Engine Cooling System Radiator Selection: Which is Better, Copper Water Tank or Aluminum Water Tank?
The automobile radiator is the key component of the engine cooling system and plays a decisive role in the engine heat dissipation. At present, the automotive radiator market is mixed, how to choose? Next, CBD radiator will talk about which one is better, the copper water tank or the aluminum water tank for the radiator of the engine cooling system.
1. Comparison of the advantages of copper car radiators and all-aluminum radiators
Copper tube with water tank, fast heat conduction and good heat dissipation performance. Water can be used as antifreeze. Now there are almost no pure copper and pure aluminum car radiators, and other components are added. The overall price of the all-aluminum radiator is cheaper than that of the copper water tank, and it is suitable for large-area radiators. The aluminum plate-fin water tank has good reliability and durability.
2. Comparison of car radiator price
There is no doubt that copper radiators are much more expensive than aluminum radiators. With the advancement of aluminum water tank technology, some companies considering operating costs have begun to widely use aluminum automotive radiators.
3. Comparison of car radiator weight
At present, there are three major trends in vehicles: one is lightweight, the other is intelligent, and the third is energy saving. The automobile radiator is an important part of the engine cooling system. Reducing the weight of the radiator can reduce the weight of the engine cooling system and the whole vehicle. All aluminum heatsinks are much lighter than copper heatsinks. In the pursuit of lightweight modern vehicles, aluminum radiators are more popular than copper radiators.
4. Comparison of durability and reliability of automobile radiators
The durability of copper is better than that of aluminum. The main reason is that the oxide layer of aluminum is very loose, the oxide layer of copper is much denser, and the corrosion resistance of copper substrate is much higher than that of aluminum. Therefore, in a slightly corrosive environment, such as natural water, weak acid and weak alkali, and salt environment, the aluminum will continue to be rusted until the rust penetrates, while the copper oxide layer is not easily destroyed, and the substrate is much more resistant to corrosion and has high natural durability.
The general copper water tank has a relatively balanced corrosion resistance. Strictly speaking, it is relatively afraid of acid and not alkali, while the aluminum water tank is quite sensitive to alkaline corrosion. Usually the PH value of the engine antifreeze we use is greater than 7, that is to say, it is alkaline, and the anti-corrosion agent in it is used to protect the aluminum products. In use, when copper products can withstand the past, aluminum products often leak. Therefore, car radiator manufacturer thinks that the aluminum water tank cannot be filled with water, and a suitable antifreeze must be used. Adding water will definitely cause the water tank to be blocked.
5. Comparison of thermal conductivity of automobile radiators
Thermal conductivity aluminum 237, copper 401. The heat transfer formula Q=KT , K is the thermal conductivity, and T is the temperature difference. This formula shows that under the same temperature difference between hot water and air, with the same area and thickness of the tank wall, the heat dissipation rate of copper is 1.7 times that of aluminum. Therefore, copper water tanks have advantages over aluminum water tanks in the pursuit of heat dissipation efficiency. However, although the heat dissipation rate of the aluminum water tank is lower than that of the copper water tank, if the heat dissipation of the water tank is still greater than the heat generation rate of the engine, the aluminum water tank can still be used. In addition, modern car radiator factory pays more attention to the manufacturing process and cost control of automobile radiators, so all-aluminum radiators with advantages in this respect will likely be widely used.
