Typically, there are two types of evaporative condensers: counterflow and combined flow. The combined flow uses a condensing coil and fill surface to transfer heat in the system. The designers added the fill surface to the traditional design to help reduce the evaporation in the coil section and also help reducing the potential for fouling and scaling. This type uses parallel air flow and spray water over the coil and also crossflow air or water flow through the fill surface. The parallel flow enables the flow of air and water over the coil in the same direction. And in the fill section of this type, water and air interact with crossflow configuration. Here, the direction of the water is vertical and it flows down the fill while the air flows horizontally across it.

In counterflow evaporative condenser type, the spray water flows vertically down over the coil while the air travels up vertically through the unit. The air flow in this type happens with the help of one or more mechanically driven fans that are either axial or centrifugal.

Centrifugal fan units can handle a reasonable amount of external static pressure and are suitable for outdoor as well as indoor installations, these fans are quieter than axial fans too.