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A p p r o x i ma t e Si z i n g o f
A i r C o o l e d He a t Ex c h a n g e r s
M- 0 6 - 7 0 1 / 1
Page 1 o f 1 2
Ma r c h 1 9 7 0
APPROXIMATE SIZING OF
AIR COOLED :BAT EXCHANGaS
( Si mpl i f i ed Method)
i. Scope
The method out l i ne d below gi ve s r easonabl e approxi mat i ons t o t he
s ur f a c e a r e a and H.?, r equi r ement s of an a i r cool ed exchanger gi ven c e r t a i n
known pr oces s condi t i ons and pr ope r t i e s . I t i s n o t a complete des i gn
a n a l y s i s of an a i r cool er and i s not i nt ended t o be so, but si mpl y g i v e s
wi t hi n about 15% accuracy, s ur f ace a r e a , p l o t s i z e , H. P. ' s and c o s t s , f o r
use on pr opos al s , o r eval uat i ng a g a i n s t wat er cool ed syst ems.
I nf or mat i on r equi r ed t o be known To be c a l c ul a t e d
Q = Se a t l oad t o be d i s s i p a t e d
t 2
= A i r o u t l e t temp. OF
Bthu ' s / hr
0
T = Pr ocess f l u i d i n l e t temp. F U = Over al l he a t t r a n s e r coef -
1 5
f i c i e n t . 8 t h u f s / f t h r O ~
0
T2 = ? r oc e s s . f l ui d o u t l e t temp. F F = Air temp. r i s e c or r e c t i on
f a c t o r
= 9es i gn ambi ent a i r temp. '8
7 = L m cor r ect i on f a c t o r
5
- m
h, = I ns i de t ube he a t t r a n s f r -
.,.
c o e f f i c i e n t . Bt h u f s / f t h r F HP = Motor horsepower
f = I ns i de t ube f oul i ng f a c t o r . 17, = !4ir approach ve l oc i t y ~ t / r n i n
Bthu ' s/ f t2 h r OF
i\
0 = T, - t, A = bar e t ube
A o s ur f a c e a r e a
T~ - s a . f t .
2. Cont ent s Page
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3 I ns i de Tube Heat Tr ans f er Coe f f i c i e nt s
4 De t a i l s of Method
5. Worked Example
6. Tabl e 1 - Typi cal I ns i de Tube Coe f f i c i e nt s & Foul i ng Fa c t or s
Fi g. 1 - vs I ns i de Coe f f i c i e nt h. wi t h V a s paramet er
1 A
Fi g. 2 - V vs I ns i de Coe f f i c i e nt h. wi t h o v e r a l l
A
Coef f i ci ent U and a i r temp: r i s e f a c t o r F.
Fi g. 3 - V v s Power
A
Fi g. 4 & 5- Temperature Conversi on Fa c t or s 9
T
Fi g. 6 - LMTD Graph
Fi g. 7 - Cost of Fi nnedSur f ace vs Area
Made by : M. W. ~ r e w e e k / ~ . ~ . G . Di s t r i but i on:
I s s ue d by: E. w. Owe n/ P. ~. ~. 1306 Heat Tr a ns f e r D. N. ( 5 0 )
Spar es he l d bx: B. Do u g l a s / ~ . ~ . G. 1200 Pr ocess h g s ' D. M. ( 9 0 )
9800 Est i mat i ng D. M. (35)
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z
/ . Inside Tube Xeat Transfer Coefficients
The nost important part of the whole ~ethed is tne estimation of
:he lnside txbe heat transfer coefficient h:. As nucn inforaazion as
ossi5le must be obtained about the F'rocess-2xld, so xhat a coelficiens
nay be selected from the suggested rar.ge in tne Tabie Xo. 1 3aXtng due
allowance for properties, pressure drop, fouling etc. The figures in this
table have been collected as being typical tube side coefficients for the
fluids involved, wizhin the limits of fouling indicated and will be r2viewed
and revised as new fluids are dealt with or specific information comes to
hand. .4 generalised list of this kina can only be of iimited accuracy. If
acy more accurate figures are known from "historicaliy" simllar duties then
zhese should also be tried.
