The client was experiencing a significant drop in performance of the air coolers installed on their platform.

An initial investigation identified that the actual air inlet temperature to the coolers was 75˚C, which was considerably higher than the design ambient of 36˚C. In an attempt to improve performance of the air cooler, the platform operator had installed salt water sprays at the air inlet, significantly corroding tubes and air cooler components, and potentially reducing the life of the air cooler, while providing only marginal performance gain.

Jord identified that hot air recirculation was the probable cause of the loss of performance and undertook comprehensive mapping of the air flow to the air coolers utilizing smoke trials and thermal imaging. Investigation included the impact of the platform structural components on air flow, adjacent exhaust stacks, impact of seasonal variation in the direction and strength of prevailing winds, characteristics of the original ACHE design.

Jord undertook the necessary modification to the air coolers and adjacent platform structure including provision of deck cutouts & utilization of deck grating, construction of baffles and changes to air cooler.