Dry cooling is a heat-rejection method that uses air, not water, to remove waste heat from industrial equipment such as power plants. Instead of sending heated water through a river or cooling tower loop, the system uses air-cooled heat exchangers or condensers to condense steam and carry heat away. This reduces water use and helps plants operate where water is scarce, warm, or tightly regulated.
In cyber security, dry cooling matters because it is part of the physical process control layer. Operators depend on sensor readings, fan controls, valve states, and temperature data to keep the plant within safe limits. If those measurements are delayed, manipulated, or unavailable, the plant may misjudge cooling capacity and either derate output or risk overheating. Defenders therefore treat dry-cooling controls, monitoring systems, and alarm paths as critical assets, with strong access control, integrity checks, and fallback procedures.