ACC
Air cooled condenser

A type A air-cooled condenser, or dry cooling system, is a device used to dissipate heat generated by industrial processes using air as the cooling agent, without the need for water. Its primary role is to cool water vapor to achieve a state change from gas to liquid by using ambient air to remove the heat.

The advantages of a type A air-cooled condenser over a wet cooling system include reduced to no water consumption, greater flexibility in areas where water is scarce, less dependence on weather conditions, and reduced risks related to water contamination. However, dry cooling condensers generally have slightly lower thermal efficiency and may require higher initial investments.

ACC condensers are an environmentally friendly alternative to cooling towers for closed-circuit recycling of steam in thermal electric production processes. Where a cooling tower discharges about 40% of water vapor into the atmosphere, dry condensers condense 100% of the steam back into liquid water, thus preserving a scarce resource.

While the technology remains the same, relying on the use of finned tubes to cool the steam flowing through the tubes, there are several geometries of condensers, depending on installation constraints, available ground surfaces, or thermal power to be dissipated.