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Part One
Air
Coolers
Agenda
Section One : What are Air Coolers?
o
Air Coolers Definition
Section Two : Terms And Definitions
Section Three : Air Coolers Classifications
o
o
Vertical Air coolers
Horizontal Air coolers
Section Four : Air Coolers Components
Section Five : Air Coolers Operation And Cleaning
Section Six
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: Fans Assessment
Operation Principles
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What are Air Coolers
When cooling fluids, there are two sources readily available, with a relatively low
cost, to transfer heat (Air and Water) .
The Air-cooled heat exchanger is a device for rejecting heat from fluids directly
to ambient air.
An air-cooled heat exchanger can be as small as your car radiator or large enough
to cover several acres of land, as is the case on air coolers for large power plants
where water is not available
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Operation Principles
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What are Air Coolers
Air Cooler Heat Exchanger
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Operation Principles
What are Air Coolers
Air Cooler Heat Exchanger
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Operation Principles
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What are Air Coolers
Air Cooler Heat Exchanger
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Operation Principles
What are Air Coolers
Fans , Blowers and Compressors
Fans, blowers and compressors are differentiated by:
The method used to move the air.
The system pressure they must operate against.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) uses the specific ratio,
which is the ratio of the discharge pressure over the suction pressure, to define
fans, blowers and compressors
ASME Specific ratio Table
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What are Air Coolers
Applications
Gas compressor packages
Engine Cooling
Steam Condensers
Gas Condensation
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Operation Principles
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Terms And Definitions
System Characteristics
The term system resistance is used when referring to the static pressure.
The system resistance is the sum of static pressure losses in the system.
The system resistance is a function of the configuration of ducts, pickups, elbows
and the pressure drops across equipment.
The system resistance varies with the square of the volume of air flowing through
the system.
For a given fan speed, the fan will be able to pull less air through this system than
through a short system with no restrictions.
Thus, the system resistance increases substantially as the volume of air flowing
through the system increases; square of air flow.
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Terms And Definitions
Fan Characteristics
Fan characteristics can be represented in form of fan curve(s).
The fan curve is a performance curve for the particular fan under a specific set of
conditions.
The fan curve is a graphical representation of a number of inter-related
parameters.
Typically a curve will be developed for a given set of conditions usually
including: fan volume, system static pressure, fan speed, and brake horsepower
required to drive the fan under the stated conditions.
Some fan curves will also include an efficiency curve so that a system designer
will know where on that curve the fan will be operating under the chosen
conditions.
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Terms And Definitions
System Curve of a Fan and Effect of
System Resistance
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Terms And Definitions
System Characteristics and Fan Curves
In any fan system, the resistance to air flow (pressure) increases when the flow of
air is increased.
The pressure required by a system over a range of flows can be determined and a
"system performance curve" can be developed .
Where the two curves intersect, This operating point (OP) is at air flow Q
delivered against pressure P.
A fan operates at a performance given by the manufacturer for a particular fan
speed. (The fan performance chart shows performance curves for a series of fan
speeds.)
The fan's actual operating point on this curve will depend on the system
resistance.
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Terms And Definitions
System Characteristics and Fan Curves
Two methods can be used to reduce air flow from Q1to Q2:
The first method is to restrict the air flow by partially closing a damper in the
system.
This action causes a new system performance curve (SC2) where the required
pressure is greater for any given air flow.
The fan will now operate at "B" to provide the reduced air flow Q2 against higher
pressure P2.
o T
he second method to reduce air flow is by reducing the speed from N1to N2,
keeping the damper fully open.
o The fan would operate at "C" to provide the same Q2 air flow, but at a lower
pressure P3.
o Thus, reducing the fan speed is a much more efficient method to decrease airflow
since less power is required and less energy is consumed
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Terms And Definitions
Fan Curves
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Terms And Definitions
Fan Laws
The fans operate under a predictable set of laws concerning
Speed
Power
Pressure.
A change in speed (revolutions per minute or RPM) of any fan will predictably
change the pressure rise and power necessary to operate it at the new RPM
The Next Table Summarize General Fans Laws
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Terms And Definitions
Fan Laws
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Air Coolers Classification
Forced Draft
Vertical
Induced Draft
Air Coolers
Forced Draft
Horizontal
Induced Draft
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Operation Principles
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Air Coolers Classification
Vertical Air Coolers
This model typical consists of bundles stacked vertically, with a vertical fan,
and intake air flow from a horizontal direction
This model was developed for applications where the fan was driven from an
engine and the cooler was skid mounted with other equipment
This is the typical application for engine driven skid mounted gas compressors
and generator sets.
