Patent ID: 7481265
Filing Date: 2009-01-27
Classification: F22B

Abstract:
1. An air cooler for power plants, comprising: a pressure vessel, in which is accommodated a coaxial arrangement containing a cylindrical central tube, a helical tube bundle surrounding the central tube and a cylindrical casing surrounding the tube bundle, the central tube extends, at one end of the coaxial arrangement, into a first space adjacent to the tube bundle and closed off outwardly by the casing, the central tube being positioned to be acted upon by air from outside the pressure vessel, via an air inlet connection piece, at the other end of the coaxial arrangement through a second space adjacent to the tube bundle; connection means for the tube bundle being provided, by which water can be fed into the tube bundle from the other end of the coaxial arrangement and steam can be extracted from the tube bundle at the one end, and the second space being accessible from outside via an air outlet connection piece and; the casing surrounding the tube bundle and the first space, designed as an inner casing separate from the pressure vessel, the inner casing being surrounded concentrically by a cylindrical outer casing of the pressure vessel so as to form an annular gap between the inner casing and the outer casing, wherein outside the first space and inside the pressure vessel, a third space is formed, which is connected to the second space via the annular gap, the third space being connected to the air outlet connection piece via separate connection means such that, during operation, a pressure is established in the third space which is lower than the pressure in the second space.