The selection and installation of a heating system are important stages in the arrangement of a residential building or apartment. The required number of radiators depends on the power of the equipment and the area of the room. To date, the most popular are aluminum radiators. Technical characteristics, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of these heating devices will be considered in this article.
Description
The main elements of this heating equipment are sections that are filled with water. Water is characterized by a large heat capacity, which allows it to retain thermal energy for a long time, regularly transferring it to the surrounding space.
Varieties
Aluminum radiators (technical specifications are discussed below) are distinguished by the type of production of two types:
- Extrusion.
- Leafy.
The latter type consists of separate sections, their number can be reduced or increased if necessary at any time. An extrusion heating device has a specific combined number of sections, their number ranges from 6 to 12. The consumer himself chooses, based on the technical features of the house or apartment, which type of product suits him best.
Heat transfer process
Hot water flows through the pipeline to the bottom of the section, then, thanks to convection, it moves upward, thereby heating the surrounding air through an aluminum case. The coolant passes through all sections, after which it continues its way through the return pipe through the heating system.
Aluminum radiators: specifications
The heater section is manufactured by pressing aluminum with the addition of a small amount of silicon. In each section, a lower and upper collector are provided, which are connected by a vertical channel and metal ribs, increasing heat transfer by expanding the surface area. The sections are interconnected using elements with threads sealed with gaskets of paronite.
The heat carrier filling the sections, heating up, simultaneously accumulates and gives off thermal energy to the room. Due to the good thermal conductivity of aluminum, this device has a high inertia and efficiency, in contrast to 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 cause some of them to become unused ballast. In this regard, the number of sections must be calculated based on the physical characteristics of the building.
There are also reinforced aluminum radiators. The technical characteristics of these devices allow you to set an arbitrary number of sections, as they autonomously control fluid pressure.
The heater section has standard sizes:
- Height - 350-1000 mm.
- Depth - 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.
The heat transfer of a heating device is 50-60% radiation, convection - 40-50%.
Advantages
- Low thermal inertness.
- Light weight.
- High heat dissipation.
- These heating devices are practical, and most importantly - resistant to chemical exposure to the coolant.
- It is a very affordable price, which is especially beneficial with the high quality of these devices.
- Lightweight construction makes it easy to mount aluminum heating radiators. Technical characteristics of this equipment are at a high level.
- It is very simple to look after them - to clean and wash.
- The devices are coated with a special heat-resistant coating that does not peel off.
- The design is thought out in such a way that with a relatively small surface the maximum air volume is involved.
- If desired, aluminum radiators (the characteristics will become much better) can install a thermal head, which will allow you to adjust the temperature in the room.
- The room warms up very quickly, 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 disadvantages. One of them is the low resistance of the walls to sharp pressure drops 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" stronger and more often. And sometimes it is several times higher than the standard value.
Another disadvantage is the high sensitivity to impurities contained in hot water. The quality of the coolant entering our heating systems leaves much to be desired. In the water you can detect mechanical pollution in the form of rust, sand, small stones. Contact with the inner walls of all this causes corrosion. The increased acidity of the coolant can lead to rapid oxidation. This should be taken into account and timely replace old devices with new aluminum radiators (the characteristics are indicated above).
Reasons for Failure
It is known that in heating plants water undergoes alkaline preparation, and when aluminum radiators come into contact with an alkaline medium, free hydrogen is actively released. In the absence of automatic gas removal equipment, the hydrogen that accumulates inside the aluminum radiators causes their destruction.
Chemical reduction of hydrogen from the coolant occurs in all heating systems without exception. However, the air vents installed in the system cope with the discharge of the evolved gas without any problems. The aluminum alloy from which heaters are made plays a catalyst role in such a reaction, as a result, the amount of hydrogen and the reaction rate increase many times.
Thus, even a slight violation in the operation of the heating system (the air vent is not open or clogged) can provoke an explosion of the 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 opted for an aluminum radiator, you can easily calculate how many sections you will need to heat a room. For this, absolutely no special mathematical skills are required.
For the calculation, you need to find out the power of the aluminum radiator (P), which, as a rule, is indicated in the technical passport, and you also need to calculate the area of the heated area (S). The calculation is performed 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 indicator P is 190 watts. Thus:
N = 36 × 100/190 = 18.95.
Thus, 19 sections will be required to heat our room.