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A low fin tube is essentially a single integral tube ' made of a singular material ' with a smaller fin of about 1/16th of an inch of fin height. The fin is in the tube wall. They are generally used in liquid to liquid or liquid to gas applications such as coolers, condensers and chillers.
We use a proprietary die to form helical grooves into the outside diameter of the product to create the fin. Low fin tubes are available in any manufacturable or formable tube alloy ' including copper, copper-nickel, stainless steel, carbon steel, brass, and more.
The beauty of the small fin height of a low finned tube is the outside diameter of the fin does not exceed the outside diameter of the tube. You can put a fin tube through a tube sheet that is just barely larger than outside diameter of the tube, but with a small fin that allows for greater heat transfer than a smooth tube.
Another advantage to low fin tubes is the ability to increase enhanced surface on the inside of the tube through internal groves or spirals, optimizing heat transfer capability.
Low fin tubes allow for a high fin count ' up to about 40 fins per inch, down to about 19 fins per inch.
The Advantages of an Integral Approach
Unlike an applied fin tube where the fin is added to the tube as a separate material, an integral tube extracts the fin from the tube itself. The finned tube is made from one piece of material so there are no gaping issues ' the fin is always in contact with the tube because the fin and the tube are a whole material.
With no risk of gaps, an integral tube produces better heat transfer ' though it is not as customizable as an applied fin tube, nor can it take advantage of the heating/cooling properties of varied materials.
You do face certain limitations when it comes to fin height and fins per inch. But find a homogenous solution within those limitations, and you'll typically achieve a better product.
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Know Your ASME Code
Some of our customers call us up and ask for a tube based on an essentially estimated guess. We play back and forth ping-pong before we are able to arrive at a more exact number for the fin height and diameter of the tube. This is a common practice in the development or prototyping phase of production. Our team of professionals can work with you to develop a tube that works best for your application.
But ideally you know the exact ASME code or specification required for the heat exchanger you are ordering tube. That way you know we're not just throwing a dart in the dark at some general number. We run your job down to the decimal point of an agreed upon ASME code. It's like shoe size ' knowing the exact dimensions eliminates the guesswork and saves time on both sides of the equation.
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Don't Be Afraid to Shop Around
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There are a couple of big bulls in this market. They're overseas ' which means lengthy lead times. And they don't sell outside their product specifications ' you get what you get, whatever's coming off the factory line.
These larger manufacturers also require you to fill a certain quantity quota with each type of tube you order. Need 52 tubes but they'll only sell you 250? Hope you got 5 friends that need the exact same thing.
And because these bulls are big, they name their price ' and it's often more than you want or need to spend.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
The Energy Transfer Difference
But if you know the size of the tube you need ' or hopefully even know the ASME code for the heat exchanger ' we can help. We might not make the exact tube ' but we can work with you to make one similar enough that will work just as well.
We can even provide a sample size to ensure the tube will do the trick. We'll remove any guesswork so you can be sure it works. In the end, you'll spend less, have it sooner, and be able to get as few or as many low fin tubes you need.
In fact, because we have our own in-house custom machine shop, we can even make your tubes to order. Say you want a slightly different fin height than what's commonly on the market ' instead of the standard .050 inch minimum fin height, you'd like a .052? No problem. We can customize you any size low fin tube you'd like so long as it's within the range of our machine capabilities.
We're a large enough shop to deliver what you need ' but still focused enough to care and pay attention to the details of your needs. That's the Energy Transfer difference.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][vc_separator color='black' border_width='3'][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]
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Want to build a seamless fin tube? Our FREE GUIDE tells you everything you need to know. Download yours today!
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Heat exchangers truly are the beating heart to so much of modern life ' we depend on them for many of our modern conveniences. As thermal solutions, they keep America's boilers cooking, our homes and businesses warm, our refrigerators cool.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of Industrial Finned Tube Heat Exchanger. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
What is a fin tube heat exchanger? Heat exchangers heat or cool buildings, improve the efficiency of engines and machines. Refrigerators and air conditioners use heat exchangers to cool elements; radiators use them to warm environments. It's all about controlling heat energy ' either removing it or adding it, depending on the goal and function.
At Energy Transfer, we manufacture fin tubes, as well as enhanced surface and formed and dimpled tubes, for tube fin and tubular heat exchangers. We sell both to original equipment manufacturers as well as people looking to repair existing heat exchangers.
When it comes to building or repairing a tube fin or tubular heat exchanger, how do you determine which tube is right for your heat exchanger? Which one will provide the best thermal solution? What do you need to know to ensure superior heat transfer capability?
It pays to do your homework. Thoroughly researching a manufacturer's product offerings and capabilities invariably results in a more suitable fin tube to meet your goals and ambitions.
Energy Transfer manufactures a diverse range of fin tube pipes to serve a variety of heat exchanger needs. All options are on the table. We're ready to meet any need ' turn your vision into a reality of superior performance.
This guide will walk you through the selection process of how to choose the optimal finned tube for your heat exchanger.
By definition, a heat exchanger is a device used to transfer thermal energy between two or more fluids ' it allows heat from a liquid or gas fluid to pass to a second liquid or gas without the two fluids mixing together or coming into direct contact.
