Categorization of Radiators based on types: A complete guide

Writen by
Tiger.Lei
Last update:
January 20, 2025

Helps you understand how to choose the best thermal solution to extend equipment life and…

Are you looking for a radiator to solve your heat dissipation issue? If so, JiuJu is here to help. We provide different types of radiators to ensure optimal heat dissipation and enhanced thermal efficiency. Picking the right type of radiator for your car can be challenging, and knowing the types of radiators along with their purposes is a must for the right selection. But don’t worry; this blog will break down the radiator types and help you select the most suitable radiator. So, let’s not wait further and find out the different types of radiators;

Aluminum Radiator

Aluminum extruded radiator is made by extruding aluminum material.

Aluminum is making an incredible place in the automotive industry and is being replaced by traditional metals because of its high thermal efficiency, lightweight, and durability. The excess availability of aluminum has made it a great choice for being used in optimal cooling for car radiators. Aluminum radiators work effectively in dissipating heat and keeping the temperature of the car cool, thus preventing overheating. Radiators made up of aluminum can be considered a smart choice for cars, as they can withstand corrosion and cracking. The durability of an aluminum radiator promises a longer lifespan for your vehicle. Although an aluminum radiator can be a big budget investment, it would be worth every penny.

The distinct feature of an aluminum radiator, making it effective amongst other types of radiators, is its ability to heat up and cool down quickly, not leaving any passage for your vehicle to heat up and encouraging heat dissipation quickly.

While an aluminum radiator can be a great companion for your car, it comes with some downsides. An aluminum radiator requires frequent maintenance to ensure smooth operation, and it is advised to change your car coolant every two years when using a car radiator made up of aluminum. Secondly, if you plan to upgrade your vehicle with an aluminum radiator, be prepared to spend a big chunk of your money because these upgrades are mostly costly, unlike other radiator options.

Copper Radiator

Copper heat sinks are ideal for high-performance heat dissipation due to their excellent thermal conductivity, corrosion resistance and high strength.

Do you want to prolong your vehicle’s lifespan and boost its thermal efficiency? If yes, then a copper radiator is the answer. With excellent thermal conductivity, a copper radiator works smoothly for heat dissipation and avoids overheating of your vehicle. If your car has lately been heating up frequently, it is high time you invest in a copper radiator and get an upgrade. Not only do copper radiators promise thermal efficiency, but they are also durable enough to prevent corrosion and can knock down high temperatures. The exciting part about these radiators is the fact that they can easily be repaired, unlike aluminum ones, and can continue to serve you for many years.

Now, the point where copper radiators fail to fit in modern vehicles is their weight, which is generally higher than that of aluminum radiators. Because of this reason, many modern vehicles come with aluminum radiators as they are lightweight and can be managed in tight spaces efficiently. Apart from this, a copper radiator costs you more than an aluminum radiator and is not a budget-friendly option.

FIN Radiator

FIN radiators are thin sheets of metal on a radiator, usually made of copper or aluminum

Have you ever seen a radiator with fins and wondered what purpose these fins serve? Here’s the answer: Fin-type radiators are a special type of radiator that consists of attached fins that are mounted on the outer surface of metal tubes. The purpose of adding fins is to fasten the heat exchange process; this efficient heat transfer makes it favorable to be used in cars. Let’s now understand what helps a fin-type radiator to allow fast heat transfer, well, the logic is simple. These fins tend to increase the surface area, which helps in quicker heat transfer. This property of fin radiators helps cool down the engine coolant of vehicles and prevents overheating.

Fin-type radiators have several applications, and apart from vehicles, they work efficiently for heating and cooling systems, the primary goal of using a fin radiator is to allow effective heat transfer, be it a heating or cooling system. In the case of vehicles, it is beneficial in keeping your vehicle cool.

Here at JiuJu, we offer excellent quality turned-fin radiators without compromising on quality and service.

Liquid Cooling Radiator

It generally consists of a circulation pump, heat exchanger, piping system, and coolant.

Liquid cooling radiators are used in liquid cooling systems, where the heat transfer takes place due to a coolant, which is usually water. Before getting on to a liquid cooling radiator, it is important to understand how the liquid cooling system works. The basic principle of a cooling system revolves around the fact that coolant is made to transfer through the system using a pump, which carries out the heat transfer process. The role of a radiator in this regard holds utmost importance; it is because when the coolant is sent to the radiator via a pump, a radiator performs the duty of dissipating heat by making use of fans, these fans can either be single, double, or triple, depending upon the system size. However, for faster heat transfer, radiators with greater surface areas and more fans tend to work more effectively.