For condensers xnich involve a desuperheating and cordensing duty its
suggested the calculation, as with a shell and tube unit is divided into the
f
L-do respective parts, and the surface areas be determined for each zone.
Fgr steam coming out of some gases during condensation a bulge is produced
In the heat release curve, and advantage may be taken of this when considering
the LIWD. Normally, however, for expediency a straight line condensing
curve is assumed, unless a known order of improvement is to hand.
Step 1
Calculate the factor fl from the;own temperature conditicns where
Step 2
Select an appropriate heat transfer coefficient from the Table 1
(?age 7 )
Step 3
From Fig. 1 (page 8) read the required air approach velocity V in
f t/min .
A
Step 4
Using VA go to Fig. 2 (page 9 ) and obtain an overall heat transfer
coefficient U and a value for factor F.
Step 5
With the value of F, the air temp. rise and thereby the air outlet
temperature can be determined from the following :
Air rise = t2 - tl = F(T + T1 - 2tl)
2
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4. Det ai l s of Method - cont ' d
St ep 6
\
A l l four t ermi nal t enper at ur es now being known t he l og mean temp.
d i f f . ('L\'ITD) can be cal cul at ed.
Thi s is done i n t he normal way, using Fig. 4 or 5 (page 1 0 ) f o r t he
cor r ect i on f a c t or s depending on whether the uni t s have one or more passes
on t he tube si de.
A t t he proposal st age t he numbers of tube s i de passes a r e not known,
t her ef or e a general r ul e must be used. For near l y a l l l i qui d cool er s a t
l e a s t two passes w i l l be i ns t a l l e d, and f or t he dut i e s with a l ar ge tem-
per at ur e range on t he product si de two passes and more w i l l probably be
used. However, f or ' es t i mat i ng purposes t he u n i t s w i l l be simply sub-divided
i nt o two cat egor i es, i . e . s i ngl e pass, two pass and inore. Si ngl e pass uni t s
xi 11 normally be necessary f o r gas cooling dut i es with low oper at i ng
pr essur es and pressure drops, ( say approximately 1. 5 ps i rnax.) and s i mi l ar l y
f or some condensers with condensate coming out of gas wi t h s i mi l ar condi t i ons
t o t he above.
I f t he cor r ect i on f act or , F i s l e s s than 0.7 then i t i s suggested
T
t ha t t he a i r out temp. i s adj ust ed t o lower value i n an at t empt t o improve
t he cor r ect i on. I f t h i s f a i l s t o give a reasonable f i gur e t hen t he s ui t a bi l -
i t y of t he duty agai nst t he avai l abl e a i r condi t i ons must be examined.
Whilst on t he subj ect of t he a i r condi t i ons it i s suggested t h a t a minimum
approach temp. of 10 deg F between process out l e t and ambient a i r desi gn i s
worked t o. Approach temperature di f f er ences below t h i s normally gi ve r i s e
t o uneconomical uni t s and a l s o vunerable ones from t he poi nt of view of hot
a i r r eci r cul at i on which e x i s t s t o some degrees on most a i r cool er s, dependicg
on l ocat i on, s i t e wind condi t i ons, and a i r temperature r i s e through t he
cool er .
St ep 7
Cal cul at e t he bare tube surface area requi red.
Thi s i s done using two formulae, one t he basi c heat t r a ns f e r equation,
t he ot her an empi ri cal one u t i l i s i n g a const ant which wi t hi n t he degree of
accuracy requi red, has been found t o give reasonable r e s u l t s .
A = sq. f t -
0
u x m
-
Q
A -
0
sq. f t
127 (t 2 - t,)
Normally, t hese two equations gi veanswer swi t hi n reasonable approx-
imation t o one anot her, t her ef or e a simple average of t he two answers is
taken.
