Air Cooled Heat Exchanger (ACHE)

Cooling Without Water Consumption

Air Cooled Heat Exchangers (ACHE) use ambient air as the cooling medium, completely eliminating the need for water consumption in process cooling and steam condensation applications. This makes them essential technology for power plants and industrial facilities located in water-scarce regions or where environmental regulations restrict water usage.

MEEM's ACHE product portfolio spans the full spectrum of air cooling technology — from compact finned tube coolers to massive modular air-cooled condenser systems capable of handling the exhaust from utility-scale steam turbines.

5Product Types

ZeroWater Usage

AridRegion Ready

Advanced Air-Cooled Heat Transfer Technology

Product Range

ACHE Product Portfolio

Comprehensive air-cooled heat transfer solutions — from compact finned tube coolers to utility-scale condenser systems engineered for water-scarce regions worldwide.

Air Finned Cooler

Compact air-cooled finned tube units designed for general-purpose process cooling across oil & gas, petrochemical, chemical processing, and power generation industries.

Configurations Forced-draft · Induced-draft

Fin Geometry Extruded · Embedded · Knurled L · L fins

Applications Compressor aftercooler · Engine cooling · Transformer oil

Materials CS · SS 304/316/321 · Duplex · Incoloy 825 · Alloy 625

Pressure Rating Up to 500 barg

Air Cooled Condenser (ACC)

Full-scale air-cooled condenser systems designed to condense steam turbine exhaust completely using ambient air — enabling dry-cooling operation for the entire power plant steam cycle.

System Architecture Primary condensing + secondary rejection with integrated deaeration

Key Advantage Zero water consumption — ideal for desert / arid-region plants

Capacity Range 10 MW to 1000+ MW turbine coverage

Modular Air Cooled Heat Exchanger

Pre-engineered modular ACHE units designed for quick deployment, simplified logistics, and easy maintenance access. Ideal for brownfield expansions and phased commissioning projects.

Modular Design Container-shippable · Truck transport · Scalable capacity

Maintenance Access Individual bay service without shutdown · Plug bundles

Customization Configurable material · fin type · fan/motor/control scheme

Hot Air Recirculation ACHE

Specially engineered ACHE units featuring hot air recirculation prevention features — designed for extreme ambient environments where anti-freezing performance is challenging.

Heating Element Steam coil · Electric heating coil · Electric heater

Extreme Ambient Rated for ambient < -45°C · North America proven

CFD Analysis Optimized layout & wind-wall geometry per worst-case scenario

Tube Bundle & Finned Tube Elements

OEM-quality replacement tube bundles and individual finned tube elements for existing ACHE units requiring refurbishment or performance restoration. Drop-in replacements that fit original equipment dimensions.

Replacement Scope Full bundles or bare tubes for re-bundling locally

Performance Restore Recovers original capacity degraded by fouling/corrosion

Compatibility API 661 standard · Reverse-engineering when drawings unavailable

Applications

Industry Applications

Power Generation

Steam turbine ACC, gas turbine intercoolers, closed-cycle cooling

Oil & Gas

Compressor cooling, gas processing, refinery process cooling

Petrochemical

Condenser, process cooler, reactor overhead condensing

Renewable Energy

CSP plant condensing, geothermal binary cycle cooling

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What types of air cooled heat exchangers does MEEM supply?

A: MEEM offers air finned coolers, air cooled condensers (ACC), modular ACHE units, hot air recirculation ACHE, and replacement tube bundles and finned tube elements.

Q: Why choose air cooling instead of water cooling?

A: Air cooled heat exchangers use ambient air as the cooling medium, eliminating water consumption. They are ideal for arid regions, desert power plants and projects with strict environmental water-use restrictions.

Q: What materials can MEEM supply for air cooled heat exchangers?

A: MEEM offers carbon steel, stainless steel (304, 316, 321), duplex stainless steel (S31803, S32205, S32750), Incoloy 825, Alloy 625, etc.

Q: Can MEEM supply replacement parts for existing ACHE units?

A: Yes. MEEM provides OEM-quality replacement tube bundles and finned tube elements, including reverse engineering when original drawings are unavailable.

Q: What standards do MEEM's ACHE replacement bundles meet?

A: Replacement tube bundles and finned tube elements are manufactured to comply with API 661 standards.

Q: What is the maximum pressure for air cooled heat exchangers?

A: MEEM offers up to 500 barg.

Air Cooled Heat Exchanger