L51753 Natural Draft Aerial Coolers

In recent years, environmental regulations have tightened and community involvement in environmental issues has increased. The pipeline industry has responded by attempting to reduce the negative economic and environmental impact of conventional air-cooled heat exchangers, which are characterized by high noise levels, excessive energy consumption, and high maintenance costs. While industry has had limited success in reducing air cooler noise using silencers and timed variable-speed fans, these solutions are costly. The most effective noise reduction method is to reduce or eliminate noise at its source. The primary goals of this investigation were to address key technical issues and to document natural draft aerial cooler (NDAC) design knowledge. The following objectives were identified:

- Form a project team from PRCI-recommended aerial cooler manufacturers to design a quiet aerial cooler

- Conduct technical and economic analyses to determine the actual operating needs and constraints of NDACs

- Conduct market analyses to evaluate and identify the marketing issues associated with NDACs

- Document the results of the project in a final report

In recent years, the number of environmental permits mandating the use of natural draft aerial coolers to reduce noise has increased. Natural draft aerial cooler technology can potentially eliminate noise and improve operational energy efficiency. A broad group of applications could benefit from this technology, including natural gas, engine jacket water, auxiliary water, and engine lube oil cooling. With noise regulations and penalties becoming increasingly stringent, natural draft heat transfer technology is becoming more important. No organization has as yet fully investigated it. The technical and economic feasibility of NDACs were investigated for natural gas, engine jacket water, auxiliary water, and lube oil cooler applications.