It is common for the cooler to be utilized, not only as a radiator for the engine,
but to include gas or air cooler for the compressor.
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Operation Principles
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Air Coolers Classification
Vertical Air Coolers
Vertical air coolers
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Operation Principles
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Air Coolers Classification
Vertical Air Coolers
Gas Compressors
Applications
Car Radiators
Cooling Towers
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Operation Principles
Air Coolers Classification
Vertical Air Coolers
Forced Draft
ADVANTAGES
Lower HP due to
Lower inlet
temperature
Better accessibility
for maintenance
Less Possibility of
hot air circulation
DISADVANTAGES
Less uniform
Distribution
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Difficult
replacement of
bundles
Operation Principles
Discharge air at
lower velocity
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Air Coolers Classification
Vertical Air Coolers
Induced Draft
ADVANTAGES
Better Air
Distribution
Easy replacement
of bundles
Discharge air at
higher velocity
DISADVANTAGES
Higher HP
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Less accessibility
of fans
More susceptible
to hot air
recirculation
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Air Coolers Classification
Horizontal Air Coolers
The most common type of air cooler is the horizontal coil with horizontal
fan and vertical air flow.
This type is typically driven by an electric motor drive attached to the fan
through v-belts to allow for speed reduction between the motor and the
fan.
This model can also be driven by hydraulic motors, air motors and even
from an engine with special right angle gear drive arrangements
The normal application for these models are in plants or refineries where
electric power is available, and where the cooler is installed away from
other equipment to allow adequate air flow around the air cooler
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Air Coolers Classification
Horizontal Air Coolers
Horizontal Induced air cooler
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Air Coolers Classification
Horizontal Air Coolers
Horizontal Induced air cooler
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Air Coolers Classification
Horizontal Air Coolers
Horizontal Forced air cooler
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Air Coolers Classification
Horizontal Air Coolers
Power Plants
Applications
Columns Condensers
Conditioning Systems
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Air Coolers Classification
Horizontal Air Coolers
Forced Draft
ADVANTAGES
Lower HP due to
Lower inlet
temperature
Better accessibility
for maintenance
Less Possibility of
hot air circulation
DISADVANTAGES
Less uniform
Distribution
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Difficult
replacement of
bundles
Exposure of coils
to rain and sun
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Air Coolers Classification
Horizontal Air Coolers
Induced Draft
ADVANTAGES
Better Air
Distribution
Easy
replacement
of bundles
Better process control since Plenum
covers 60 % of the bundle face, blocking
it from rain and sun
DISADVANTAGES
Higher HP
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Less
accessibility of
fans
Mechanical equipment
subjected to higher
temperature
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Air Coolers Components
Air Coolers Components
Finned
Tubes
Fans
Fan
Rings
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Tube
Bundle
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Air Coolers Components
Air Coolers Components
Air Cooler components - Video 1
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Air Coolers Components
Finned Tubes
The tubes are normally round and can be produced to almost any metal based on
the corrosion, pressure and temperature limitations of the process.
Fins are normally helical wound aluminum fins.
Aluminum material is used for reasons of good thermal conductivity and
economy of fabrication.
The normal aluminum material used is 1100-00 due to its relatively low cost and
superior thermal conductivity.
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Air Coolers Components
Finned Tubes
Fins can be produced from other materials including copper, steel and
stainless steel.
Copper is normally used in offshore or marine environments when the airside
environment is corrosive enough to justify the cost increase associated with
copper material.
Steel and stainless steel is normally used for very high temperature
applications.
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Air Coolers Components
Finned Tubes
FE Type
Excellent thermodynamic properties
Very low airside pressure drop
Low downstream turbulence
Rectangular fins keep the face area limited and
allow a compact design
Cleaning by high pressure water lancing
presents no risk
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Air Coolers Components
Finned Tubes
XE Type
High pressure applications
Extra tubes supporting due to the design ( two
tubes with one fin )
Cleaning by high pressure water lancing
presents no risk
Compact design
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Air Coolers Components
Finned Tubes
L Type
Low temperature applications
High degree of protection of tube wall against
corrosion
Broad contact surface between the surface and
the finning enhance heat transfer
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Air Coolers Components
Finned Tubes
K Type
Developed of L type for higher temperature
applications
High degree of protection of tube wall against
corrosion
Broad contact surface between the surface and
the finning enhance heat transfer
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Air Coolers Components
Finned Tubes
G Type
High temperature applications
High thermal and mechanical stress
Cleaning by high pressure water lancing isnt
applicable
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Air Coolers Components
Finned Tubes
Fins attaching Methods
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Air Coolers Components
Finned Tubes
Finned Tubes
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Air Coolers Components
Tube Bundle
Tube Bundle
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Air Coolers Components
Fans Air Movers
The air-cooled heat exchanger is controlled by two factors, the tube bundle size
and configuration, and the ability to move air across the surface area that the
bundle provides.