The objective of a heat exchanger may be to recover or reject heat, or to sterilize, pasteurize, fractionalize, distill, crystallize, or control a fluid or process fluid.
Tubular heat exchangers consist of small tubes located within a cylindrical shell. These finned pipes are positioned within a cylinder as a bundle, allowing various gases or liquids to circulate in a process of heat exchange that either warms or cools an element.
One fluid or gas flows through a set of metal tubes while a second fluid or gas passes through a surrounding sealed shell. The fluids can flow in the same direction (a parallel flow) or opposite directions (counterflow or counter-current), or at right angles (crossflow).
To increase heat transfer capabilities, fin tube pipes can either have fins that are applied as a second material (as is the case of applied fin tubes), or raised out of the material of the tube itself (such as low fin, medium-high fin, and high finned tubes).
For tubular heat exchangers where there are no fins but just a smooth tube, the tubes can have enhanced surface or formed dimples to mitigate flow and increase heat exchange capabilities.
Conventional Tube-Fin heat exchangers are most commonly used in gas-to-liquid applications. Round fins on the outside of the tube are used on the gas side of the heat exchanger to increase surface area. The liquid side of the heat exchanger consists of a tube bundle of Finned Tubes supported by a sheet metal frame with common headers on each end of the bundle.
The first step is to determine how much heat transfer is required and how much heat transfer surface you'll need. This will help decide which type of fin tube pipe is the optimal thermal solution, including necessary fin surface requirements and the ideal material. What fin tube geometry is required in order to accomplish your vision?
You also should determine the necessary rate of flow, which will affect the required diameter of the fin tube. This is affected by tube size.
Heat transfer can be improved by increasing the number of tubes or by increasing the length of the finned tubes.
These factors are all measured by heat transfer calculation software that boils down the necessary physics of the tube through well defined computed science. You can then determine if you'll need a smooth tube, a formed and dimpled tube, or a finned tube to achieve the required heat exchange capabilities.
The potential heat transfer you can achieve is baked into the thermal properties of the fin pipes themselves. The amount of heat transfer can be controlled through surface dimension: fin count, the length of tube, and enhanced or formed and dimpled tube shapes.
Heat transfer is also affected by the thermal conductivity of the metals used to make the fin tubes. Copper fin tubes, for example, are nearly twice as conductive as aluminum fin tubes, and nearly 6 times the thermal conductivity of steel fin tubes. Copper finned tubes are more than 25 times the conductivity of stainless steel finned tubes.
Material corrosiveness or acidity is also a determining factor in material selection, depending on the nature of the gas or fluid that will flow through the heat exchanger.
When choosing materials, you naturally face 2 concerns:
Is the material going to be readily available or will it take time to get? How will this affect manufacturing deadlines?
What is the cost of each material? These are precious materials with an inherent value based on fair market prices. Copper fin pipe will generally cost more than aluminum, but it maintains the best heat transfer among common alloys. Copper's chemical properties are ideal for many heat exchanger applications ' it's easily formed and can be readily enhanced for heat exchanges.
Ask yourself:
Thermal solution advantages must be weighed against cost and material procurement concerns to determine the best path forward.
The cost of materials is naturally affected by the metals market ' which can ebb and flow even in normal times. But in the headwinds of COVID-19, it's a perfect storm.
The pandemic has had a radical impact on the tube mill industry and its ability to respond to demand. Many mills have limited production of certain materials; some mills have stopped production completely.
To navigate these challenges, we've had to be more thorough in our planning of material procurement. We need to think further ahead and be more proactive in future planning needs.
To optimally meet material needs as we accommodate the challenges of today's 'new normal,' flattening demand is essential.
Anything you can do to ensure consistency and avoid spikes or drops in demand will result in a smoother procurement process. Fluctuations in demand prove challenging, but consistency can be planned and optimally accommodated. This will result in a smoother, streamlined manufacturing process that's more predictable with fewer hiccups.
By planning for consistency, you'll stay ahead of demand ' and maintain an even flow of the fin tubes you need.
There is a wide range of fin tubes, enhanced surface tubes, and formed and dimpled tubes available to accommodate an eclectic array of challenges and functions.
Energy Transfer just happens to have some of the largest varieties of finned tubes on the market. And because of our versatile market position, we can accommodate nearly every style of heat exchanger design and fin tube application you can come up with.
To optimize the heat transfer capabilities of your heat exchanger, take some time to learn what we have available. Take a close look at our product pages, our sales brochure, and the engineering dimensions outlined in detail.
After all, creativity is largely fueled by option availability. You can either look at the different finned tube products we have available and pick one ' or you can learn about our capabilities and come up with your own configuration based on existing products.
Having that information will streamline the selection process for which products will work best. It will also give you a rich understanding of our full potential ' and help to leverage the advantages of Energy Transfer's superior performance.
Once you've taken a detailed look at what finned tubes we have available, talk to one of our sales engineers to see what's truly possible.
The beauty of variety is unleashed potential. That's the advantage of working with a highly qualified company with a rich diversity in product offerings. Energy Transfer has the tooling, mechanical engineers, and development teams ready on hand to make your vision a reality ' whatever form that might take.
Are you interested in learning more about Hot Water Boiler? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!