ATLANTA, GA — Snaking up and down the aisles at the AHR Expo here, one can’t help but think of coils — big coils, small coils, oem and replacement coils.

One company at the show that’s big on coils is Heatcraft. In fact, the Heat Transfer Division (Grenada, MS) says that, on any given day, it produces over 21,000 coils for its varied customers. With nearly 70 fin designs, various tube sizes, and an assortment of construction materials, it says it can design a custom product for a range of applications.

Heatcraft’s Refrigeration Prod-ucts Division (Stone Mountain, GA) introduced a redesigned line of 3- to 15-hp condensing units. Available with scroll or Discus™ compressors, the new units provide up to 40% more free-air area than before, and their vertical receivers need less refrigerant to ensure that a solid column of liquid reaches the expansion valve, the company says.

Colmac Coil Manufacturing, Inc. (Colville, WA), supplies commercial and industrial plate fin heating and cooling coils as well as refrigeration air coolers and condensers. It specializes in custom production. It offers plate fin coil products in 3/8-, 1/2-, 5/8-, 7/8-, and 1-in. (9.5-, 12.7-, 15.9-, 22.2-, and 25.4-mm) tube diameter sizes in a variety of materials for fins, tubes, casings, headers, and connectors.

The company’s heat pipe coils are used for heat recovery, frost and temperature control, enhanced dehumidification, and indirect evaporative cooling.

Super Radiator Coils (Chaska, MN) is another custom coil manufacturer that offers steam coils; water/glycol and special gas-fluid/hot oil coils; evaporators; condenser coils; and special- and severe-application coils.

The company has added a new fin surface, which it says provides higher thermal efficiency for ammonia and steam coils. This fin surface uses 7/8-in.-dia tubes in a 2 1/4-in. equilateral pattern. It can be manufactured with three optional fin configurations. Various fin thicknesses from 0.0095 to 0.020 in. and optional materials such as copper, aluminum, and carbon and stainless steel enable the coil to be designed for optimum efficiency, says the company.

Down the aisle and across the border, Cancoil Thermal Corp. (Kingston, ON, Canada) promotes its computer-aided design and manufacturing capabilities as enabling it to provide consistently high quality, the company says.

Tube sizes available are 3/8-, 1/2-, and 5/8-in. od. Specialty coils using stainless steel tubes are available on request. Lanced fins and internally finned tubes are offered in the 3/8- and 1/2-in. od tube patterns.

Cellular production is the key to efficiency at Snowmax, Inc. (Longview, TX), says the company, keeping the handling of delicate parts to a minimum and reducing cycle times.

Products here include evaporators, condensers, steam coils, water coils, and special coils. Fins are fabricated from aluminum or copper with extruded collars to maximize heat transfer and ensure accurate fin spacing, the manufacturer says. Fin surfaces include corrugated, sine wave, or enhanced with straight or rippled edges.

Originally designed as an automotive radiator, CuproBraze® is now offered as a heating and cooling coil. Developed by the International Copper Association, the coils were shown at the show by Astro Air, Inc. (Jacksonville, TX).

The CuproBraze process is a brazing method that uses high-strength and high-conductivity copper and copper alloys to produce light, durable, efficient, and compact heat exchangers at a low cost using an environmentally friendly technique, says the company.

Coil Cleaners

How do you keep all those coils clean? Refrigeration Technologies (Fullerton, CA) displayed the Carbonex™ coil cleaning system, which is an alkaline-based foam cleaner applied with an injection gun. The product is 100% bio-degradable and USDA approved, the company says.

Also shown were Viper, a foaming aerosol coil degreaser, and E+, a non-rinsing evaporator coil cleaner that uses cold water active enzymes.

Containing three surfactants, detergent-based Micro Coil Clean®, from BBJ Environmental Solutions, Inc. (Tampa, FL), will wash away caked-on dirt and grime without rinsing, says the company. The surfactants wet and lift the dirt, hold it in suspension, and foam it away.

Publication date: 02/19/2001