Aftercoolers are heat exchangers for cooling the discharge from
a compressor. They use either air or water and are an effective
means of removing moisture from compressed air. Aftercoolers
control the amount of water vapor in a compressed air system by
condensing the water vapor into liquid form. In a distribution or
process manufacturing system, liquid water can cause significant
damage to the equipment that uses compressed air. An aftercooler is
necessary to ensure the proper functionality of pneumatic or air
handling devices that are a part of process manufacturing
systems.
Aftercoolers can use either air-cooled or water-cooled
mechanisms. A compressor aftercooler may be a stand-alone unit
located downstream of the compressor, or may be integrated into the
compressor itself. Water-cooled aftercoolers or heat exchangers are
fitted into a pipeline and use a moisture separator and drain valve
to extract the water from the compressed air moving through the
pipe. The moisture separator uses centrifugal force to separate out
the moisture and solids from the compressed air and they exit the
system through a drain. An air-cooled heat exchanger uses ambient
air to cool hot compressed air. An air-cooled heat exchanger uses a
motor-driven fan to force the ambient air over the cooler, removing
the heat from the compressed air.