Even distribution of the air across the tube bundle is critical for uniform heat
transfer. this is normally achieved by adequate fan to bundle coverage and
controlling the static pressure loss across the bundle.
A good design practice (API 661) is to maintain (40%) coverage of the face
area of the tube bundle to the area of the fan.
Coverages of less than this will allow for lower airflows on the outer surfaces
of the tube bundle, and can result in poor performance.
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Air Coolers Components
Fan Rings
Fan Ring is the circular edge around the fan which direct the air enters the fan.
Air inlet re-directing effect the horse power consumption of the fan and the
dispersion of the cooling air.
Thus, fan ring controls the overall efficiency of the air cooler.
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Air Coolers Components
Fan Rings
Fan rings types
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Air Coolers Components
Fan Rings
Eased
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Flanged
Straight
Tapered
Channel
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Air Coolers Components
Fan Rings
Tapered or Eased Rings
Both allow for a more uniform exit of the air from the fan ring.
Most fan design programs will indicate slightly less horsepower required for
this configuration.
These fan rings allow for better air dispersion since the air is directed when it
leaves the ring.
In most air-cooled heat exchangers, the cost of producing this configuration
outweighs the increased savings in horsepower, or in airflow efficiency.
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Air Coolers Components
Fan Rings
Straight, Flanged Inlet or Channel Rings
These are the most common fan rings utilized by manufacturers.
This ring is easily produced, and provides good air movement if close
tip clearance between the ring and the fan are maintained.
The depth of this ring will vary with the fan selected.
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Air Coolers Components
Fan Rings
Fan rings types
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Air Coolers Components
Fan Rings
Air Cooler components
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Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Temperature Control
Temperature control
Fluid Bypass
On/Off Fan Operation
Louvers
Two -Speed Fans
Variable Speed fans
Variable Pitch Angle
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Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Temperature Control
Fluid bypass
The oldest control method bypasses a portion of the process stream around the
air cooler.
On-off fan operation
Simple and often used if there are a large number of fans in an identical service .
Causes water hammer, freezing tube-to-header leakage, or tube buckling
due to differential thermal expansion of bundles in parallel.
Differential tube expansion can cause tube buckling. Cooling tower fans are
a good example of incremental on-off fan control.
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Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Temperature Control
Two-speed fans:
Two-speed fans are a further refinement giving 0, 67, or 100% of design
airflow rate with 1800/1200 rpm motors.
Naturally, additional motors increase the degrees of airflow control
Louvers:
Louvers are the first step to modulated airflow; however, fan horsepower is
wasted as airflow is throttled by the louver.
At complete shut off, the fan stalls and horsepower actually increases.
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Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Temperature Control
Air Louvers
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Temperature Control
Variable pitch Angle:
The variable pitch fan can provide from 0 - 100% positive or from 0 - 60%
negative airflow at the same horsepower.
Negative airflow is useful, along with louvers, in winterized ACHEs to seal off
freezing outside air and recirculate warm air inside the plenum chambers.
Internal recirculation systems utilize a positive and negative airflow pair of fans
to recirculate warm air
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Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Temperature Control
Variable pitch angle
controlling
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Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Temperature Control
Variable Speed fans
Electric Drive
Hydraulic Drive
The latest development in
electrical variable speed control
for fans is the variable frequency
drive (VFD). These drives
utilize a standard induction
motor and automatic control is
obtained by a process control
device to interface the 4 - 20
milliampere temperature
controller output with the VFD
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The older less common hydraulic
drive system consists of a
motor/variable volume
pump/reservoir unit connected to
a slow speed, high-torque, directdrive motor.
