Heat Exchanger Tubes
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In recent years, Pantani Group has produced more than 127,000 U-bent tubes for 73 complete Feedwater Heater sets used in 15 projects across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. These production volumes provide a practical measure of process repeatability, particularly as component complexity, project volumes, and quality requirements increase.
Data Centers: heat-transfer performance starts with surface area In nuclear applications, one of the main manufacturing challenges is maintaining geometry and tube integrity under demanding bending conditions. In data centers, the primary technical issue is different: heat removal. Cooling-system efficiency depends on the ability to transfer and dissipate the thermal energy generated by IT equipment. Finned tubes contribute to this process by increasing the surface area available for heat exchange. In this type of construction, an aluminum strip is formed around the tube to create the fins. The resulting increase in surface area improves the ability of the tube to transfer heat to the surrounding airflow. Aluminum’ s high thermal conductivity allows heat to move rapidly from the tube into the fins and across a larger exchange surface, supporting more effective heat dissipation. Surface area alone, however, does not determine performance. The geometry and consistency of the finning process are equally important. In L-foot finned tubes, for example, fin pitch is a critical parameter. Variations in spacing can affect airflow through the finned surface, potentially increasing turbulence, reducing heattransfer efficiency, and increasing energy consumption. For this reason, fin-pitch control is an important part of the production process. At Valtecno, Pantani Group’ s business unit specializing in finned tubes, the manufacturing process is designed to maintain a tolerance of + 0 /-0.5 FPI. This tolerance is intended to keep fin spacing within a range that supports the required thermal performance and avoids geometries that could have a negative effect on energy efficiency. A finned tube is therefore not simply the result of a mechanical operation. Its performance depends on maintaining uniformity and continuity across the entire heat-transfer surface.
Copper low-fin tubes.
L-fin tubes.
Different applications, common manufacturing principles A nuclear power plant and a data center operate under very different conditions. Their design requirements are different. Their operating environments are different. Their technical constraints are different. What they share is a dependence on components that must deliver predictable performance, long-term reliability, and consistent manufacturing quality. This is where process knowledge becomes important.
Automotive tubes cut to length.
About the author
Rachele Di Terlizzi is Group Head of Sales at Pantani Group, where she leads international sales development and strategic customer relationships across global industrial markets. With a focus on the heat exchanger industry, she combines market expertise with a deep understanding of customer needs, connecting them with the Group’ s specialized tube-processing capabilities. Her partnershipdriven approach supports Pantani Group’ s international growth and the development of tailored solutions for complex and demanding industrial applications.
The technical challenge is not limited to producing a complex bend or achieving a specific fin geometry. It also involves understanding the application requirements, defining the appropriate production method, and controlling each stage of the process through to the finished component. The same manufacturing principles apply across both applications: precision, process consistency, control, and accountability. When the overall system performance depends on the quality of an individual tube, the value lies not in the manufacturing operation alone, but in the process knowledge required to perform it consistently.
22 Heat Exchanger World October 2026 www. heat-exchanger-world. com