A heat exchanger is generally made up of a finned tube. However, you may wonder what these finned tubes are and why they are used over normal tubes in these exchangers. We explain everything you need to know about finned tubes.
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Finned Tubes: What Are They?
Finned tubes are elongated flat tubes made of aluminium-clad carbon steel and equipped with brazed aluminium fins. These tubes are typically used in a series of heat exchangers. Compared to ordinary tubes, they are characterised by more contact with the liquid outside due to their fins. Consequently, heat is exchanged faster between the liquid inside the tube and the one outside. Normal tubes, on the other hand, would exchange heat at a much slower rate.
Tubes with a flange come in a variety of shapes. Oval tubes, round tubes, and flat tubes are available.
How Are They Used?
In the case of air heat exchangers, finned tubes are especially useful. The heat transfer between a liquid and a gas occurs in an air heat exchanger. A finned tube can be exceptionally helpful because of the lower heat coefficient of the airside. The increased surface area of a finned tube facilitates faster heat transfer between components.
Heat exchangers with fin tubes as an example
The fin tube heat exchanger is used in household appliances and industrial heat exchangers. Air conditioners and car radiators use fin tube heat exchangers. A finned tube is used in an air conditioner to cool the air passing through it. A car radiator cools the liquid in the tube by passing air through it in crossflow.
The advantages of using finned tubes
There are several advantages to finned tubes:
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Increasing the rate of heat transfer
A finned tube has a larger surface area that is in contact with an element. This enables it to transfer heat faster.
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Increase heat transfer efficiency
The outer surface area of an ordinary tube is about the same as the inner surface area. When this occurs, the fluid with the lowest heat transfer coefficient will drive the entire heat transfer rate. A finned tube greatly increases the surface area. The benefit of this is especially evident when the fluid inside the tube has a greater heat transfer coefficient than the fluid outside.
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Makes the project more cost-effective by reducing the equipment size
The surface area of a tube can be increased significantly with fins. It is possible to reduce the number of tubes used in an application by using a finned tube. This results in a considerable reduction in equipment size. The project’s cost can be decreased in the long run as a result.