impact on the surrounding community.
Why ASE Chose the Linkcooling Team
The plant manager, familiar with the advantages of closed-circuit cooling towers from previous experience, sought a professional supplier capable of delivering a complete system solution. Referred by other vendors, ASE learned that Linkcooling provides a one-stop professional consulting service covering cooling system design, manufacturing, installation, and maintenance. After visiting several HCT series installations, ASE proactively reached out to Linkcooling for project collaboration.
Linkcooling delivers not only equipment but a complete suite of consulting and technical support services, including:
- Comprehensive cooling system planning and design consultation
- Customized low-noise and energy-saving solutions
- Installation progress simulation and efficiency control
- Long-term maintenance programs and operator training
Design Highlights
To meet the low-noise requirement, the final design employed 12P customized low-noise fans using multiple small fan units in a parallel configuration to prevent additive noise. Additional air ducts were installed to further suppress sound generation and transmission.
Challenges Encountered
Due to strict construction timelines and safety regulations for high-altitude operations, the Linkcooling engineering team conducted multiple installation simulations in advance. As a result, the delivery, hoisting, and installation process was completed within just three days—from transportation to full operational testing.
Key Improvements Over Other Brands
In this project, Linkcooling implemented the Hybrid Flow High-Efficiency HCT-100S Series, featuring an all-stainless-steel structure for enhanced durability and system stability. The multi-unit parallel design allows maintenance teams to service units in stages without downtime—shortening maintenance cycles and highlighting the benefits of system redundancy. Routine inspections and component replacements are simplified, ensuring operational reliability.
Project Outcomes
Through this collaboration, Linkcooling successfully helped ASE achieve a sustainable, high-performance cooling solution that balances industrial productivity with corporate responsibility. The overall cooling system performance improved significantly:
- Significant noise reduction — meeting community noise monitoring standards
- Improved heat exchange efficiency — ensuring stable compressor operation
- Substantially reduced scaling — lowering long-term maintenance labor costs
- Modular parallel configuration — enhanced scalability and maintenance flexibility
- Strengthened CSR performance — demonstrating ASE’s respect and accountability toward the surrounding community
