The design of a wet surface air cooler

A sustainable alternative to cooling towers

An Alfa Laval WSAC can be used for liquid and gas cooling, as well as condensing duties.

The WetSurface technology used in a WSAC system is based on evaporative cooling. The hot process medium flows through prime surface tube bundles that are sprayed with water. The heat causes the water to evaporate and the vapour is removed by fans that draw cool air over the tubes.

The water that does not evaporate is collected in a basin and is reused as spray water. The same cooling water can be reused 6-10 times, depending on water quality.

Next, the air/water vapour stream is forced to make a 180° turn, which effectively removes free water droplets and minimizes drift.

 

Watch the above animation to see how a wet surface air cooler works.

Closed loop water treatment

An Alfa Laval WSAC is a closed loop system, meaning there is no risk of contaminants entering the process stream.

Temperature limitations

For liquid cooling the maximum inlet temperature is 82°C (180°F).

For single phase gas cooling the maximum inlet temperature is 232°C (450°F).

For vapour condensing the maximum inlet temperature is 82°C (180°F).

Learn more about the different Alfa Laval WSAC systems

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Learn how you can get full cooling capacity all year round with Alfa Laval WSAC.