What is An Air Cooled Heat Exchanger?

A dry cooler, also known as an air-cooled heat exchanger or air cooler, is a device that uses ambient air as a cooling medium to transfer heat from a hot fluid to a cooler fluid. Unlike traditional water-cooled systems that use water to absorb heat from a process or machine, dry coolers rely on air flow to dissipate heat.

Dry coolers typically consist of a series of finned tubes through which the thermal fluid flows, and one or more fans which draw ambient air over the tubes, thereby transferring heat from the thermal fluid to the air. The air is then vented to the atmosphere and the cooled fluid continues to the next stage of the process.

Dry coolers are commonly used in industrial and commercial applications such as power generation, chemical processing, HVAC systems and data centres. They offer several advantages over conventional water-cooled systems, including lower water consumption, less environmental impact and greater reliability and efficiency. However, they can be ineffective in very hot and humid environments or when the temperature difference between the thermal fluid and the surrounding air is too small.