21/2/23, 18:37 Sizing Heating and Cooling Coils | Products Finishing

ELECTROPLATING

Published 10/1/1999

Sizing Heating and Cooling Coils

Why is it important for you to know this?

RICHARD LEOPOLD, PRESIDENT, VULCANIUM CORP.

Twisting, turning tubes in tanks of steamy, colorful liquids. It is no wonder many still
consider designing heat transfer equipment a type of sorcery. Most finishers work diligently
at perfecting the chemical, physical and production details required for consistent quality
finishes, and they understand that temperature control is critical. However, few fully
understand how to specify heat transfer equipment and how the design affects production
and operating costs.

Specifying heating equipment does not need to be confusing. Factors that affect how you
boil a pot of water for spaghetti are the same as those influencing heat transfer equipment
in the finishing shop. How much water is in the pot? How long should it take to heat up?
How hot will the water get? How hot is the burner? How much of the pot is in contact with
the burner?

These factors, along with the kind of material heated and how well it is mixed, are used to
turn "a little of this and a pinch of that" into precise measurements. Simple calculations
determine the proper size heating coil and can help solve a heat-transfer problem.

A few simple equations

Equation No. 1 combines all the factors that determine the surface area of the heat transfer
device.

A = Q/U T. A = area; Q = total heat input required; U = number describing the heat transfer
coefficient or degree of influence of materials, agitation, viscosity and other system details.
The U-factor is usually developed from past experience.

T is a difference in temperature. There are actually two variations of T that will be used in
calculations. The first ( T1) is the difference in temperature of the solution in the tank
before and after heating.

For example, a solution is at 70F before heating and must be elevated to 140F: T1 = 140 - 70
=70F. This variation of T1 will be used in the equation MCpDT.

The second variation of temperature ( T2) is between the heating medium (steam or hot
water) and the final temperature of the solution.

https://www.pfonline.com/articles/sizing-heating-and-cooling-coils 1/8
21/2/23, 18:37 Sizing Heating and Cooling Coils | Products Finishing

For example, suppose the final solution temperature is 140F and the temperature of the
steam at 10 psi is 239F. T2 = 239 - 140 = 99F. The value of T2 variation will be used in the
basic equation A = Q/U T.

As you calculate the required surface area of the heat transfer device, you see where each
T value is used. To solve the basic equation (A = Q/U T), you must first determine the value
of Q, or the total heat input needed to elevate the solution temperature to a final
temperature.

Q is usually measured in Btus, which is the amount of heat needed to heat one pound of
water one degree F. The amount of heat needed to heat a tank can be determined using
equation two: Q = MCp T. M= the weight of the solution to be heated; Cp = the specific heat
or factor that describes the relative amount of heat needed by different materials to be
heated the same amount; T1 = the difference in solution temperature before and after
heating.

To see how Q is determined, consider the following situation: a 3 × 10-ft, well-agitated

finishing tank contains 4 ft of water at 70F and the temperature needs to be raised to 140F.

Knowing there are 120 cu ft of water in the tank and that water weighs 62.4 lb/cu ft, the
equation (Q = MCp T) can be solved: M=120 cu ft × 62.4 lb/cu ft = 7,488 lb

Referring to Table I
Cp = 1.00 (specific heat of water)
T1 = 140 - 70 = 70F
Completing the calculation
Q = MCp T
Q = 7,488 × 1.00 × 70 = 524,160 Btus.

This heat requirement measure does not indicate how quickly the tank will be heated,
however. In theory, if the tank were perfectly insulated and used 1 Btu/hr for heating, it
would take 60 years to heat one tank. In a finishing shop, heat up time is usually two to four
hours.

524,160 Btus ÷ 4 = 131,040 Btus/hr

TABLE I—Specific Heat

(Cp) of Commonly Used
Materials
Material
Cp
Water (By
1.00
Definition)
0.88
15 pct Sulfuric Acid
0.42
Oil
0.11
Steel
0.23
Aluminum
0.09
Zinc

https://www.pfonline.com/articles/sizing-heating-and-cooling-coils 2/8
21/2/23, 18:37 Sizing Heating and Cooling Coils | Products Finishing

Other factors affecting Q

In addition to Btus, other heat input is needed to make up for heat lost to the environment
as well as to materials in the tank such as parts and racks.

In most finishing systems, heat lost to the atmosphere is more important than heat lost to
the work; therefore, heat lost to work is usually ignored. However, if one were to pickle
steel sheets that had been outside in very cold weather, an extra heating factor would have
to be considered.

Heat losses to the air can be calculated using information in Table II.

The 3 × 10-ft tank surface loses 48,000 Btu/hr at 140F. This figure is derived from a heat loss
figure of 1,600 Btu/hr/sq ft (Table II, 140F) multiplied by the sq ft (1,600 × 30=48,000). This
means you would have to add an additional 48,000 Btu/hr to achieve the desired heat up.