Operation Principles
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Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Siphon Phenomenon
Siphon or syphon is a phenomenon which causes a liquid in an inverted U
tube to flow uphill above the surface of the upper reservoir -without pumpsto a lower one
The driving force of siphon, initially, is gravity which pulls the liquid down
After ( the first movement of the liquid ) different pressures at different
points of the siphon path continue driving the siphon sequence
Siphon requirements are :
Complete filling of the tube
The upper end is immersed in the liquid with a specific depth
The lower end is above the liquid level
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Operation Principles
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Siphon Phenomenon
C
A
H1
H2
At Point A : Atmospheric Pressure
At Point B : Atmospheric Pressure + H1
At Point C : Atmospheric Pressure
At Point D : Atmospheric Pressure + H2
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Operation Principles
Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Siphon Phenomenon
Siphon
Phenomenon
sequence
Partial vacuum
Gravity Effect
Video 2
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Operation Principles
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Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Siphon Phenomenon
Siphon effect on the air coolers operation
Sudden stop of air cooler fans like mechanical and power failures causes
the pressure gradient of a distillation column to be reversed
Higher pressure at the column receiver than the column - initiates the
siphon sequence towards the column top and consequently increases the
column pressure to unexpected values
High pressure can cause sever mechanical damages to the column , pipes
instruments and attached equipment
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Operation Principles
Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Siphon Phenomenon
Siphon effect on the air coolers operation
Pressure
Air
Cooler
Running
Stop
Overhead
Receiver
Pressure
Distillation
Column
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Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Siphon Phenomenon
Siphon Breaking
Siphon Breakers
Siphon Breaker
Valves
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Siphon Breaker
Lines
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Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Siphon Phenomenon
Siphon Breaking - Valves
Siphon breaker Valve is a small paddle controls a butterfly valve to release a
specified volume of air
the trapped air volume has a specified pressure which can when released
resist the pressure exerted on the liquid level in the receiver
The released air breaks the continuous liquid column and preventing the siphon
sequence
Siphon breaker valve types cover pipe sizes between 400 and 2000 mm
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Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Siphon Phenomenon
Siphon Breaking - Valves
Siphon Breaker valve
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Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Siphon Phenomenon
Siphon Breaking - line
Siphon breaker Line uses the pressurized gas above the liquid level to prevent
the liquid siphon to the column
Siphon breaker line shouldnt have any valves that resist air releasing and reduce
its pressure
Siphon breaker line injects air with a sloping angle of 45 on the top of the cooler
downstream line to enhance air injection in case of fans failures
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Operation Principles
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Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Siphon Phenomenon
Siphon Breaking - line
Air
Cooler
45
Distillation
Column
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Overhead
Receiver
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Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Non Condensable Line
Non Condensable are gases which cant be condensed at the outlet temperature
of the air cooler
Non Condensable gases waste the air cooler duty and cause raising and even
partial vaporization of the condensable materials
Non condensable line diverts these gases from the top of the bundle outlet to
the receiver inlet line bypassing the air cooler
The flow of the gases bypassed around the air cooler is controlled manually to
avoid leaking of the condensable materials hot vapors and the column upsets
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Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Non Condensable Line
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Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Air Cooler Cleaning
Air coolers are exposed to both tubes outside and inside deposits
Low efficiency of air coolers due to internal fouling as discussed in the
previous section
Low efficiency of air coolers due to external fouling which tends to reduce the
extended surface fins effect
Fouling and Scales decreases heat transfer through the tubes walls by increasing
both the wall thickness and the overall heat transfer coefficient
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Operation Principles
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Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Air Cooler Cleaning
internal Fouling And Scales
Air coolers tubes are exposed to different types of fouling like chemical
reaction , biological , corrosion products , ..etc.
A fast heat transfer decline rate and high pressure drops are the most obvious
results of fouling and scales
Heat transfer studies and modern soft wares can determine the amount of the
air cooler duty loss due to fouling and scales
Cleaning air coolers bundles can be accomplished using different types of
chemical and mechanical cleaning as discussed previously in heat exchangers
session
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Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Air Cooler Cleaning
External Fouling And Scales
Finned tubes tend to collect pollen , dust, insects, plastic bags, bird
carcasses, etc.
Reduced air flow rate reduces heat transfer which in creases heat rate
and/or reduces generation capacity
Water, sometimes sprayed on tubes during high ambient temperature
periods, can lead to the formation of scale on tube fins thus reducing the
heat transfer rate
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Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Air Cooler Cleaning
External Fouling And Scales
Fouled External surfaces
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Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Air Cooler Cleaning
External Fouling And Scales
Effects
Poor Heat Transfer
Higher power supply of the fan drive motor
Higher pressure drop across the cooler bundle
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Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Air Cooler Cleaning
Methods of Cleaning air coolers
External Fouling And Scales
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Fire Hose
High Pressure Hand lance
Automated Cleaning
Machine
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Operation Principles
Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Air Cooler Cleaning
External Fouling And Scales
Tech. / comp.
