A major oilfield in Syria faced a critical challenge during crude oil extraction: the produced crude oil temperature was excessively high (approximately 120°C). This high temperature not only increased the thermal stress risks for downstream transportation pipelines but also led to significant volatility losses in storage tanks. To address this, the client urgently required a highly efficient and durable air cooler system to reduce the crude oil temperature to below 60°C, meeting strict standards for safe transportation and storage.
The project required a high-performance Air-Cooled Heat Exchanger (ACHE) capable of cooling high-temperature industrial oil under the intense ambient heat and sand-prone environment typical of the region.
Custom Air-Cooled Heat Exchanger for Oil Cooling in Syria
Air-Cooled Heat Exchanger (ACHE) Technical Summary
| Component | Specification |
| Tube Type | G-Type (Embedded) Aluminum Fins on Carbon Steel Tube |
| Header Type | Plug Header |
| Connection | Strength Expansion |
| Target Medium | Industrial Oil |
| Climate Suitability | High-Ambient / Desert Conditions |
1. The Challenge: High Thermal Cycles & Harsh Environment
The client’s application involved heavy-duty oil cooling, which presents two main technical hurdles:
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Thermal Cycling: Constant fluctuations in oil temperature can cause standard “wrap-on” fins to loosen over time, leading to a catastrophic loss in cooling efficiency.
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Maintenance Needs: In desert environments, dust and sand accumulation are frequent. The cooling bundles must withstand rigorous cleaning without mechanical damage.
2. The Solution: G-Type (Embedded) Finned Tubes
To ensure long-term reliability,considering the high medium temperature during the oil cooling process and the need to resist abrasion from sand,our engineering team selected G-Type (Embedded) Finned Tubes.
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Manufacturing Excellence: We machined a 0.3mm helical groove into the carbon steel base tubes, embedded the aluminum fins under high tension, and “locked” them in place by back-filling the displaced metal.
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Performance: This metal-to-metal mechanical bond ensures zero thermal resistance even as the tubes expand and contract, This structure effectively prevents the fins from loosening or detaching under high temperatures (up to 400°C) and severe thermal cycling, perfectly suiting the where crude oil drops from 120°C to 60°C.
- Mechanical Strength & Vibration Resistance: Since the air cooler relies on forced ventilation via fans, airflow vibration is significant. The G-Type structure offers strong pull-off resistance and rigidity, allowing the fins to withstand continuous vibration without collapsing, thereby preventing a decline in heat transfer efficiency.
- Ease of Cleaning & Maintenance: Considering the sandy local environment, dust accumulation on the fin surface is inevitable. The flow path design of G-Type fins allows for high-pressure water washing, ensuring heat transfer performance is restored even after long-term operation.
3. Advanced Header Construction: Expansion & Plug Methods
The reliability of an air cooler isn’t just in the tubes, but in how they connect to the headers. For this Syrian project, to prevent high-temperature oil leakage,a combination of “tube expanding + plug sealing” was adopted for the tube sheet connection.
Mechanical Expansion
Each G-type tube was precision-expanded into the tube sheet. To create plastic deformation between the heat exchange tubes and the tube sheet holes,This process creates a high-pressure seal that prevents oil leakage while allowing the bundle to handle the internal pressure of the oil flow.
Plug-Type Header
We utilized a Plug-type (Shoulder Plug) Header design. Opposite every tube end, a threaded “Silk Plug” is installed.
During installation, a strict tightening procedure was enforced. Hydraulic torque wrenches were used for symmetrical tightening, and molybdenum disulfide anti-seize agent was applied to prevent high-temperature galling. This dual-sealing design effectively prevented oil seepage from tube gaps under high pressure, solving the maintenance difficulties associated with traditional welded tube boxes.
- Easy Access: This allows the client to access individual tubes for inspection or cleaning by simply removing the plug, rather than dismantling the entire header.
- High Pressure Rating: This design is superior for the high-viscosity oil cooling required by the client, providing a robust seal that is easy to maintain in the field.
Syria Oilfield Air-Cooled Heat Exchanger (ACHE) Plug-Type Header-Silk Plug
4.Manufacturing and Quality Control
- Material Selection: The base tubes were made of alloy steel with high temperature and corrosion resistance, while the fins were made of aluminum alloy with excellent thermal conductivity, maximizing heat dissipation efficiency while ensuring strength.
- Welding & Assembly: During tube box manufacturing, specific solutions were developed to address issues like oval deformation of plug holes and scratches on sealing surfaces. By controlling welding deformation, the concentricity of the plug holes was guaranteed, ensuring every plug was installed precisely.
- Anti-Corrosion Treatment: Considering potential sulfide corrosion in the crude oil, the tube surfaces received special anti-corrosion coating treatment to extend the equipment’s service life.
5. Results and Delivery
After installation and commissioning at the Syrian oilfield, the air cooler demonstrated exceptional cooling performance.
The completed unit underwent rigorous pressure testing (1.5 x design pressure) and a thorough fin-to-tube bond integrity check before shipment.
- Oil Temperature Reduction: The unit successfully brought the oil down to the required process temperature, the equipment successfully and stably reduced the crude oil temperature from 115°C to 58°C even during peak Syrian summer conditions.
- Stable Operation: After surviving a summer of high-temperature testing, the fans operated smoothly. No loosening or deformation was observed in the G-Type finned tubes, and no leakage traces were found at the tube box plugs.
- Client Feedback: The Syrian technical team specifically praised the mechanical stability of the G-type fins and the serviceability provided by the plug-header design.This air cooler not only solved the high-temperature crude oil cooling problem for the Syrian oilfield but also provided a successful model for selecting industrial heat exchange equipment in high-temperature, sandy environments.
Cangzhou Datang Steel Pipe Co., Ltd. continues to provide tailor-made thermal solutions for the global energy sector, ensuring that every project—from Singapore to Syria—meets the highest standards of industrial engineering.
