Decarbonisation Technology February 2026 Issue

Wet cooling

TIC

Close loop return

Dry cooling

Make-up water

Close loop supply

Winter loop

Summer loop

Figure 5 Process scheme of Kelvion Cascade Cooling

loop with a PHE, it provides the necessary cooling capacity to further lower the outlet process temperature. This minimises the annual water consumption. This Cascade Cooling system combines the advantages of both dry and wet cooling systems, thereby lowering energy and water consumption and optimising Capex and Opex. Another advantage is that the cooling water quality can be lower than in an adiabatic system, or even seawater can be used. Conclusion Heat exchangers are one of the process levers for point-source absorption CCS from flue gas conditioning to lean/rich recovery, and from reboiling to overhead condensation and solvent cooling. Kelvion’s heat exchangers address these needs with PHEs for internal recovery, the fully welded K°Flex for high-performance reboiling, and air-side cooling solutions, complemented by economisers/recuperators that harness waste heat. When integrated smartly with plant utilities and designed holistically, these heat exchanger technologies can make a difference in overall Capex and Opex, advancing the scalability of CCS in the path to net zero. VIEW REFERENCES

cooling tower is the right choice. In general, a pure dry cooling system has the biggest footprint and highest electrical consumption, while a pure wet system has the smallest footprint but the highest water consumption. When investigating and designing the central recooling system, all factors must be taken into account to create the best system setup. There are many factors to consider for the central cooling system, including ambient conditions such as dry bulb and wet bulb temperatures, planned Capex and Opex, water availability on- site, noise limits day and night, and available plot size. To choose the right cooling system, Kelvion recommends first identifying the main decision drivers. For one project, the available footprint can be the dominant driver, while for another, noise limits may be the decisive parameter. Also, mixed systems can use both dry and wet cooling systems. Here, Kelvion’s Cascade Cooling (see Figure 5 ) comprises dry air fin coolers and wet cooling towers, combined via a PHE pump skid. During colder conditions, when the air ambient temperature is sufficiently lower than the outlet process fluid temperature to be cooled, the system runs only as a closed loop within the ACHE. This enables the size of the equipment to be minimised (especially the number of motors driving the fans). The motors are equipped with variable frequency drives to give the lowest energy consumption possible. In warmer conditions, the ACHE runs at 100% capacity, and additional cooling is then provided by the wet cooling tower. Running in a closed‑‑

Marcin Karas Marcin.Karas@kelvion.com

Alexander Gernhardt Alexander.Gernhardt@kelvion.com