A procedure for preliminary | estimates Advance planning is needed to allocate space and power for air coolers. Here is a simple method by which these requirements can be estimated. a Robert Bram, Hapiy Dis of Thema Teco, tre Di The current practice, when planning to isa air ‘bolers in the U.S,, i to solicit bids from one or more of bout seven leading designer-manufacturers of this ‘equipment, Usvally, the purchaser accepts the design recommendations ofthe successful bidder, who not only manufactures proprietary finned tubes but alvo rates the coolers and specifies the fans, the airflow require= ments and the spatial requirements. ‘Unfortunately, the successful bid often fails to pro- duce an optimum of operating costs (fr fan horsepower requirements) versus initial investment that is auited to the user’ requirements for heat-transfer duty and tem- perature, Also, with this current industry practice, sup- Dliers sometimes find that they have wasted thousands Of dollar of design effort because certain critical infor- mation has not been incladed in a requisition. Mean- ‘hile, uier often find that not enough advance plan- hing has been done, 0 that attractive proposals have to be rejected because of restrictions due to ambient-tem- ature variations, space limitations, and so forth. PePye industry in gencral—both suppliers and users— cean benefit from a procedure whereby prospective pur- chasers could estimate and plan air coolers well in ‘advance, 40 a3 to be able to write moredefinitive pur- chase requisitions Parameters of air cooling ‘The primary variables affecting design of an air cooler can be arrived at only through trial and erro Consider the basic equation: heat transferred overall heat-transfer coefficient hheat-tranafer surface AT = the effective temperature difference, de- pending on the temperatures of the hot process uid (T and 7) and of the air (fy and 4) (OF these variables, the prospective user knows only 0. Ty. T; and ty, The exchanger designer must asume Sha few, which for the given duty etablihes fy and the mean temperature diference actow the exchanger. Since the heattransfer coefficient for the ai film is almost direely proportional to the rate of air low, an Increase in the asumed rate of a flow increasex both the overall transfer coefficient, U, and the mean tem- perature diffrence. ‘ However, presure drop across the coolers increases almost asthe square of te rate of als ow, 40 thatthe Fequired horsepower forthe fans is incresied_at the trandler Theat and mean temperature difference a increase. Finally, the type of fins used to extend the ulside sutace of the tubes afecs both the tansfer ‘oeficient and the hortepower, as ell as the coat ‘Without ome guidance, the novice in aireooler de sgn can wate wars of lesion puing #9 op imam combination. Estimating an optimum ‘The following procedure may help. The key is three assamptions: First an overall heat-transfercocficient ia itstumed, depending on the proces fluid and its tern perature’ range. Second, the airtemperature rise {¢)— 4) is calculated via an empirical formula. Thicd, tie eetimate fa based on bare tubes, with a layout and fan horsepower extimated from that, 20 as to avoid the peculiarities of any one fin type. ‘Overall heat-ransfer coefcients to be wed are shown in Table I. An analysis of these numbers with ‘Values experienced forthe inside film coeficients for the [process luis, and the equation for overall heat-transfer Coefficient, (1/0) = (1/h,) + (1/hy) will indicate that the effecive transfer coeficent for the sir flm varies found 75, indexing hat ome wt of fv Fequired but that the actual fin design is left ‘Once the overall Canaan eoeffcent i astured, the cexivair temperature may be estimated as = +t) (= 1) = 000 [B42 1] atBova ar {00 ee toro, Stn 10% noncondee Lo0"F tesa dee nononawntes Karena Pursiachysrecwoon J ous, 208 ares see sone ot on ores onsen cos rt con csi : Srmtecceson scurnhvson 400"F on NechlsBneat ‘aneon ta, 40" re Anrmoni evoree na ‘sore a7 ae somone |. 