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Digitalization
performance under challenging environmental conditions.
Understanding air-cooled heat exchanger performance While ambient temperature itself cannot be controlled, the performance of air-cooled cooling systems under these conditions often can be improved significantly. A wide range of operational factors can reduce the effective heat transfer capacity of air-cooled heat exchangers and cooling towers. Common causes include external fouling of finned tubes, mechanical degradation of fans and drive systems, airflow disturbances such as hotair recirculation, and localized heat sources near air inlets. Under moderate weather conditions, these inefficiencies may remain partially hidden. However, when ambient temperatures rise and the temperature driving force for heat transfer decreases, these underlying issues can quickly become the limiting factor that constrains plant throughput. Traditionally, the performance of air-cooled heat exchangers has been evaluated through periodic inspections, manual measurements, or high-level process indicators. Although these approaches provide valuable information, they often lack the resolution needed to detect localized inefficiencies in large cooling assets distributed across a entire plant. Recent developments in digital monitoring and data analytics are enabling a more detailed understanding of cooling system behaviour. By combining operational process data, asset condition monitoring, and thermodynamic modelling, plant operators can continuously evaluate the performance of individual exchanger sections under different operating conditions. This provides valuable insight into hidden inefficiencies and allows operators to address
Illustration of the air-cooled heat exchanger. Image courtesy of Hexwise.
cooling limitations before they translate into production losses.
Use case 1: Optimizing external cleaning strategies External fouling of finned tubes is one of the most common causes of performance degradation in air-cooled heat exchangers. Dust, pollen, process particulates, and biological material can accumulate on the external surfaces of the fins, increasing the thermal resistance between the process fluid and the cooling air. Although fouling typically develops gradually, its impact becomes particularly significant during hot weather when the temperature driving force for heat transfer is already limited. In large installations such as power plant condensers or refinery overhead condensers, aircooled heat exchangers often consist of multiple
Example of optimized cleaning for a power plant condenser. Image courtesy of Hexwise.
www. heat-exchanger-world. com Heat Exchanger World May 2026
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