Aluminum radiators: technical specifications. Advantages and disadvantages of aluminum radiators

The choice and installation of a heating system are important stages in the arrangement of a residential house or apartment. The required number of radiators depends on the capacity of the equipment and the area of the room. To date, the most popular are aluminum radiators. Technical characteristics, as well as advantages and disadvantages of these heaters will be considered in this article.

Description

The main elements of this heating equipment are sections that are filled with water. The water is characterized by a large heat capacity, which allows it to retain heat energy for a long time, regularly transferring it to the surrounding space.

Varieties

Aluminum radiators (technical characteristics are discussed below) are of two types according to the type of production :

1. Extrusion.
2. Leafy.

The latter type consists of separate sections, their number can be reduced or increased if necessary at any time. The extrusion heater has a specific combined number of sections, their number varies from 6 to 12. The consumer himself chooses, focusing on the technical features of the house or apartment, what type of product is more suitable for him.

Heat transfer process

Through the pipeline, hot water enters the bottom of the section, then, thanks to convection, it moves upward, thereby heating the ambient air by means of an aluminum casing. The heat carrier passes through all the sections, and then continues through the return pipeline through the heating system.

Aluminum radiators: technical specifications

The section of the heater is made by pressing aluminum with the addition of a small amount of silicon. In each section there is a lower and upper collector, which are connected by a vertical channel and metal fins, which increase the heat transfer by expanding the surface area. The sections are joined together by means of threaded elements, sealed with gaskets made of paronite.

The heat carrier filling the sections, while heating, simultaneously accumulates and transfers heat energy to the room. Due to the good thermal conductivity of aluminum, this device has a great inertia and efficiency, unlike bimetallic and cast iron counterparts.

The more sections, the higher the heat transfer of aluminum radiators. However, do not get carried away, as an excessive number of sections will lead to the fact that some of them will become an unused ballast. In this regard, the number of sections must be calculated based on the physical characteristics of the building.

Also there are reinforced aluminum radiators. The technical characteristics of these devices allow the installation of an arbitrary number of sections, since they autonomously control the pressure of the liquid.

The heater section has standard dimensions:

• The height is 350-1000 mm.
• The depth is 110-140 mm.
• The wall thickness is 2-3 mm.
• The heating area is 0.4-0.6 m ² .
• The volume of the aluminum radiator is 0.35-0.5 liters.

Heat output of the heating device by 50-60% is radiation, convection - 40-50%.

Advantages

• Low thermal inertness.
• A small mass.
• High heat dissipation.
• These heating appliances are practical, and most importantly - resistant to the chemical attack of the coolant.
• It is quite a democratic price, which is especially advantageous with the high quality of these devices.
• A small construction weight makes it easy to mount aluminum radiators. The technical characteristics of this equipment are at a high level.
• They are very easy to care for - clean and wash.
• The instruments are covered with a special heat-resistant coating, which does not peel.
• The design is thought out in such a way that with a relatively small surface the maximum volume of air is involved.
• If desired, you can install thermal head on aluminum radiators (the characteristics will be much better), which will allow to regulate the temperature in the room.
• The room very quickly warms up, which is very important in the winter.

disadvantages

In addition to the obvious advantages, aluminum heating radiators, the technical characteristics of which were discussed above, also have certain drawbacks. One of them is the low stability of the walls to sudden changes in pressure in the heating system. The choice of radiator model must be approached carefully. If, for example, they were produced for conditions in Italy, then for Russian realities their strength will be insufficient. Since here the pressure "jumps" more and more often. And sometimes it is several times greater than the standard value.

Another disadvantage is the high sensitivity to impurities contained in hot water. The quality of the coolant falling into our heating systems leaves much to be desired. In the water you can find mechanical impurities in the form of rust, sand, small stones. The contact with the internal walls of all this is the cause of corrosion. To rapid oxidation can lead to increased acidity of the coolant. This should be taken into account and timely change of old devices to new aluminum radiators (the characteristics are indicated above).

Causes of failure

It is known that in water heating plants the water passes alkaline preparation, and when aluminum radiators come into contact with an alkaline medium, an active release of free hydrogen takes place. In the absence of automatic equipment for the removal of gases, hydrogen accumulating inside aluminum radiators causes their destruction.

Chemical recovery of hydrogen from the coolant occurs in all heating systems without exception. However, the air outlets installed in the system can cope without difficulty with the evacuation of the evolved gas. The alloy of aluminum, from which heaters are made, plays a catalytic role in this reaction, as a result, the amount of hydrogen as well as the reaction rate increase many times.

Thus, even a minor violation in the operation of the heating system (open or clogged air vent) can trigger an explosion of an aluminum radiator, both cast and extrusion. In this regard, in some situations, the use of aluminum heating devices is impractical.

Calculation of the number of sections

If you chose to purchase an aluminum radiator, you yourself can calculate how many sections you need to heat a particular room. For this, absolutely no special mathematical skills are required.

For calculation, you need to know the power of the aluminum radiator (P), which is usually indicated in the technical passport, and also need to calculate the area of the heated area (S). The calculation is carried out according to the following formula:

S × 100 / P = N, where N is the number of sections.

For example, the area of the room is 36 m ² , for an aluminum radiator the standard P value is 190 W. In this way:

N = 36 × 100/190 = 18.95.

Thus, 19 sections are needed to heat our premises.