007F we we Liertnyerocaroon ctu nyccrcon Ler norgete vapors ar varogen~ 100% tel Lioe Taex et ‘The sirtemperature rise (ly — 4) calculated in this manner ean usally be relied upon to ettablizh a size in 25% of optimum. It may be adjusted for some Increase in accuracy through use of a correetion factor taken from Fig, 1 ‘Once an estimated surface is calculated from the assumed U and an effective temperature difference, the unit size of the air cooler may be estimated from ‘Table IT. Note that this table assumes {-in, bare tubes fon 244 jn. eiangular pitch, thus providing space for fins ‘up t0 2 in. OD. (i, fins % in. high). The fan horse- power, predicted from the estimated unit size and sur- face by Fig. 3, p. 121, also allows for finned tubes. ‘Since no existing computer program is capsble of considering all variables in optimizing air coolers, this procedure is also useful a a first trial in calculating an ‘optimum design. Calculating temperature difference ‘The accuracy of this estimating procedure justifies a SeReeRReReeeeeee correction for effective temperature difference. Once the "Temperatura rn Us = 7, pee Wa" Aivexit temperature, tq, is calculated, it is a simple maavier calculate the log-mean temperature difference (taero) for counter current flow by means of one of theunit Tube fare ok es No fbr da 4 oe oo 1318 12 oom mx amo ta mm ea zr on . 32 us, Pry sez nese . ma eae ata a2 air me ae ose aaa 42 tae 1987 Nasa Re es ese m0 pot ste wa tao tam ae as alas tay ae oss 274 22ee 2301 ear” 106 sacs 1333 v0 1388 azo ter 4900 ter so 2409 aot 2h basa yaos 23083500 2001 2x61 3332, 7 sas2 988 wat tae 232 tes 2230 tame ieee 2212 ama 3308 ioe thet Boge der 2018 237 Asya 2222073730 AAA 1207 18520782483 tae 1557 24802980 iam 2am 32 as sms 20083309 aise 23000 as AAD zest aan neo 4987 sao 19052537 ae tes 2218 2am 4357 20827083805 240 258339 ear 2a 3as7 oes 2 : 2 1 : 2 2 2 4 2 2 2 2 2 2 , 2 2 2 ' 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 geese a 10 or, atone Sova, 1b. tne tenpermor range oft oo. Spr ld ta pores NOTE Be ind eid enero com shan CF anor Bete to 18 SAG, on ater of bee Avge aioe! Cont factor W2OWe 1078 Moe yy tease 000 2. nie 8 om ofa ‘ner of ob fe 9 Ht 4. ott ro a tng of 28 ane ate Shitbeteoeh om cat ete tong ft 10 2 6 2 i 2 3 35 “hn be ha fact ee Woemany charts, or by employing the wellknown formula: tro = (ty — 84)/ln4/A4,) where Aig is the greatest temperature diference and dt the leaut temperature diflerence taken at the inlets and outlet of the exchanger, ‘As for conventional shell-and-tube exchangers, the tro doct not apply for air coolers and must be eot- rected according to the chosen flow patter, A number fof such patterns are available to air-cooler designers; ‘and correction factors for these various flow patterns are given in the Standards of the Tubular Exchanger Man~ tfacturers Assn, (reMA) and the many handbooks on heat exchange. The flow pattern and correction factors assumed for this estimating procedure are those for fone-pass cresefow with both tube-fuid and air un mixed at they flow through the exchanger (Fig. 2) Sample estimation Kerosene flowing. at a rate of 250,000 bh is to be cooled from 160"F to 125°F, for a total duty of 4.55 nillion Bru/h. How large en air cooler would be Te Quired for this servic, ifthe desiga dry-bulb tempera- Are of the sir were 95°F? : From Table I estimate the overall transfer coefficient for x kerosene aircooler at 55 Btu/(hyfeX"F). Then the airstemperature rte i (a = 4) = 0.005 (58) ((160 + 125)/2 — 95) = 13.05 Froim Fig. 1, the correetion factor for a. procese-fluid temperattre se of (160 — 125) = 25°F is 0.92, so (a= 4) = 09213.06) = 12.02 and & = 107.02 The wer i: . 160 — 107.02) ~ (125 = 95)/1n((160 — 107.02)/(125 — 95)) = 4041" nero = (( for a temperature efficiency of: P = (107.02 ~ 95)/(160 — 99) = 0.185 and a comelating factor of: = (160 = 125)/(107.02 — 95) = 291 as (from Fig. 3) 0.95, 40 that the corrected tacro is (0.95}(98.39) = 40.41 From this effective temperature difference, the as: sumed overall transfer coefficient, and the given duty, is now possible to calculate the hypothetical bare-tube surface, as: (4,350,000)/(35)(38.39) Ha fe From Table If, this hypothetical baretube surface would indicate an air cooler 12 fe wide, with ether four rows of 0.ftlong tubes with «wo fans, fora total bare ‘urface of 2,284 f of five rows of 32-f-long tubes with {ovo fans for 2,208 ft? of surface. From Fig 3.121, the Tan horsepower would be (22.04X1.56) = 35.69. ‘The author Stolp Recent eoetfiendls'tbs arial TR san St nr Sees