Intro to mechanical draft coolers

Many different types of mechanical draft coolers or heat

exchangers are
found in a wide spectrum of industries. Air may be blown or drawn
through the heat exchanger by a fan. The former
configuration is referred to as a forced-draft system while the
latter is called an
induced-draft system. Despite the poor cooling properties of air, it
is available
in unlimited quantities throughout the year. No costs are incurred
for its
procurement, and there is no disposal problem or significant
impact on the
environment.
Operating temperatures, fan accessibility, process specifications,
ambient
conditions, fouling, and other practical considerations will
influence the
ultimate system design. Although fouling effects are not
specifically included
in the performance evaluations described in this chapter, its
effect on the
heat transfer and mass transfer rates and the flow resistance can
be
incorporated readily in any analysis.
To design small air-cooled heat exchangers or to evaluate the
performance
characteristics of a particular unit, relatively simple but
approximate methods
may be adequate. However, these methods are usually less
acceptable in the case of
mass produced or large, specialized, and expensive systems.
The performance of air-cooled heat exchangers may be
determined according
to different standards from authorities such as Rose et al., the
American Institute
of Chemical Engineers, Verein Deutscher Ingenieure, and ASME
PTC 30-1991.