If the heat-up time were four hours, the total Btus/hr needed would be 179,040 (131,010 +
48,000). The total Btus/hr required is the final value of Q in the basic equation A = Q/U T.

TABLE II—Heat Losses

to the Air (up to 5 ft/sec
air velocity)
Maximum
Tank
Heat Loss
Temperature
(Btu/hr/sq
(F)
ft)
80
200
100
500
120
900
140
1600
160
2750
180
4900

Determining the U factor

The next factor in calculating heat transfer surface area is the heat transfer coefficient or U
factor. This varies depending on how well the tank is mixed or agitated and how viscous the
solution is. For most watery finishing solutions Table III figures apply. For this example,
steam will be used to heat the well-agitated tank. Therefore, a U factor of 150 will be used.

Work temperature vs. media temperature. The second DT needed to calculate heat transfer
surface area is the temperature difference between the material being heated and the
media providing the heat. In finishing plants, heat is usually provided by hot water or
steam. For this example, steam is used. Using the data in Table IV, T2 can be determined as
shown.

Assuming a steam pressure of 10 psig, the temperature of the steam delivered to the
finishing tank would be 239F. Since the solution will be heated to 140F, the T2 = 239-140 =
99F.

TABLE III—
Typical Heat Transfer Coefficients
—"U"

https://www.pfonline.com/articles/sizing-heating-and-cooling-coils 3/8
21/2/23, 18:37 Sizing Heating and Cooling Coils | Products Finishing

Type U-Value U-Value

Heating (Agitated (Still
Medium Tank) Tank)
Steam 150 100
Completing the basic equation
Now that the basic values have been determined for all of the variables in equation A = Q/U
T, we can solve it. In order to heat the solution to 140F in four hours you need the following:

Q = 179,040 Btu/hr
U = 150
T2 = 99F.
Completing the equation
A = 179,040/150 × 99 = 170,040/14,850 = 12.06 sq ft.

TABLE IV—
Steam Pressure vs.
Steam Temp.
Steam
Steam
Pressure
Temp. (F)
(Psig)
227
5
239
10
266
25
297
50

Surface area vs. heat transfer device configuration

When the surface area of a heat transfer device has been calculated, the next consideration
is the configuration of the device. In many finishing plants in-tank heating/cooling coils are
used. When a coil is to be immersed, there are several major considerations.

Coils must be sized and installed so they do not interfere with material moving into or out
of the tank. The most common form of damage to an in-tank coil is mechanical. In tanks
with current-carrying racks, accidental contact between a rack and coil may cause an
electrical arc, resulting in a hole in the coil.

Coils should be installed to ensure the entire coil body is immersed. This assures that the
rated heat transfer surface is operating at maximum effectiveness.

There are many coil styles available

A typical style is shown in Fig. 1. In a typical heat transfer coil a one-inch outside diameter
tubing is used. Tubes are welded on 1.5 inch centers between two manifolds, one of which
includes an inlet and outlet riser for the heating medium.

Before determining the length and width of the coil, measure the length of the tank wall
and the solution depth. For this example, the tank walls are 3-ft wide and 10-ft long, and the
solution is 4-ft deep. Considering each possibility, the coil would need to be sized to fit
within an area that is 3 × 4 ft or one that is 10 × 4 ft.

TABLE V—Heat-Transfer Coil Sizes v

Surface Areas
Coil Dimensions

https://www.pfonline.com/articles/sizing-heating-and-cooling-coils 4/8
21/2/23, 18:37 Sizing Heating and Cooling Coils | Products Finishing

Surface
Width Length Tube
Area (sq
(Inches) (Inches)
ft)
12.5 24 8
4.6
12.5 30 8
5.6
12.5 36 8
6.7
18.5 24 12
6.8
18.5 30 12
8.4
12.5 48 8
8.8
24.5 24 16
9.4
18.5 36 12
10.0
12.5 60 8
10.9
24.5 30 16
11.5
30.5 24 20
11.5
18.5 48 12
13.2
24.5 36 16
13.6
12.5 72 8
13.7
36.5 24 24
13.7
30.5 30 20
14.2
12.5 84 8
15.1
42.5 24 28
15.8
18.5 60 12
16.3
30.5 36 20
16.8
36.5 30 24
16.8
12.5 96 8
17.2
24.5 48 16
17.8
48.5 24 32
18.0
12.5 108 8
19.2
18.5 72 12
19.5
42.5 30 28
19 5
In sizing heat transfer coils it is important to select the configuration with the smallest
width and longest length compatible with tank size to provide the best heat distribution.
Using data found in Table V, you can determine that a coil width of 18.5 inches and a length
of 48 inches provides 13.2 sq ft of surface area. Moving further down the chart you find a
coil of 13.7 sq ft with a width of 12.5 inches and a length of 72 inches. It, too, has slightly
more than the required 12.06 sq ft.

