PRI 2017: C&R’s Extruded-Tube Cores Delivers Cooling Efficiency

For the team at C&R Advanced Cooling Technology, the trick to building a better mousetrap has been in improving cooling efficiency in a radiator, and they’ve accomplished through what they call an extruded tube core — a technology that parent company PWR developed through engineering relationships with Formula 1 teams overseas.

“Tube extrusions aren’t necessarily something new, but the tubes that we’re using and putting in our radiators are unique to the racing industry. It’s a stronger tube and can take 100 psi — a lot of the NACAR teams, sports cars, Formula 1, are using pressurized systems, so you want to raise the pressure in the system to raise the boiling point of the water,” explains C&R’s Jeff Horton. “A typical radiator is a rolled tube. Our tubes don’t create any gaps in the center, which gives the air fin a continuous contact with the tube all the way through. The nose of this tube is also thicker than the nose of most rolled tubes, therefore it will take a rock hit easier.”

C&R’s cores use a shorter fin than a standard core, which means that for a given height they have more tube. The result is more water touching air and thus added heat rejection. C&R uses what’s called a “race fin” that has a larger radius — once brazed to the tube, it creates a larger contact point between the fin and tube , which Horton explains the science behind.

“In order for any of these radiators or heat exchangers to get rid of the heat out of the fluid, the molecules have to be able to touch something. So they’re touching the side of the tube and transferring heat to the tube. The more opportunity they have to touch the side is the more opportunity to get rid of the heat, and more opportunity for the tube to touch the fin to give the heat to the fin to disperse the heat into the air and pull it away.”

You can see the difference C&R’s extruded tubes on the left and a more typical tube on the right.

“The combination of the extruded tube, the size and angle and shape of the fin design gives our 55mm core about 15 percent more efficiency than a 56mm core of more standard design,” Horton notes. “and it’s much, much stronger.”

C&R has deploys this technology into many of their high-end racing (NASCAR) and high performance radiators, including those for dirt track and offroad truck racing and similar genres of racing where cooling and ruggedness are key.

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About the author

Andrew Wolf

Andrew has been involved in motorsports from a very young age. Over the years, he has photographed several major auto racing events, sports, news journalism, portraiture, and everything in between. After working with the Power Automedia staff for some time on a freelance basis, Andrew joined the team in 2010.
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