Comparison Aluminium or Copper Condenser Coil – Which is better?

Copper condenser coils have always been the standard air conditioning materials in the industry until the year of 1970. The advent of aluminium gave a good competition to the traditional copper made conditioning units and has ever since sparked off a debate about which one of the metals is better and confounds maximum of the average AC purchasers. Aluminium coil suppliers have over the years increased and claim their product to be superior.

So to get a clear understanding of the implications of using both aluminium and copper coils, mentioned below are some of the important points to understand and get a better picture:

• Thermal conductivity- The rate at which the heat is transferred through a material is what is known as Thermal Conductivity. Thermal conductivity of copper is approximately twice of that of aluminium. Higher the value, faster is the transformation of heat from copper condenser than aluminium.
• Material Quantity – Copper is less ductile in nature when compared to aluminium. However, an aluminium coil is more pliable, easily extruded, and can be shaped into tubular forms.
• Heating and Cooling Speed- Copper condensing coil has low specific heat. This means that it heats up and cools down much faster than aluminium, which is one of the important advantages of copper coil.
• Oxidation- In the process of oxidation, it is important to understand the difference in the characteristics of the two metals. Though when both exposed to the environment will oxidize, but the rate at which aluminium oxidises is much faster than that of copper. However, when once oxidized, the durability of copper is way ahead of that of the latter.
• Tensile Strength- It measures the resistance of the material under any type of pressure. The tensile strength of copper weighs 50,000 pounds per square inch compared to that of aluminium at 32000 pounds per square inch. This basically means that a considerable amount of force is required to bend copper into a tubular shape, thereby raising the cost of manufacturing.

From the above-mentioned points, it is clear that the capital cost of air conditioners equipped with copper condenser coil is much higher than that of the aluminium condenser coil. But considering the expected life span of around ten years, the life cycle cost is one of the important factors that should drive your purchase decision. Both aluminium and copper condenser coils have their respective pros and cons, but comparing the superior energy efficiency and consequent savings in the monthly power bills, the AC with copper condenser coil is a better option to consider.

Spirotech is one of India's leading aluminium coil manufacturers and supplier.