alt.energy.homepower

On 24 Aug 2007 13:46:41 -0400, nicksanspam@ wrote:

>I'm thinking about using a recent Taurus auto radiator or a Ford or GMC
>pickup radiator to heat water with hot sunspace air, but I'm concerned that
>a) it's hard to find specs for radiator performance, and b) a mechanic says
>an aluminum core radiator might crud up with corrosion in less than a year
>with oxygenated water and no antifreeze.

Radiator performance is readily available from the manufacturers, if not in their
catalogs then from an inquiry. Have you looked at, say, Modine's website.

>Antifreeze would be expensive for a 1000 gallon heat storage tank, and
>an antifreeze heat exchange loop would add to the cost and lower efficiency.
>How much antifreeze do we need just to prevent corrosion? Is there some
>corrosion inhibitor we can use at a low concentration?

Coolant anti-corrosion/passivation chemical packages are available separate from
antifreeze. These are used to maintain the anti-corrosion protection in large volume
coolant systems where one wouldn't change many gallons of antifreeze just because the
protection package is depleted. Stationary diesels, locomotive engines, things like
that.

Additionally, the aluminum can be completely protected from corrosion by fresh water
using cathodic protection. There are many thousands of RV water heaters out there
with aluminum tanks that handle all sorts of tap water without corrosion. The reason
is the magnesium anode screwed into the tank. I would think that an RV replacement
anode could easily be fitted to an aluminum radiator.

John

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