How Are Stainless Steel Finned Tubes Made?

According to different manufacturing processes, stainless steel finned tubes can be divided into three types: stainless steel high-frequency welded finned tubes, stainless steel aluminum extruded finned tubes, and stainless steel aluminum embedded finned tubes.

1. Manufacturing Process of Stainless Steel Finned Tubes

Stainless steel finned tubes are special tubes that enhance heat transfer efficiency by adding fins to the outer surface of the base tube (usually a stainless steel seamless tube). The manufacturing process mainly includes the following three:

1. High-frequency welding: The steel strip or copper strip is directly welded to the base tube through high-frequency current heating. The welding temperature can reach above 1000℃, and the bonding strength between the fin and the base tube is high, which is suitable for high temperature and high pressure environments (such as power station boilers).

2. Mechanical rolling: The spiral or straight fins are squeezed out of the base tube surface with rolling equipment, without welding, which is suitable for occasions with strict requirements on corrosion resistance (such as chemical heat exchangers). The fin height is usually 5-15mm and the thickness is 0.3-1.2mm.

3. Inlay process: The prefabricated fins are inserted into the base tube and fixed by hydraulic expansion, which is suitable for special-shaped tubes or special material combinations (such as titanium alloy fins + stainless steel base tubes).

2. Five core advantages of stainless steel finned tubes

• Strong corrosion resistance: 304 or 316L stainless steel can resist corrosion from chloride ions and acidic media, and the service life can reach 15-20 년.
• High heat transfer efficiency: fins increase the surface area by 3-8 times, and the heat transfer coefficient increases by 40%-60%.
• Good structural stability: The welding process makes the fin tensile strength ≥300MPa, and can withstand working pressure above 6MPa.
• Easy to clean: The smooth surface is not easy to accumulate dust, suitable for the food and pharmaceutical industries.
• Energy saving and environmental protection: Compared with ordinary steel pipes, the heat exchange efficiency can reduce energy consumption by 20%-30%.

3. Application scenarios and selection suggestions

– Power industry: High-frequency welded finned tubes are preferred, with a high temperature resistance of 800℃.

– Chemical industry: 316L material + mechanical rolling process is recommended, which is resistant to acid and alkali corrosion.

– Civilian HVAC: Choose low-cost 304 stainless steel mosaic finned tubes to balance performance and budget.