An air condenser is a tool that has the task of cooling a gas by passing from the gaseous to the liquid, thus allowing it to be reused or treated for impurities elimination purposes.
You can have water condenser (in such a case is a fluid to come into contact with the gas cooling devices, but this condenser presents disposal problems) or by air, and is on this type, designed for decades by SMEA Engineerign, that we will concentrate.
An air condenser is a heat exchanger that transfer the heat possessed by a gas to air and consequently to the environment, allowing the gaseous form pass into liquid in order to be then disposed or recovered from the productive circulation. The positive side of this process, is that is not necessary to find a place where to collect and subsequently discharge water to cool the circuit: this allows the system to be independent from natural resources present or not in the surrounding area.
ADVANTAGES
The air exchanger offers several advantages:
- The costs due to the water cooling process, from collection to treatment, are totally eliminated, making it more economical;
- No pollutant is poured into water cooling;
- Freedom to locate the plant regardless of natural water resources;
- Reduced maintenance, thanks to the simplicity of operation;
- In case of electrical problems, the capacitor carries on its work thanks to the convection air, although at reduced capacity;
- The gas temperature can be easily kept under observation through variable air capacitors, which allow to manage and adjust the external turnout, and then the transmission of the temperature to the gas.
FUNCTIONING
The first thing to look at in terms of air condenser is the manner in which it is introduced and ejected from the system. There are two alternatives in this regard: the first is by pressure; in this case the air is pushed into the implant by means of a fan spinning at the beginning of the process. The second alternative is for suction, i.e. the fan whirling in this case is placed at the end of the process and sucks the air out, towards the external environment.
At this point the breeze on the input passes through a bundle of stacked tubes, this to increase the contact surface and thereby compensate the low air heat exchange capacity, without therefore the need to force the ventilation, saving energy. The tubes are made of appropriate materials such as to take into account corrosion and pressure of the gas inside them, while plate or helical lamellae are usually made of aluminum, a material characterized by a high thermal conductivity (in case of high temperatures is used steel). It may happen that a set of teeth are engraved on the fins, in order to generate turbulence and prevent a layer of warmer air on the blade, such to decrease the heat exchange coefficient.
The pipes together, are arranged in a triangle, in such a way to generate a space for the air passage equal to half of the front surface. At the bottom of the plating is applied a head (constituted by plates and terminals) with openings that allow the cleaning in case of need.
The bundles are usually arranged in horizontal axis, allowing air to enter at the bottom and leave at the top, but they can also be installed vertically with the horizontal passage air flow. There are also other provisions, such as the “A” or “V” style, which have the advantage of reducing the space needed but require a greater air flow, and therefore a greater energy consumed by the fans. The fans, in order to ensure greater flexibility of use, can be equipped with adjustable in inclination blades, in order to choose the quantity of flow to be sent into contact with the plating and the relative strip. This device can be either automatic or manual, and in this case it should be adjusted when it’s not working. The fan speed can be adjusted too: in general, it should not exceed certain limits for structural reasons, but you can also choose to slow them down to reduce the noise.
The water generated by the process of condensation is then collected in inclined gutters, fed back into the production process and reused or treated.
The air condenser cycle is continuous, and in addition to the benefits listed above is environmentally friendly, and operates respecting the environment.