Air-Cooled Gas Coolers

• High-pressure capability : Our designs meet the highest pressure requirements, whether it is for a gas compression cycle or other gas cooling applications. In all cases, we consider PED requirements section by section.
• Optimum header designs : We use tubular or box header arrangements, depending on the pressure and dimensional configuration of the cooler.
• Bespoke configurations : Where the cooler is to be integrated with your equipment, we will closely work with you on the designs to obtain the most beneficial arrangement.

How air-cooled gas coolers work

An air-cooled gas cooler is utilised to remove excess heat from a process gas stream. The gas stream may be at low, medium or high-pressure, depending on the application. At low pressure, the gas side heat transfer coefficient is, generally, low as the gas density is also low. Tube inserts can enhance the heat transfer coefficient if specifications permit.

As pressures increase, the increased density of the gas leads to increased coefficients. The optimum design requires less tube-side coefficient enhancement.

As the highest pressures, the mechanical design of the cooler becomes a more significant issue. In these cases, Sterling designs the high-pressure cooling sections for pressures over 5,600 bar. At these pressures, the heat exchanger is a fully welded construction with thick wall tubes.

For compressor systems, the excess heat generated during the compression cycle must be dissipated. The cooler is split into several stages, each operating at differing tube-side pressures. The stages of the cooler are mounted in series; each has a different mechanical design pressure, but all have similar cross-sections for the cooling air path.