[Fot] Aluminum Radiators and Electrolysis

[Jim]

There's one thing I haven't seen mentioned... Thought I'd toss it out.

Why not have that wonderful new shiny aluminum radiator HARD ANODIZED black?

1)  The anodizing will help prevent corrosion, and the black compound seems
to work well.  We put pressure vessels (6061) down in the Gulf of Texas for
12-18 months at a time and they come back looking new.  Yes, they have
zincs.. And 316 stainless hardware.

2)  The black color radiates heat much better than silver.  "Black body
radiation" is not a myth, as proved by lab experiments in my freshman
Physics class.  Something like 10% or better... Enough to make a difference
on track.

3)  A black radiator looks kinda normal.  Something that your competitors
and the tech guy might overlook... After all it's a black radiator, aren't
they all?  ;)

That it happens to be larger and lighter than the stock unit.. Who are we to
quibble? 

Based on what we get charged locally an industrial plating shop shouldn't
charge more than $50 or $75 for the job.  If they do, find another shop.  Or
ship them to me and I'll do it for a large markup plus shipping.  :D

Cheers,

Jim
Dallas
'76 DM Spitfire (with factory WIDE radiator in brass)

-----Original Message-----
From: fot-bounces at autox.team.net [mailto:fot-bounces at autox.team.net] On
Behalf Of Bill Babcock
Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2007 8:54 PM
To: John W
Cc: fot at autox.team.net
Subject: Re: [Fot] Aluminum Radiators and Electrolysis

Actually the theory still holds true, there's just better ways of doing
things, and materials can be overcome by superior engineering or design that
optimizes the materials. Built the same way, a copper radiator will transfer
much more heat than an aluminum one, but it will weigh a ton. so the
designer specifies much thinner walls, and that helps both the conduction
and the weight, but it becomes as fragile as aluminum. Or the designer
chooses aluminum and designs for better airflow and uses the fins to brace
the tubes so they can be thinner. It's all compromises my friends. Look at
the stuff they use in aerospace and dream. Heat exchangers with exotic
metals, swirl tubes, super high surface area inside the tubes created by
micro crimping the tubes to make fins. If we used those radiators in our
cars they would be dinky--the size of an oil cooler, but they'd cost more
than our car, and our house. they can't even afford them for F1.

On Jan 30, 2007, at 12:40 PM, John W wrote: