Comparison between Air-Cooled Heat Exchangers (ACHEs) and Water-Cooled Heat Exchangers (WCHEs)
Cooling Medium & Mechanism
| Feature | Air-Cooled (ACHE) | Water-Cooled (WCHE) |
| Cooling Medium | Ambient air | Water (river, sea, cooling tower, or chilled water) |
| Heat Transfer | Air blown over finned tubes | Water flows through tubes/shell |
| Efficiency | Lower (air has poor thermal conductivity) | Higher (water conducts heat 25x better than air) |