Although both coils will fit,we selected the 13.7-sq-ft coil which offers the best combination
of performance and economy. The coil would be installed along the 10-ft wall of the tank. If
the installation had to be along the 3-ft wall, a coil with 13.7 sq ft of surface area and
dimensions of 36.5 wide by 24 inches long (Table V) could be used. Assuming that the
solution depth would never go below 4 feet, this coil would function properly.

The right calculations save time and money

Why is it important to calculate surface area when determining the size of heating coils?
Heat transfer devices, particularly ones fabricated from a costly material such as titanium
or stainless steel, can be expensive. Since most heat transfer devices are priced according to
size, it simply does not pay to purchase larger devices than are necessary to accomplish the
task. Using the information in this article will help determine how much area you will need
after you establish how long heat up should take and what temperature you must maintain.

Read: Rightech Fabrications Earns ISO 9001:2008

https://www.pfonline.com/articles/sizing-heating-and-cooling-coils 5/8
21/2/23, 18:37 Sizing Heating and Cooling Coils | Products Finishing

A little pencil pushing can go a long way toward improving operating efficiency and
lowering heat transfer equipment costs

To learn more visit RIGHTech Fabrications. 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Henry Ford Is Still Right When It Comes to Color

ELECTROPLATING

Published 1/14/2023

Continuing Innovation in Selective Plating

Chic Allen, general manager of SIFCO Applied Surface Concepts, discusses the benefits and considerations for the automation
of selective brush plating.
#asktheexpert

CHIC ALLEN, SIFCO ASC

Q: What options are available for automating brush plating?

A. Selective brush plating offers an alternative to traditional tank plating. In this process, a
direct current from a rectifier is applied via an anode which is placed into direct contact
with the component to be plated. The anode is covered in cotton, polyester or other
materials that hold solutions to enable it to act as a brush. Once the anode is thoroughly
saturated in the solution, the deposit is applied to the negatively charged part. Brush plating
requires movement between the anode and the part, which can be accomplished by moving
the anode over the part, moving the part while keeping the anode stationary, or moving
both.

https://www.pfonline.com/articles/sizing-heating-and-cooling-coils 6/8
21/2/23, 18:37 Sizing Heating and Cooling Coils | Products Finishing

This process increases precision as operators can focus only on the specific parts of a
component that need to be plated. It also means time and materials are not wasted on
plating or masking off areas that may not require the deposit. In addition, the selective
plating process eliminates the need for large tanks, and working close to large volumes of
chemicals.

The benefits of automation

The benefits of selective brush plating become even more pronounced when the
operation is partially or fully automated. While plating is an area that traditionally has
been slower than others to automate, it is very much gathering pace in recent years
because of the achievable benefits and reduced costs to implement.

The level of automation required will inevitably depend on available budgets and the size,
type, importance, and value of the parts being treated. At the simplest level, the
introduction of automated rectifier controls will help to ensure consistency of current and
voltage applied to individual components.

The next stage of automation would see the introduction of semi- or fully-automated tool
handling. Handling larger, heavier tools inevitably impacts operator fatigue and is an area
of work many companies will seek to minimize. Automating the tool handling contributes
to consistency within the process from one part to the next.

Going one step further is the complete automation of the process, using robots to maneuver
the parts to the process, or bring the process to the parts through tool handling, or both.
This reduces the need for manual handling within the process altogether while making for
a more even and consistent deposit, meaning reduced failures down the line.

Human error is effectively eliminated, as the entire process is automatically controlled

through a user-friendly human-machine interface (HMI). Meanwhile, given the fully
automated nature of the system, detailed reports can be immediately accessed on all
aspects of the process from batches down to individual castings. This provides complete
control and traceability — and therefore peace of mind regarding consistency and quality
to owners and, in turn, to customers.

The equipment available to fully automate the selective brush plating process is so flexible
that almost any application can be catered to, to meet a customer’s exacting plating
requirements.

Read: Corrosion Protection Via Selective Plating

Continued innovation
Innovation continues at a great pace in the area of plating automation. The latest
development comes in the form of a fully portable automated electroplating system, able to
be moved directly to a specific component for in situ plating. The system features cutting-

https://www.pfonline.com/articles/sizing-heating-and-cooling-coils 7/8
21/2/23, 18:37 Sizing Heating and Cooling Coils | Products Finishing

edge dripless functionality, with all chemicals going back into the machine with no need for
drip trays, making for a cleaner, more environmentally friendly, and safer working area.

While suitable for use by a skilled operator, this system also allows for the introduction of a
robot to handle the part and/or undertake the plating task, making the process fully
automated. Contributing significantly to both throughput and productivity, this innovation
further reduces manual handling and is ideal for tasks where rapid turnaround is needed,
with no time for a part to be disassembled, removed and taken away for treatment
elsewhere.

About the Author

 

Chic Allen
Chic Allen is the general manager for SIFCO ASC. Visit
sifcoasc.com.

Photo Credit: SIFCO ASC

https://www.pfonline.com/articles/sizing-heating-and-cooling-coils 8/8