Abstract: Natural gas compressors are the core equipment of natural gas processing plants. The operation of the compressor units is related to whether qualified natural gas can be supplied normally to the downstream. Air coolers are heat dissipation devices serving the compressor units. During summer when ambient temperatures rise, the temperature difference between the hot and cold media in a compressor air cooler of certain company decreases due to increased air temperature. After being used for a certain period of time, the comprehensive heat transfer coefficient of the air cooler decreases. This causes the heat transfer load of the air cooler to decrease, and the outlet temperature of the cooling medium to be high, resulting in repeated shutdown failures and affecting the normal operation of the compressor unit. This paper introduces an evaporative pre-cooling system centered on an evaporative pre-cooling module. This system uses water evaporation for cooling to pre-cool the air entering the air cooler, thereby enhancing the average temperature difference for heat transfer ΔT in the air cooler. Theoretical calculations and practical operations have proved that this system can enhance the heat transfer load of air coolers, completely resolving compressor over-temperature alarm shutdowns caused by high summer temperatures, and consequently improving the ambient temperature conditions for equipment operation.

Key words: compressor; air coolerlheat dissipationlheat transfer loadlfanlevaporation pre-cooling modulelwater distributorlwater supply module