One of the advantages of the crossflow mechanical draft tower over the counterflow tower is the ______________________ leading to lower energy costs.

The advantage of the crossflow mechanical draft tower is the decreased fan power requirement, which contributes to lower energy costs. In a crossflow design, air moves horizontally across the falling water, allowing more effective heat and mass transfer. This efficiency means that less energy is needed to move the air, resulting in lower power demands on the fans.

Because the fans are operating at a lower capacity and energy consumption, this directly translates to reduced operating costs for the system. The design of the crossflow system enables a more uniform distribution of air over the cooling fill, thus improving cooling efficiency and decreasing resistance that fans must overcome. This results in a lower need for fan power compared to other designs, such as counterflow towers, which are generally less efficient in air distribution and require more energy to draw air upward through the water flow. Lower operating costs are a significant benefit in industrial and commercial cooling applications.