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copper made heating Tank

unconventional
unconventional Member Posts: 1
I am a new heat engineering student. My questions are:

1) In a fire-tube boiler, why copper is not used for furnace body and smoke pipes inside the boiler? Copper is x15 time more thermal conductive.

2) Doesn't Iron pipe/ heating tank/ furnace need more fuel to heat up (for low thermal conductivity) and keep at high temperature?

Comments

  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 23,176
    Copper used to be, years ago -- but it isn't strong enough for power boilers, it work hardens and fatigue cracks, and it is at least as prone to corrosion as black iron or some (not all) steels.

    And on the second one, yes, on initial firing the mass of metal is somewhat significant, and does take a little more fuel to heat. However, the differences in thermal conductivity are not large enough -- though they are certainly significant -- to overcome the strength problems (which would require much thicker copper).
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
    Solid_Fuel_ManSuperTech
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,024
    Copper fin tube boilers are still very common. Water in the tube, finned outer takes the heat from the burner. Raypak, Laars, RBI, and Lochinvar are the main brands.
    Copper is an excellent metal for heat exchange.
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,455
    Copper expands too much to use in normal designed boilers. Used in the boilers @hot_rod mentioned above is fine. They are basically a hot water coil
  • pecmsg
    pecmsg Member Posts: 4,776

    I am a new heat engineering student. My questions are:

    1) In a fire-tube boiler, why copper is not used for furnace body and smoke pipes inside the boiler? Copper is x15 time more thermal conductive.

    2) Doesn't Iron pipe/ heating tank/ furnace need more fuel to heat up (for low thermal conductivity) and keep at high temperature?

    MONEY!
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,592
    How about Monel?
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment