Fin-tube radiator

Finned tube radiator

Fin-tube heat exchangers are a commonly used type of heat exchanger for gas, vapor, and liquid heat exchange. When dealing with gases and some liquids, if the heat transfer coefficient of the film is very low, a larger heat transfer area is required to improve the heat transfer efficiency. Attaching fins to the basic heat transfer surface can meet this requirement. Fin-tube heat exchangers are a type of extended surface heat exchanger and belong to the category of compact heat exchangers.

Finned tube radiators separate each stream of fluid, with heat transfer occurring through a sealed, impermeable tube wall that divides the fluids, and the continuous fins on the wall facilitate this transfer.
Fin-tube heat exchangers are a primary form of compact heat exchangers, where liquids or gases flow inside the tubes, with air surrounding the tubes externally. Similar unit equipment is widely used in various fields such as textiles, dyeing, oil, chemical industry, drying, and electricity. The internal medium requires a high film coefficient for convective heat transfer, and air flows across the fins externally in a crossflow manner. The film coefficient on the air side is lower than that of the internal medium, so fins are added externally to enhance heat transfer. The fins can be made of carbon steel, stainless steel, copper, or aluminum. Fin-tube heat exchangers are extensively applied in air-cooling and heating equipment.