Now let’s talk about the applications of these types of radiators, usually, liquid cooling radiators are used in industrial applications, gaming, and high-performance computing. For industrial applications, liquid cooling radiators prolong the lifespan of machinery and prevent overheating.

Heat Pipe Radiator

Consists of a sealing tube, suction core and vapor passage.

Heat pipe radiator is an innovative heat transfer technology that is not only efficient but is compact in size and a reliable heat transfer option. Let’s first understand the mechanism of a heat pipe radiator before going into its applications. The process of heat exchange in a heat pipe radiator takes place in a cycle, which starts from evaporation. The coolant present in the heat pipe absorbs heat and converts it into steam, these vapors travel and are condensed in the condensation section, turning into a liquid, which is then recycled in the process. The place where this process takes place is a heat pipe, which consists of a shell, working fluid, and a capillary core.

 To begin with, the applications, hot pipe radiators are widely used in electronics cooling to maintain an optimal temperature and ensure the smooth operation of electronic components. With the evolution of the automobile industry, hot pipe radiators are becoming popular for use in electric vehicles to maintain the temperature of their power battery packs. In the upcoming years, hot pipe technology will be proved helpful for thermal management and will bring in more impactful solutions that are environmentally friendly and effective.

PCIE Heatsinks

Mainly through the heat sink, fan and other cooling components, the PCIE interface devices such as graphics cards, solid state drives, etc. in the process of working to disseminate the heat produced

PCIe heatsinks are a special type of radiator intended for heat dissipation of PCIe cards, PCIe stands for Peripheral Component Interconnect Express. PCIe technology has several applications, including video graphics cards, computer memory, network cards, TV tuner cards, sound cards, etc. During operation, heat production can hinder the data transfer speed, to encounter this issue, a PCIe heatsink is required. PCIe heatsinks perform their role of heat dissipation to ensure smooth operation with fast speed and low error rate. Depending on the size of the PCIe card, a customizable PCIe heatsink can be designed to offer cooling solutions.

3DVC Cooling Module

3DVC is the three-dimensional uniform temperature plate, is the heat pipe extended to the body of the VC uniform heat plate, when the vacuum chamber of the VC uniform temperature plate and the heat pipe connected to each other, the internal mass to complete the connection, and the heat source can be direct contact, its vertical heat pipe design also improves the rate of heat transfer.

The advancement of technology and innovation of compact-size electronic systems has brought new challenges in handling heat dissipation while maintaining performance. To encounter this problem, a 3VDC cooling module can be of great help. Primarily, these cooling modules are designed to cater to the thermal management of electronic devices without compromising on performance. Of course, since it is an innovative heat dissipation solution, on average, it will cost you more than any of the heat transfer options mentioned above. But what makes a point is the fact these cooling modules are efficient and smart. This one-time investment will not only prolong the life of electronic equipment but will additionally save you managing costs, and can be summed up as a cost-cutting heat transfer solution from a broader perspective.

The interesting fact about these 3VDC cooling modules is that they are versatile and can be paired up with different electronic systems to boost their thermal efficiency and elongate their lifespan. 3VDC is a trusted and reliable heat dissipation solution and ensures high performance for compact electronic systems. 3D vapor chamber technology is mostly used in base stations and data centers.

Now that you know the types and purposes of each radiator, it will be easy for you to pick the type of radiator that caters to your needs. If you want to get the best product with unmatchable quality and the best cooling solution for your vehicle alongside customer service, JiuJu is the answer. We, as an experienced company, have been serving our clients with great thermal solutions. Get in touch with us and find the most appropriate, innovative, and advanced solution for your industry that can be customized as per your business needs. Not only this, we offer a one-year warranty for all our products, what’s better than that!

Visit our product page for further insights and information.

Product page: https://jiujutech.com/car-radiator/ 

About Tiger.Lei

As the founder of JiuJu, we bring 20 years of expertise in manufacturing high-quality Thermal Management Solutions. If you have any queries or need assistance. We are here to provide the solutions tailored to your needs.

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