Fire Hose
High Pressure
Handlance
Automated
Cleaning
Water Flow Rate
high
low
Moderate (60
gpm)
Water pressure
low
high
High (10002000) psi
Unit in service
Out of service
Out of service
In service
Cleaning
Quality
low
low
high
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Operation Principles
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Air Cooler Cleaning
External Fouling And Scales
Automated cleaning technique is a cleaning method uses a moderate
pressurized water through a nozzle beam optimally matched to the bundle
geometry to avoid fins and tubes damage
The beam carriage moves along the tubes with constant speed for complete
tubes cleaning
Recommended Water pressure 1000 2000 psi
Recommended Water Flow Rate 60 gpm
Video 3
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Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Air Cooler Cleaning
External Fouling And Scales
Automated Cleaning Direct angle cleaning
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Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Air Cooler Cleaning
External Fouling And Scales
Automated Cleaning Wide angle Cleaning
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Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Air Cooler Cleaning
External Fouling And Scales
Semi- Automated Cleaning Direct angle cleaning
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Air Cooler Cleaning
External Fouling And Scales
Portable Automated Cleaning
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Operation Principles
Air Coolers Operation & Cleaning
Air Cooler Cleaning
External Fouling And Scales
fouled
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During Cleaning
Operation Principles
After Cleaning
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Fans ASSESMENT
Fans Efficiency
Fan efficiency is the ratio between the power transferred to the air stream
and the power delivered by the motor to the fan.
The power of the airflow is the product of the pressure and the flow, corrected
for unit consistency.
Another term for efficiency that is often used with fans is static efficiency, which
uses static pressure instead of total pressure in estimating the efficiency.
The fan efficiency depends on the type of fan and impeller.
As the flow rate increases, the efficiency increases to certain height peak
efficiency and then decreases with further increasing flow rate
The peak efficiency ranges for different types of centrifugal and axial fans
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Fans Assesment
Various Fans efficiencies VS. Flow Rate
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Fans ASSESMENT
Methodology of fan performance assessment
Before the fan efficiency can be calculated, a number of operating parameters
must be measured, including:
Air velocity
Pressure head
Temperature of air stream on the fan side
Electrical motor kW input.
In order to obtain correct operating figures it should be ensured that:
Fan and its associated components are operating properly at its rated speed
Operations are at stable condition i.e. steady temperature, densities, system
resistance etc.
The calculation of fan efficiency is explained in 5 steps
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Fans ASSESMENT
Methodology of fan performance assessment
Step One : Calculate the gas Efficiency
Step Two : measure the average air velocity
Step Three : calculate the volumetric flow
Step Four : measure the power of the drive motor
Step Five : Calculate the fan efficiency
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Fans ASSESMENT
Methodology of fan performance assessment
Step One : The first step is to calculate the air or gas density using the following
equation
Where (t) is the temperature of the gas
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Fans ASSESMENT
Methodology of fan performance assessment
Step Two: measure the air velocity and calculate average air velocity
The air velocity can be measured with a pitot tube and a manometer, or a flow
sensor (differential pressure instrument), or an accurate anemometer.
The total pressure is measured using the inner tube of pitot tube and static
pressure is measured using the outer tube of pitot tube.
When the inner and outer tube ends are connected to a manometer, we get the
velocity pressure (i.e. the difference between total pressure and static pressure).
For measuring low velocities
It is preferable to use an inclined tube manometer instead of U-tube manometer.
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Fans Assesment
Velocity Pressure Measurement using
Pilot Tube
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Fans ASSESMENT
Methodology of fan performance assessment
Step Two: measure the air velocity and calculate average air velocity
Calculate the average air velocity by taking number of velocity pressure readings
across the cross-section of the duct using the following equation (note: do not
average the velocity pressure, but average the velocities!
Where:
Cp= Pitot tube constant, 0.85 (or) as given by the manufacturer
p = Average differential pressure measured by pitot tube by taking measurement
at number of points over the entire cross section of the duct.
= Density of air or gas at test condition
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Fans ASSESMENT
Methodology of fan performance assessment
Step Three: Calculate the volumetric flow rate
The third step is to calculate the volumetric flow as follows:
Take the duct diameter (or the circumference from which the diameter can be
estimated).
Calculate the volume of air/gas inthe duct by following relation
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Fans ASSESMENT
Methodology of fan performance assessment
Step Four: Calculate Power of the drive motor
The power of the drive motor (kW) can be measured by a load analyzer.
This kW multiplied by motor efficiency gives the shaft power to the fan.
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Fans ASSESMENT
Methodology of fan performance assessment
Step Five: Calculate the fan Efficiency
Mechanical efficiency.
Static efficiency, which is the same except that the outlet velocity pressure is not
added to the fan static pressure
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