The equation No. 3 normally gi ves the hi gher va1ue;if t he two val ues
d i f f e r by more t han say 20% a second attempt should be made, changing t he
a i r temp. r i s e s l i ght l y and checking t ha t t he assumed t ube s i de heat t r ans-
f e r coef f i ci ent i s best possi bl e attempt f or t hebown process f l ui d.
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4. De t a i l s of Nethod - c o n t ' d
S t e ~ 8
The f i nned s ur f ace a r e a i s a r r i v e d a t by mul t i pl yi ng t he bar e t ube
s ur f ace A by a f a c t o r of 27. Thi s f a c t o r i s , f o r t he most commonly used
0
a i r cool er t ube i. e . 1 O/D x 11 f i n s / i n 5" hi gh.
A x 27 = SA ( f i nne d)
0
St eo 9
Cal cul at e an approx. p l o t a r e a si mpl y us i ng t he f ol l owi ng formul a
0. 22 x A = p l o t ar ea sq. f t .
0
For p l o t a r e a s l e s s t han 300 - 400 sq. f t . t he t ube l e ngt h w i l l be
20 f t . o r l e s s down t o 12 f t . f o r smal l s ur f ace ar eas . With t hes e s mal l er
ilnits cons i der at i on must be gi ven t o put t i ng them on t he same s t r u c t u r e a s '
ot he r cool er s on t he job, i n or der t h a t motors may be shared, c o s t s kept
down, space conserved.
For t he u n i t s of 400 sq. f t . pl us a >Oft. t ube l engt h i s nor nal ,
and f o r l a r g e r u n i t s a 40 f t . t ube can sometimes be u t i l i s e d .
St ep 10
Determine H.P. necessar y t o dr i ve u n i t s .
Thi s i s det ermi ned by a d i r e c t r eadi ng from Fi g. 3. ( p. l O) . On t h i s c ha r t
X.P, i s r e l a t e d t o approach ve l oc i t y VA.
Thi s gi ves t he t o t a l absorbed power i ncl udi ng l o s s e s e t c . and it
needs si mpl y t o be rounded of f t o t he ne a r e s t s i z e and number of mot ors.
A s a gener al r u l e f a ns can be obt ai ned t o ser ve up t o a 21 f t . max. wi dt h
of u n i t i . e . up t o a 800 sq. f t . p l o t s i ze- t wo motors and f a ns coul d j u s t
3e used. Normally above t h i s f our o r more f ans and motors a r e r equi r ed.
I f t he r e f or e t he p l o t wi dt h i s di vi ded by 21 and rounded up t o t he ne a r e s t
whole number t h i s gi ve s t he number of motor bays and wi t h two mot ors ger
bay as a minimum t he number of motors i s obt ai ned.
With t he l a r g e r u n i t s and t he r e f or e l a r g e r t o t a l H. P. ' s manufact urers
do not normal l y l i k e t o suspend a motor l a r g e r t han 30 H.P. from t he s t r u c -
t u r e occas i onal l y t h i s can be ext ended t o 40 H.P. Above t h i s mot ors a r e
normal l y r equi r ed t o be mounted on concr et e quadropods on t he ground
i nvol vi ng c os t e t c . Ther ef or e, a s wel l a s f i n a l i s i n g a number of mot ors
based on a 21 f t . bay wi dt h r u l e , as a check di vi de t he t o t a l H.P. by
30 a s t h i s w i l l sometimes gi ve a f i g u r e t-ffo motors more a t l e a s t , over t he
former f i gur e . Also from t he poi nt of view of c os t and maintenance e t c . ,
it may be of some advant age on a bat ch of cool er s t o s t andar di s e on i d e a l l y
one, pos s i bl y 2 mot ors s i z e s t hroughout t he pl ant , and t h i s w i l l have some
e f f e c t on t he Nos. of mot ors r equi r ed. However t h i s l a s t opt i mi s at i on i s
normal l y l e f t t o t he Vendor' at t he c ont r a c t s t age, t he f i r s t 2 c r i t e r i o s
mentioned bei ng s u f f i c i e n t f o r es t i mat i ng and proposal purposes i n r e s pe c t
of motor numbers.
