Abstract: Based on the design adjustment example of the air cooler header of an overseas project, this paper expounds the method and process to improve the support mode of the air cooler header and the tube bundle side beam and adjust the support gap so that the external force load of the pipeline can meet the requirements of allowable force in the API 661 standard and pass the header column check. On this basis, the paper obtains the accurate simulation method for air cooler tube bundle in the stress analysis process, the calibration method for the air cooler tube box support, the support form of the air cooler tube bundle bracket and the mode of influence of the reserved gap on piping design of air cooler.

Key words: air cooler, header, pipeline external force load, stress calculation