Heat removal systems are of primary importance in several industrial processes. As heat sink, a water pool or atmospheric air may be selected. The first solution takes advantage of high heat transfer coefficient with water but it requires active systems to maintain a constant water level; the second solution takes benefit from the unlimited heat removal capacity by air, but it requires a larger heat exchanger to compensate the lower heat transfer coefficient. In NPPs (nuclear power plants) during a nuclear reactor shutdown, as well as in some chemical plants to control runaway reactions, it is possible to use an innovative heat sink that joins the advantages of the two previous solutions. This solution is based on a special heat exchanger submerged in a water pool designed so that when heat removal is requested, active systems are not required to maintain the water level; due to the special design, when the pool is empty, atmospheric air becomes the only heat sink. The special heat exchanger design allows to have a heat exchanger without being oversized and to have a system able to operate for unlimited period without external interventions. This innovative system provides an economic advantage as well as enhanced safety features. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.