Cal cul at e t he c o s t from t he cur ves Fi g. 7 t he c os t of t h e u n i t from
t he known f i nned s ur f ace ar ea. The curve f o r t he purpose; of t h i s method
makes no d i s t i n c t i o n between t he var i ous t ypes of header box des i gn, some
bei ng a l i t t l e above average ot he r s below i n terms of cos t . The curve i s
not a s t r a i g h t l i n e o r a smooth curve t h i s is because of changes, wi t h
- - - - - - - - - A - La. . A + +.,ha 1 amn+k a+,,
-. .
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5. Worked Example
'<
Lean Amine Liquid Cooler
0
Amine sol ut i on cooled from - 177 F t3 1 0 0 2
Fouling f a c t or - ,002 f t h r F/Btu
Pressure drop allowed - 10 ps i
Ambient Air Design temp. - 703
Heat Load - 5. 45 x 10 6 Btu/hr
St ep i
St ep 2
0
Consider a s Aqueous Sol . with ,002 f oul i ng f t 2 h r F/Btu
2
hl = 350 Bt u/ ft hr OF
St ep 3
From Fi g 1 VA = 595 ft/min
St ep 4
St ep 5
A i r temp. r i s e = t2 - tl = F( T +T - 2 t l )
2 1
= 0.332 (177+100 - 2 x 70)
= 0.332 (137)
= 45.5 deg F
St ep 6
177 100 LMTD from Fig 6 (page 11) = 44 deg F
-4ssuming a t l e a s t 2 pass t ubesi de R = 177-100 = 77
115.5-70 45.5
. ' . = FT from Fi g. 5 (page 10) = 0.97
. ' . Corrected LNTD = .97 x 44 = 42.7 deg F
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A p p r o x i ma t e S i z i n g o f
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A i r C o o l e d H e a t E x c h a n g e r s
5. Workedzxample - cont'd
Step 7
Step 8
Finned surface area = 993 x 27
= 26800 sq. ft.
= 993 sq. ft.
Step 9
plot area = .22 x AO = .22 x 993
= 218 sq. ft.
Assume 20 ft. tube length . * . Plot = 218 = 10.9
-
20
. ' . 20' x 11' say
Step 10
HP = from Pig. 3 (page IO) for V
= 595; power factor = 2.2/100 sq. ft.
A
. ' . HP = 2.2 x 993/100 = 21.8
Say 2 x 1& HP motors or 2 x 15 HP motors if 1& HP difficult to procure
Step 11
From the cost curve at 26800 sq. ft.
Price per sq. ft. 2.8/-
Cost
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/
0 . Table 1 - Typical Inside Tube Coefficients and Fouling Factors
Fouling
up to
aaximum of:
h inside heat
1
transfer coeff.
incluc?i ng
fouling
LIQUID COOLERS
Water
Aqueous solutions
Aqueous solutions
L.P.G.
Light hydrocarbons C2 to C4
Hydrocarbon
Yean viscosity 1 cp
- 5
10
CONDENSERS
Ammonia
Me than01
Steam
C2 to C4 (total)
C2 to C4 (partial)
C2 to C4 plus inerts (H2, N2, CH4,
C5 (partial)
C5 (total)
Organic acid/alcohol (total)
Organic acid/alcohol (partial)
Cooling and condensing steam from
gases with morethan 60% H2
100 psi
400 psi
L.P.G.
Light hydrocarbon
Light naphtha
Heavy naphtha
Reactor effluent
Gasoline
Gas Oil
,001
.0005
,0005
,001
.001
etc.) ,001
,001
,001
I .001
GAS COOLERS
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PI G. 1
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ILl
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Greater Terminal Temperature Difference
NOTGFor points not Included on thi9 sheet multiply Greater Terminal Temperature Difference and Lesser Terminal Temperature Difference
by any multiple of 10 and divide resulting value of curved lines by same multtol-
FIG. 6
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