Optimization of Air-Cooled Condensers

Abstract

The essential design parameters for determining the optimum configuration of an air-cooled condenser are identified in this paper. For a power plant operating on a Rankine cycle, expressions for (i) the minimum frontal area, (ii) the minimum heat transfer area, and for (iii) the maximum net cycle efficiency, with respect to the condenser temperature and the cooling air velocity are derived. The analyses are carried out with the assumption that the exit temperature of the cooling air is equal to the condenser temperature. All resulting equations are presented in dimensionless form so that they are applicable to any power cycle with a gas-cooled condenser.