An air cooler is a device that utilizes ambient air as the cooling medium; air flows across the exterior of finned tubes, thereby cooling or condensing the high-temperature process fluid flowing within the tubes. It is commonly abbreviated as an "air cooler" and is also referred to as an "air-cooled heat exchanger." Air coolers are also known as finned-tube air blowers and are frequently employed as a substitute for water-cooled shell-and-tube heat exchangers for cooling purposes.
Advantages
With the increasing prevalence of induction heating equipment, users' operating conditions vary significantly. Some users fail to prioritize the equipment's water-cooling system sufficiently, while many others neglect to use distilled water as prescribed, opting instead for ordinary well water or tap water. In practical operation, water quality exerts a profound impact on the equipment's water-cooling system and its components. Consequently, the adoption of air cooling offers numerous advantages, as outlined below:
Extends the Service Life of Electron Tubes (for High-Frequency Equipment). Ordinary water is prone to scale formation and requires periodic cleaning. Once scale accumulates, it immediately compromises the electron tube's emission power and service life; in severe cases, the tube's anode may even be burned through.
Conserves Electrical Energy. (Taking a 100 kW high-frequency electron tube system as an example): Under the influence of high-voltage DC power, the power consumption to ground via the anode's water circuit is approximately 8 kW when using ordinary water, whereas it drops to approximately 70 W when using distilled water.
Reduces Electrolytic Corrosion. The high voltage at the anode generates a DC current flowing to ground through the electrical resistance of the water. This phenomenon causes electrolytic corrosion at the inlet and outlet ports of the electron tube's water jacket; the rate of electrolytic corrosion with ordinary water is more than one hundred times higher than that with distilled water. Depending on the equipment's power rating, the water storage tank within an air cooler typically holds between 0.4 and 2.0 cubic meters of water, with the cost of pure water ranging from 250 to 300 RMB per ton. Because the system operates as a closed loop, the consumption of distilled water is extremely low, thereby making the use of distilled water economically viable. Furthermore, by adding our company's specially formulated antifreeze product in the prescribed ratio, the critical issue of water-circuit freezing during winter operations can be completely resolved. The use of distilled water not only extends the service life of the equipment and its components but also reduces maintenance costs, thereby achieving the dual objectives of increased productivity and energy conservation.
Functionality: The air cooler facilitates heat exchange through a partition separating the air and the softened water. This process effectively dissipates the heat generated by electrical components-such as electric furnace inductors, SCRs (silicon-controlled rectifiers), and electron tubes-into the surrounding air. The heat transfer tubes, characterized by their high thermal conductivity, generate a very high heat flux density when assembled; consequently, the device boasts exceptional cooling efficiency. By utilizing continuous air-based heat exchange to dissipate heat into the surrounding air, the system effectively eliminates accumulated thermal energy and successfully meets the temperature requirements of the induction heating system. This cooling system employs a closed-loop circulation of distilled water between the air cooler and the induction heating equipment; the purity of the water ensures that the electrical components being cooled remain free of scale buildup and blockages caused by foreign matter over the long term. During winter, antifreeze agents can be added to the cooling water to prevent freezing-related damage to the water channels, thereby reducing the frequency of malfunctions in the induction heating equipment. Furthermore, this cooling system requires neither a water reservoir nor a cooling tower.
