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The International Copper Association (ICA) has announced a new heat exchanger coil technology that benefits from smaller-diameter copper tubes.
According to the ICA, heat transfer from the refrigerant to the tube wall is more effective inside copper tubes with diameters smaller than the conventional diameter. Consequently, coils can be made less bulky, and air conditioners with higher energy efficiency can be made smaller and lighter.
“It is true that highly-efficient air conditioners are currently being made with conventional copper tubes, but smaller-diameter tubes offer inherent advantages, including lower overall costs, less weight and reduced refrigerant charge,” said the ICA’s OEM initiative global leader Nigel Cotton.
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“The trend toward smaller-diameter copper tubes is inevitable. The technology is proven. The manufacturing is based on familiar fabrication processes and assembly techniques. Although various amounts of minor retooling may be required before tube suppliers can make small diameter tubes, the manufacture methods for making coils from fins and tubes are simple, practical, and economical,” said Cotton.
Coils made of conventional copper tubes are a proven technology with a long, successful, field-tested history. The new coils provide the high durability and performance expected from copper tubes, but they use less raw material.
Healthy demand for copper from China could push prices beyond levels forecast by the industry, according to the head of Codelco, the world’s biggest copper-producing company. Chief executive Diego Hernández said demand for the metal, which has been growing at about 3 per cent in recent years, should stay strong.
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