The life span of the end cooler core is so short
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1. The structure of the end cooler core is of the integral tube-pass type. 2. The base tube is made of stainless steel, while the fins are made of aluminum. 3. The designed service life of this cooler is 20 years; in actual use, it is used for up to 5 years before its efficiency declines significantly. 4. The medium is compressed air, which is cooled from 200°C to 25°C before being supplied for use. 5. Seek expert assistance to determine the cause ； Provide support. (See figure)
What device is this used for? This is the first time I’ve seen a heat exchanger like this
Air coolers are used in air separation units
In situations like this, we have encountered two clients whose situations were similar to yours; both of them asked me to use a stainless steel base pipe combined with stainless steel fins. In actual use, the air medium contains debris and dust, and when the aluminum fins are heated, their surfaces become rough, which causes dust and debris from the medium to stick to those fins. Over time, this affects the heat exchange efficiency! After replacing with stainless steel finned tubes, all that’s needed is to pull out the heat exchange tube assembly and clean it!
My opinion is as follows: 1. This type of cooler is also known as an interstage cooler or intermediate cooler, and it is generally used for cooling between the stages of a compressor. 2. From the surface of the core, it is possible that yellow rusted areas have blocked the gaps between the aluminum fins, resulting in a decline in performance. 3. Generally speaking, unless it is dry air, the design of the core must take into account corrosion prevention and mist removal functions; that is, the framework should be made of stainless steel, a mist remover should be installed on the outlet side of the tube bundle, and a drain valve should be placed at the bottom. 4. The performance of the equipment starts to decline only after 5 years of use; its design should provide sufficient performance, so regular core removal and cleaning are sufficient.