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CHAPTER
17
Air Coolers
Fin-Fan Coolers
17.1
Fin Fouling
In a forced-draft air cooler, cool air is blown through the underside of
the fin tube bundle. In an induced-draft air cooler, cool air is drawn
through the underside of the fin tubes. Either way, road dust, dead
moths, catalyst fines, and greasy dirt accumulate along the lower row
of tubes. As the tubes foul, they offer more resistance to the airflow.
However, note that
The total airflow discharged by the fan remains constant
regardless of the fin tube fouling.
The fan discharge pressure remains constant regardless of the
fin tube fouling.
The amperage electric load on the motor driving the fan
remains constant regardless of the fin tube fouling.
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Air
Forced draft
induced draft
Air flow
Outlet
Shroud
Screen
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17.2
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FIGURE 17.3
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17.3
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Setting the blade pitch cannot be done with great precision, and
its not too critical. I once increased the blade pitch from 15 to about
22. Airflow increased by only 5 percent measured by the increased
amperage load on the motor driver.
Cooler weather always increases the airflow produced by a fan.
This always increases the amp load on the fans motor driver. To
prevent the motor from tripping off, or simply to save electricity
during the winter, you might reduce the fan blade pitch.
One factor that does not reduce airflow is crushed fins at the top
of the tube bundle. Walking across a fin tube bundle will crush these
fins. It looks bad, but does not appear to affect cooling efficiency.
Take a close look at Fig. 17.2. Note that on the right side of the sketch
there is a small gap between the blade tip and the shroud. It is this
gap that accounts for the air recirculation previously described. The
bigger the gap, the greater the detrimental air recirculation. With age,
shrouds get out of round and the gap increases, but not uniformly.
The only way to seal off this gap is to use strips of plastic or Teflon
attached to the inner wall of the shroud. When the fan is turned on it
will cut through parts of the plastic strips and create its own seal.
Field results have been positive, and the strips can be purchased as a
retrofit kit from air cooler vendors.
17.4.2
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17.4.2.1
Fin Deterioration
The fins are usually made out of aluminum. Especially in moist, steamy
environments, the fins are subject to destruction by corrosion. A
corroded fin retards rather than promotes heat transfer. Its easy to
break such fins off by hand. A high-pressure jet of water can be used
to knock off the corroded fins and partly restore cooling capacity.
17.5
Inlet
Vent
Outlet
Drain
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Inlet
Fins
Pass partition
baffle
Threaded plug
Tubes
Outlet
17.5.2
A large process plant air cooler may have 10, 20, 30, or more
banks of air coolers, arranged in parallel. Figure 17.6 shows such an
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200
25 psig
100F
A
95F
B
150F
C
140F
D
Out
155F
E
210F
210F
35 psig
35 psig
In
arrangement. Lets assume that the inlet header is oversized and has
zero pressure drop. Lets also assume that the outlet header is oversized
and also has no P. The pressure drop across the tube side of all such
air coolers arranged in parallel is then identical.
If one of the air coolers begins to experience tube-side fouling, the
fluid flow will be reduced. But the tube-side pressure drop will
remain the same. The pressure drop across all five air-cooler bundles,
shown in Fig. 17.6, is 10 psig.
Individual flows to parallel banks of air coolers are rarelyif
evermeasured. Regardless, we can gauge the approximate relative
flow to each bundle. This can be done by checking the outlet temperature
of the bundles or banks.
Lets assume that the cooling airflow to all five banks is the same.
Banks A and B in Fig. 17.6 have low outlet temperatures. Banks C, D,
and E have much hotter outlets. Question: Which coolers are handling
most of the heat-transfer duty? Is it A and B or C, D, and E?
The correct answer is C, D, and E. Most of the flow is passing
through C, D, and E. Very little flow is passing through A and B.
Look at the combined outlet temperature from all five coolers. It is
145F. This indicates that most of the total flow is coming from C, D,
and Ethe banks with the higher outlet temperature. Very little of
the flow is coming from A and Bthe banks with the lower outlet
temperature.
Why would the flow through A and B be so low? Apparently, their
tubes must be partly plugged. Corrosion products, gums, and dust are
common plugging agents. But when such exchangers foul, their
relative tube-side P, as compared to the other exchangers, remains
constant. But their relative tube-side flow, as compared to the other
parallel exchangers, decreases.
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290F
If you are now willing to make the assumption that the airflow is
the same through the five coolers, we could calculate the process side
flow through each cooler. For example, percent flow through A =
20F/290F = 7 percent. This calculation assumes that the percent of
flow through the cooler is proportional to the air temperature rise
through the cooler divided by the total air temperature rise through all
five coolers.
It is not all that difficult to decide whether the airflow through
identical coolers is similar. I just wave a handkerchief in the breeze at
a few spots above the cooler.
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