Heat Exchanger Fans

Air cooled heat exchangers employ the use of large industrial fans to create sufficient air movement to cool their internal coils and the liquid inside the coils. Returning this internal liquid to the environment where it is extracting heat completes the cycle. In its simplest form an air cooled heat exchanger is a series of pipes containing a liquid which is circulated through a process or atmosphere with excess heat. This heat is detrimental to the overall process, whether it be an industrial application, an air conditioning system, or something similar. Therefore, the liquid inside the piping absorbs this excess heat, which it carries away as it is recirculated back to the heat exchanger. Within the heat exchanger itself these pipes filled with heat containing liquid are coiled back and forth so that a maximum amount of their surface area can be exposed to the cool air distributed over them by fans. The cool air produced by the fan absorbs the heat in the liquid. This air becomes hotter itself and is exhausted to the atmosphere by the heat exchanger. The cooled liquid is recirculated to again absorb excess heat, and the process repeats. The simplest example of a heat exchanger is the radiator on a car. The heated coolant from the engine is cycled through the radiator. The movement of air over the radiator while the car is being driven cools the coolant, which is recycled back through the cooling chambers of the engine to keep it at normal operating temperatures. Industrial air cooled heat exchangers can be extremely large, some requiring fans as large as 40 feet in diameter. But the concept is still the same as that employed in the automobile: circulate the liquid through the cooling environment supplied by the heat exchanger fan, and return it to the source to once again become heated and recycled.

Surprisingly, the design of the air cooled heat exchanger fan can have a significant impact on the overall performance of the entire system. Improperly designed fans can actually impede the air circulation within the heat exchanger, causing less efficient operation of the heat exchanger and increased overall cost of operation. Poor design can also result in extremely noisy heat exchanger operation. Since the heat exchanger system is no better than the fan which it uses, it is imperative that only the most reliable and efficient fans are used.

With a view toward maximizing the performance of heat exchanger fans while lowering the cost of operation and inherent noise factors, Glocon Inc. has developed its Swifter CTX Series of air cooled heat exchanger fans. These fans are available with adjustable pitch blades and are offered with different blade configurations to provide optimum cooling characteristics. The Swifter CTX industrial fans are engineered with a unique airfoil design that produces reliable air movement for the lifetime of the equipment. The fans are available for both original equipment and aftermarket installations. With their unparalleled solid core foam interior and a nearly drag free, specially designed fiberglass skin, the CTX fans provide virtually vibration-less operation at the high speeds of operation necessary for maximum cooling capabilities. Although air cooled heat exchangers have existed for many years, the newly designed Swifter CTX Series industrial fans will significantly improve their efficiency ratings, quietness, and cost of operation.