AE01

COMMERCIAL-IN-CONFIDENCE Aspen HTFS+ HANDBOOK
AE1: Air-Cooled Heat Exchangers in the Process

Industry
1 INTRODUCTION
An air-cooled heat exchanger consists of a bundle of finned tubes through
which the process fluid flows and is cooled by air blown over the tubes with a fan.
Such exchangers are widely used in the process industry for cooling single-phase
process fluids and for condensation duties. They are particularly valuable when
cooling water availability is limited and when thermal pollution has to be avoided.
However, they have their own environmental problem, namely noise emission,
but the development of less noisy fans is reducing this as time goes on.
2 GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Air-cooled heat exchangers for process requirements are frequently built in
units. The units in turn are composed of sections. Each section consists of one or
more finned tube bundles connected by a plenum chamber or plenum chambers
to one or more axial flow fans (see Figure 1). In forced draught exchangers, the
fans blow cooling air across the finned tube bundles as shown in Figure 2.
Alternatively, the fans are often used to suck cooling air across the finned tube
bundles to give induced draught exchangers as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 1 Definition of air-cooled heat exchanger

unit section and bundle.
Figure 2 Forced draught air cooler
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Figure 3 Induced draught air cooler
Typically, the finned tube bundles consist of 25.4 mm (1 inch) outside

diameter mild steel tubes from 6 to 12.1 metres (20 to 40 feet) in length. The
tubes are generally finned with aluminium or galvanised mild steel fins. In forced
draught units, the plenum chambers may be square or rectangular in shape but
sometimes are shaped. The plenum chambers of induced draught units are
usually shaped. The axial flow fans may be from 1220 to 4270 mm (4 to 14 feet)
in diameter. The fans may have from 4 to 10 blades. Fans from different
manufacturers have a range of blade shapes, hub to tip ratio may vary from 0.1
to 0.4, and different types of inlet and outlet geometries to the fan are used.
In the design of air−cooled heat exchangers, it is necessary to have
information on air−side heat transfer and pressure drop, mean temperature
difference correction factors for crossflow, fan and plenum characteristics and on
noise from air−cooled heat exchangers. In addition process side heat transfer and
pressure drop correlations are required for both single phase and two phase
conditions together with information on methods of calculating flow distribution
and the hydrodynamic characteristics of headers and manifolds. Other general
rules for the specification of air−cooled heat exchangers are also required for the
successful operation of units to try and avoid such problems as hot air re-
circulation and freezing of low pour point fluids during cold weather operation.
More detailed information for the design of air−cooled heat exchangers referring
to many of the above items are given on the following process sheets in this
Handbook:
Finned tube types Sheet AE2
Heat transfer in air−cooled heat exchangers Sheet AP2
Air−side pressure drop Sheet AP3
Fan parameters Sheet AP4
Fan noise Sheet AP5
Air flow measurement Sheet AP6
Header flow distribution (single phase) Sheet AP7
Header flow distribution (two phase) Sheet AP8
Fouling in air−cooled heat exchangers Sheet AP9
Plenum design Sheet AP10
Air−cooled heat exchanger specification sheet Sheet AP11
In addition, useful information is given by the American Petroleum Institute
(1975).
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3 SOME GENERAL DESIGN NOTES

3.1 Air-cooled heat exchanger location
It is recommended that the height of the fan inlets (for forced draft units) or of
the underside of the bundle (for induced draft units) shall be at least one fan
diameter above the nearest solid horizontal obstruction to air flow. For grade or
roof and pipe−track mounted units, this obstruction should be considered to be
the grade or roof and pipe−track respectively (see Figure 4).
Solid vertical obstructions to air flow should be at a distance of at least one fan
diameter from the air-cooled heat exchanger. Air-cooled heat exchangers of
different fan intake elevations should not be located adjacent to one another. Air-
cooled heat exchangers should not be located over or adjacent to large
uninsulated equipment with an operating temperature greater than 150°C (see
Figure 5).
Air-cooled heat exchangers should be located at least 15 metres from the
nearest furnace to minimise heat pick-up to the inlet air (see Figure 6).
Figure 4 Minimum height of air inlet
Figure 5 Minimum distance from vertical walls.
Figure 6 Minimum distance from furnaces
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3.2 Design ambient air temperatures

The Purchaser of an air-cooled heat exchanger should normally specify both
summer and winter design ambient air temperatures having regard to the
following criteria.
(1) The summer design ambient air temperature Ts shall be normally that
value which is exceeded for no more than between 150 hours and 400 hours per
year as specified by the Purchaser.
(2) Sufficient allowance should be made to allow for the effect of unwanted air
re-circulation and of external heat sources (typically an increase in ambient
temperature by 3 to 5°C).
(3) The winter design ambient air temperature Tw should be taken at the
average of the lowest winter monthly temperatures encountered over, say, a five-
year period.
3.3 Air seals
Air seals should be provided between tube bundles and between bundles and
plenum chambers in order to minimise air leakage and bypassing. Any air gap
exceeding 1 cm should be considered excessive.
3.4 Cooling of viscous liquids
Air-cooled heat exchangers, in which viscous liquids (greater than 5 centipoise
say) are cooled, should be designed for part-load cases as applicable as well as
for the design case. The inside tube wall temperature shall be a minimum of 10°C
above the fluid pour point. This condition should be satisfied for the lowest part-
load case with air entering at winter design ambient temperature. If this condition
cannot otherwise be complied with, parallel flow and/or air re-circulation should
be used.
3.5 Maximum tube inlet velocity for air-cooled condensers
For air-cooled condensers, the maximum tube inlet velocity should be 30 m/s.
3.6 Sloping of air-cooled condensers
Single pass air-cooled condensers should be sloped from inlet to outlet to
assist drainage. This slope shall be at least 1 in 50 to the horizontal. A-frame 1
pass condensers are also acceptable in which the slope of the tubes are about 60o
to the horizontal. Other multi-pass air-cooled condensers may be sloped if there
is a process requirement.
3.7 Tubeside pressure drop correlations
Tubeside pressure drop correlations which may be used in the calculation of
air−cooled heat exchangers are discussed in other sections of the Handbook as
follows:
single phase pressure drop − see Sheets
SP12 and SM1
two phase pressure drop − see Sheets
TP3 and TM4
AE1 -4-
3.8 Tubeside heat transfer correlations

Tubeside heat transfer correlations which may be used in the calculation of air-
cooled heat exchangers are discussed in other sections of the Handbook as
follows:
(1) single phase − SP1, SM2 and
(2) condensation − CP4, CM10, CM11 as appropriate.
REFERENCES
American Petroleum Institute API Standard 661: Air-Cooled Heat Exchangers for
General Refinery Services (1975).
Henley, J.A. (1970) ‘Mechanical Design of Air-Cooled Heat Exchangers’
Conference on Air-Coolers, The Institution of Mechanical Engineers, London, 24th
September.
G. H. Cowan,
Thermodynamics Division.
Harwell.
August 1975
AE1 -5-

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COMMERCIAL-IN-CONFIDENCE Aspen HTFS+ HANDBOOK

AE1: Air-Cooled Heat Exchangers in the Process

Figure 1 Definition of air-cooled heat exchanger

Figure 2 Forced draught air cooler

Figure 3 Induced draught air cooler

Typically, the finned tube bundles consist of 25.4 mm (1 inch) outside

3 SOME GENERAL DESIGN NOTES

Figure 4 Minimum height of air inlet

Figure 5 Minimum distance from vertical walls.

Figure 6 Minimum distance from furnaces

3.2 Design ambient air temperatures

3.8 Tubeside heat transfer correlations

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