Professional Documents
Culture Documents
www.deltathx.com
Air-Cooled Heat Exchangers
Air-cooled heat exchangers are typically used in circumstances where a source of cold clean water is not
available or expensive, where the water may be corrosive in nature or where water is not an option due to
environmental concerns.
Compared to a water cooled exchanger a standard air-cooled heat exchanger is limited in cooling ability
by the ambient dry bulb temperature although specially designed units can improve upon this performance
(see WSAC). An advantage of an air-cooled heat exchanger is that the available air is typically free and
the use of that air only costs the user horsepower and sound.
The term Air-Cooled Exchanger is a broad term and the product can vary significantly in design,
applications and cost. The design pressure and temperature as well as the fluid being cooled typically drive
the cooler design, however, hazardous fluids, fouling consideration, noise tolerance and environmental
factors also are taken into consideration. The following is a list of considerations for the design of an aircooled heat exchanger.
Vertical or horizontal airflow: Usually driven by safety practices or obstructions. Vertical is most common.
Obstructions that could limit either the air supply or discharge need to be considered.
Induced or Forced airflow: Forced airflow (fans blowing air into the tube
bundle) is most common. Induced airflow (fans drawing air through the tube
bundle) is often used in cases where the fans are cycled and there is a
potential for ice to build up on the fan blade causing the fan to be off balance.
Obstructions that could limit either the air supply or discharge need to be
considered.
Available space: Length, width or height restriction can be considered at the thermal sizing stage of design.
Fluid flow and available pressure drop can limit the flexibility of the length and width dimensions. The total
airflow determines the minimum height of the unit. Obstructions that could limit either the air supply or
discharge need to be considered.
Tube side design: Unless specified, the tube diameter selection is based on thermal effectiveness and
cleaning considerations. As with any heat exchanger the tube side material selection is determined by;
corrosion resistance for the given environment, fouling considerations, tube joint type, thermal effectiveness
and economics.
Fin side design: There are a variety of fin types that can be
considered dependant upon the environment and design conditions.
For a description of fin types; click here. The following factors should
be considered when selecting a fin type;
Design temperature
Corrosive properties of the air (coastal environment, industrial
pollutants)
Temperature cycling frequency
Cleaning method and frequency
Type of fouling debris in air
Isolation of cooler (is it subject to frequent work in the vicinity)
Page 1 of 2
Page 2 of 2