Excerpt from Rules of Thumb for Chemical Engineers, Fifth Edition, by Stephen Hall (Butterworth-
Heinemann, 2012). Table of Contents and accompanying spreadsheet templates at
www.pipesizingsoftware.com/book
Air-cooled Heat Exchangers: Forced vs. Induced Draft Air-cooled heat exchangers are classified as forced draft when the tube section is located on the discharge side of the fan, or induced draft when the tube section is located on the suction side of the fan. Forced draft units are more common. Typically, 25.4 mm (1 in) OD carbon steel tubes are fitted with aluminum fins, 12.7 to 15.9 mm high ( to 5/8 inch), providing outside surface area about 14 to 21 times greater than the area of the bare tubes. The process stream, flowing inside the tubes, can be cooled to about 10C to 15C (20F to 30F) above the dry-bulb temperature of the air. Air flows at a velocity of 3 to 6 m/s (10 to 20 ft/s)/ Table 2-10: Comparison of forced draft and induced draft air-cooled heat exchangers (Ref 8) Attribute Forced Draft Induced Draft Distribution of air across section Poor distribution of air over the section Better Effluent air recirculation to intake Greatly increased possibility of hot air recirculation due to low discharge velocity and absence of stack Lower possibility because fan discharges air upward, away from the tubes, at about 2times the intake velocity, or about 450 m/min (25 ft/s) Influence of weather conditions Total exposure of tubes to sun, rain, and hail Less effect from sun, rain, and hail because 60% of face is covered Freezing conditions Easily adaptable for warm air recirculation during freezing conditions Warm discharge air not recirculated Result of fan failure Low natural draft capability on fan failure due to small stack effect Natural draft stack effect is greater than forced draft type Power requirement Slightly lower fan power because the fan is located in the cold air stream (air has higher density) Slightly higher fan power because the fan is located in the hot air stream (air has lower density) Temperature limit discharge air stream No limit Limited to about 95C (200F) to prevent potential damage to fan blades, bearings, belts, and other components in the air stream Temperature limit tubeside process fluid Limited by tube components Limited to 175C (350F) because fan failure could subject fan blades and bearings to excessive temperatures Maintenance Better access to mechanical components Mechanical components are more difficult to access because they are above the tubes
Excerpt from Rules of Thumb for Chemical Engineers, Fifth Edition, by Stephen Hall (Butterworth- Heinemann, 2012). Table of Contents and accompanying spreadsheet templates at www.pipesizingsoftware.com/book
Table 2-12: Variables that must be optimized for air-cooled heat exchanger design (Ref 18) Variable Considerations Air flow rate Rule of thumb for face velocity approaching the tube bundle (total flow divided by total area of bundle): - 3 row coil: 240 to 275 m/min (800 to 900 ft/min) - 4 row coil: 150 to 210 m/min (500 to 700 ft/min) - 5 row coil: 140 to 180 m/min (450 to 600 ft/min) - 6 row coil: 100 to 150 m/min (350 to 500 ft/min) Air-side film coefficient varies to the 0.5 power of air mass velocity Air-side pressure drop varies to the 1.75 power of air mass velocity Tube length Length is established in conjunction with the bundle width. There are usually two bundles in a section, and two fans per section. Bundle width normally limited to 3.2 m to 3.5 m (10 ft to 11.5 ft); fans are commonly 3.6 m to 4.3 m (12 ft to 14 ft) in diameter. API 661 specifies minimum fan coverage of 40%. Therefore, tubes are typically in the range of 8 m to 10 m long (26 ft to 33 ft). Tube outside diameter Cost of exchanger is lower with smaller diameter tubes Cleaning is more difficult with smaller diameter Minimum recommended (and most common) tube size is 25 mm (1 in) OD Optimize with pressure drop by adjusting the number of passes and tube size Fin height Usual fin heights are 9.5 mm, 12.7 mm, and 15.9 mm (3/8 in., 1/2 in., and 5/8 in.) Selection depends on relative values of air-side and tube-side film coefficients With higher fins, fewer tubes can be accommodated per row Typically, use higher fins for steam condensers and water coolers Typically, use lower fins for gas coolers and viscous liquid hydrocarbon coolers Fin spacing Spacing usually varies between 276 to 433 fins/m (7 to 11 fins/in) Typically, use higher density for steam condensers and water coolers Typically, use lower density for gas coolers and viscous liquid hydrocarbon coolers Tube pitch Staggered pattern almost invariably employed Designers tend to use the following combinations of bare-tube OD, finned-tube OD, and tube pitch: 25 mm / 50 mm /60 mm (1 in / 2 in / 2.375 in) 25 mm / 57 mm / 67 mm (1 in / 2.25 in / 2.625 in) As tube pitch is decreased, air-side pressure drop and power consumption increase more rapidly than the air-side heat transfer coefficient Excerpt from Rules of Thumb for Chemical Engineers, Fifth Edition, by Stephen Hall (Butterworth- Heinemann, 2012). Table of Contents and accompanying spreadsheet templates at www.pipesizingsoftware.com/book
Variable Considerations Number of tube rows Most exchangers have for to six tube rows, but can range from three to ten Air-side film coefficient varies inversely with number of tube rows More rows advantage: more heat transfer area in the same bundle width, reducing number of bundles and sections More rows disadvantage: increases fan horsepower for the same air velocity and lowers the Mean Temperature Difference Typically, four or five tube rows for steam condensers and water coolers Typically, six or seven tube rows for gas coolers and viscous liquid hydrocarbon coolers Number of tube passes Distribution of tubes in the various passes need not be uniform; especially useful in condensers where the flow area in each pass can be gradually reduced as the liquid fraction increases progressively Optimize to obtain uniform pressure drop in each pass Fan power consumption Power varies directly with volumetric air flow rate and pressure drop Fan horsepower varies to the 2.75 power of the air mass velocity Optimum air mass velocity is higher when air-side heat transfer coefficient is highly controlling (e.g., steam condensers and water coolers) Exchangers are usually designed with a pressure drop between 0.3 in H 2 O and 0.7 in H 2 O