Modelling of a fin-fan cooler system with variable speed drives

This paper describes the development of a global model for a Fin-Fan Cooler System (FFCS). A FFCS is an air-cooled heat exchanger (ACHE) including the fan drive equipment. The goal of the modelling was to estimate the effect of variable airflow, obtained by variable speed drives (VSDs), on both the heat transfer rate and power consumption of the system. The effect of VSDs is compared to the normal practice of fan on/off switching.