When you choose aluminium from Hydro, it's strong, light, durable and climate efficient, making you part of a smarter and more sustainable future. Our climate strategy is to cut our CO2 emissions 30% by 2030. Our aluminium can help you meet your goals, too.
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About Hydro
Hydro is a leading aluminium and renewable energy company that builds businesses and partnerships for a more sustainable future. We have 32,000 employees in more than 140 locations and 40 countries.
Hydro supplies dedicated high corrosion resistant alloys for micro-channel construction: 9170 and 9153 for most applications, and 9108 where higher strength is needed. Headers and manifolds typically use VIA Balance 3K50 (3903-R) or FA7905 for a balanced corrosion match with the tube, while FA7850 is available for higher-strength applications. Tubes can be supplied with flux/clad coating, which carries the flux, filler material needed for brazing and/or Zinc, removing the need for a separate fluxing station on the customer's production line.
Aluminium micro-channel heat exchangers can require as little as 7% of the refrigerant charge of a comparable copper tube-and-fin condenser while using around 28% of the required space. Compared with conventional copper-based designs, aluminium micro-channel heat exchangers offer significant advantages in weight, cost and recyclability. Aluminium tubes can be up to 35% lighter than comparable copper tubes, while aluminium tube-based heat exchangers can weigh around 50% less than equivalent copper heat exchangers.
How a micro-channel heat exchanger is built
A micro-channel coil is built from three main components: multi-port extruded (MPE) tubes, headers or manifolds, and corrugated fins. MPE tubes are flat aluminium extrusions with multiple parallel internal channels, typically 7 to 120 mm wide, 1 to 10 mm high, and 0.1 to 0.6 mm wall thickness, giving a large internal surface area in a very compact footprint. The tubes, headers and fins are joined by controlled atmosphere brazing (CAB), an oven-based process that produces a metallurgical bond rather than the mechanical bond used in tube-and-fin coils. Because there is no mechanical tube-to-fin contact to degrade over time, a micro-channel coil maintains its rated heat-transfer capacity and energy efficiency longer than a mechanically expanded tube-and-fin coil.
Micro-channel heat exchanger. 1. Fin. 2. Manifold/header. 3. Side plate. 4. End cap flow dividers/baffles. 5. Tube.
Combining micro-channel tubes with welded aluminium manifolds allows you to exploit the potential that an all-aluminium solution provides. This technology allows your company to:
Reduce refrigerant charge compared with conventional tube-and-fin heat exchangers
Improve energy efficiency and coefficient of performance (COP)
Reduce system weight compared with equivalent copper-based designs
Achieve bill-of-material savings of 34% to 48% in specific coil applications
Micro-channel condensers have a better capacity-per-core-volume ratio, lower refrigerant-side pressure drop, lower air-side pressure drop, higher coefficient of performance (COP), and lower refrigerant charge than conventional tube-and-fin heat exchangers. Aluminium is the most viable solution for increasing efficiency while reducing overall costs. In essence, it just got less expensive to be more environmentally friendly. It is also immune to formicary corrosion, which is estimated to cause up to 10% of premature indoor heat exchanger failures. By eliminating the mechanical fin-to-tube bond, micro-channel heat exchangers help maintain rated heat-transfer performance and energy efficiency over time.
Frequently asked questions
A micro-channel heat exchanger (MCHX) is a brazed, all-aluminium heat exchanger built from flat, multi-port extruded tubes joined to headers and corrugated fins. It is used in condensers and evaporators for air conditioning, heat pump and refrigeration applications. The components are joined using controlled atmosphere brazing (CAB), creating a metallurgical bond between tubes and fins.
Yes. Aluminium is used in tube-and-fin heat exchangers, micro-channel heat exchangers and line-set applications. Compared with copper, aluminium offers lower weight, improved recyclability, lower material costs and compatibility with ammonia refrigerant. Aluminium is also immune to formicary corrosion.
Lower refrigerant charge can reduce environmental impact and operating costs while supporting higher system efficiency. A micro-channel condenser can require as little as 7% of the refrigerant charge of an equivalent copper tube-and-fin condenser.
Hydro supplies dedicated alloys developed for micro-channel construction, including 9170, 9153 and 3102 for most applications and 9108 for higher-strength requirements. Headers and manifolds typically use VIA Balance 3K50 (3903-R), FA7905 or FA7850, depending on application requirements.
