The ASTW shell & tube condenser sues cooled water that surround stainless tubes to condense waste vapour running inside the tubes.

It uses a cooling tower to cool the water, and the size of the cooling tower is important to create the correct condensation of vapour.

The cooling water is recycled but some water evaporates, so about 2-3% of the circulation volume of fresh water has to be added per hour
(Example: with 300 ton/hr circulation, 6 tons of fresh water/hr needs to be added).

Since the condensing effect is dependent on the size and capacity of the dryer and how much air is mixed with the vapour, the capacity will have to be calculated individually for each plant.

Sometimes an air-cooled condenser is installed before a shell and tube condensers to save on fresh water consumption.