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don't know where you're new products are heading Willie, but I can beat a heater core easily if there is a noise limit ~34 db(A) (as that is what I design for)
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I always admire most of your efforts, Bill
And yes, there's that bloody noise limit and the perceptive ceiling of 34dB to consider if you're a PC radiator manufacturer which is not even an issue with cars.
What heatercores also benefit from is the fact that they have a large frontal surface area. Generally if you're willing to extend beyond the 120mm base dimensions as provided by the fans, it's a no brainer that you can have a good performing heat exchanger without the need to add to the number of rows.
You can always design a better heatercore. In fact one of the reason why heatercores are preferred to be made out of brass/copper is because they need to be made to fit within the A/C ventillation loop of an automobile.
Moreover, brass/copper are naturally bacticidal hence minimizing that dank stench you normally smell in your A/C.
@billbartuska, without going into comparative details to avoid conflicts of interests, your radiator appears to use a stacked fin configuration normally reserved for use in heavy duty vehicles such as trucks and tractors.
I could be wrong but I'm just looking at the pics online, so feel free to englighten me if the radiator configuration is different. You're looking at 0.045 - 0.050 mm thick fins which have the first and subsequent rows of tubes offset from each other by around half the tube pitch of the first row.
Meaning the second row of tubes begin in between the first tube and the second tube on the first row.
Productionwise this is a very laborious affair. As the fins are first stacked in a fixture, and then flat tubes are pushed through them one by one.
There is nothing wrong with this design as it is meant specifically to provide very rugged structural support in an engine bay that would make ragdolls out of typical radiators, well at least those constructed for light duty.
This creates a high airflow/pressure requirement for effective cooling. So you may need to have stronger fans with a small shroud to raise the fans a little to maximize the frontal surface area of your radiator.
Folks please understand, the PC radiator biz is relatively young and is taking a lot of cues from the existing heat exchanger industries.
Because the truth is, if you're wanting to build a totally radically different radiator, you're going to end up trading your grandchildren souls to make the proper toolings and even more for raw materials which aren't going to be supplied (initially) in reasonable volumes (meaning thousands of tons) to be priced within commercial reach.