8 From Inner Tubes to Fins: Functional Coatings for Heat Exchangers By Dr. Georg Wagner and Manuel Staub, NTC Nano Tech Coatings GmbH, Tholey (Saarland) Heat exchangers are key components in automotive thermal management. They must reliably transfer heat while remaining durable against media, temperature fluctuations, and operational stresses. Functional coatings can play a significant role here in protecting components, improving system cleanliness, and stabilizing performance over the long term. Conditions inside oil coolers are demanding. The oil dissipates heat and is in constant contact with the inner tube materials. Over extended periods of use, chemical influences can cause metal ions to be leached from the substrate and transferred into the medium. In practice, this can lead to a change in viscosity or even gelation, among other issues. The inner tube coating, specially developed by NTC and widely adopted in industry, acts as a diffusion barrier in this case. It prevents direct contact between the oil or cooling medium and the base material. Due to the very thin coating thickness, heat transfer is maintained. In this way, the coating contributes to the heat exchanger’s resistance to the medium, component cleanliness, and longevity. The fins on air conditioning heat exchangers also place special demands on the surface. The heat exchanger is installed in the vehicle’s air conditioning system; however, the fins form the outer surface of the component that is exposed to the airflow. There, moisture, condensate, dust, and organic residues can lead to deposits and affect the system’s function and hygiene. This is where the hydrophobic “Easy-toClean” coatings developed by NTC come Von Innenrohren bis Lamellen: funktionale Beschichtungen für Wärmetauscher Wärmetauscher sind zentrale Bauteile im automobilen Thermomanagement. Sie müssen Wärme zuverlässig übertragen und gleichzeitig dauerhaft gegen Medien, Temperaturwechsel und betriebsbedingte Belastungen beständig bleiben. Funktionale Beschichtungen können hier einen wichtigen Beitrag leisten, um Bauteile zu schützen, die Sauberkeit des Systems zu verbessern und die Leistungsfähigkeit langfristig zu stabilisieren … Weiterlesen: https://t1p.de/cn909 Bild: © NTC, KI-modifiziert into play. They reduce the adhesion of moisture and residues. As a result, the surface can remain clean longer, and microbial-induced odor formation is also reduced. The adhesion of the coating is crucial here. An intensive bond—or interlocking—with the substrate creates a durable connection, which is particularly important for thin functional coatings in automotive applications. NTC Nano Tech Coatings GmbH thus positions itself as an experienced partner for functional heat exchanger solutions in vehicles: from internal diffusion barriers in oil coolers to hydrophobic easy-to-clean coatings for finned heat exchangers. www.ntcgmbh.com www.ntcgmbh.com/en/products www.ntcgmbh.com/en/contact Bild: © NTC, KI-modifiziert
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