The key difference between alloy and copper AC is that alloy AC has a lower heat transfer coefficient, whereas copper AC has a greater heat transfer coefficient.
AC or air-conditioner is an important appliance in household and office spaces. When buying an AC, you have to consider various parameters, such as capacity, materials, weight, and price. When it comes to materials, there are several options, such as alloy ACs, copper ACs, and aluminum AC. In this article, we will be looking at the difference between alloy and copper AC.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Alloy AC
3. What is Copper AC
4. Alloy vs Copper AC in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Alloy vs Copper AC
What is Alloy AC?
Alloy AC has coils made of alloy materials. Alloy ACs are usually less expensive than copper and aluminum ACs. Alloy AC coils help to reduce the cost of the AC appliance by a considerable amount. In terms of price, alloy ACs are superior to copper ACs.
Moreover, the pliability of alloy ACs is comparatively high, and it is easier to bend. Therefore, alloy ACs use a lower amount of coil than copper ACs. However, the heat transfer coefficient is lower in alloy AC. Therefore, its performance is comparatively low.
Furthermore, an alloy AC has low durability because of its high malleability. This low durability makes it difficult to clean and maintain them. Moreover, these coils are brittle and difficult to mend when there are damages or cuts. Therefore, they can easily sustain damages. The lack of durability of alloy AC coils makes it almost impossible to repair when the coils sustain any damage. Furthermore, alloy ACs have a very low thermal resistance and also have a high power intake. This is because the power conversion rate of alloy AC coils is low.
What is Copper AC?
Copper AC has coils made of copper material. Typically, raw copper is more costly than alloys. Therefore, any AC containing copper coils can inevitably cost more than ACs with alloy coils. Moreover, the pliability of copper AC coils is comparatively lower, so the coils are difficult to bend. Therefore, these coils should have approximately three times copper when making a coil of the same size and shape as an alloy coil.
When considering heat transfer, copper has a high value for heat transparent coefficient. Therefore, copper AC coils perform better in heat transmission. Also, copper is usually not malleable compared to most other metals. Hence, these coils have more durability compared to alloy AC coils. Besides, minor damages or cuts on these coils can be easily mended. In addition to these, in case of corrosion, it is easier to clean a copper coil because of its less brittle nature.
Furthermore, copper AC coils have a very high thermal resistance. The power conversion rate of copper is high, so it does not require a high power intake. Therefore, using copper ACs is preferred when we need to efficiently reduce energy use. Besides, the high durability makes copper easy to clean, repair, and upkeep. However, pure cost-wise, copper AC is expensive. Nevertheless, these copper ACs dominate in most other aspects, such as durability, reliability, and easiness of cleaning, along with less energy consumption and high thermal resistance.
What is the Difference Between Alloy and Copper AC?
There are three major types of ACs; they are copper, aluminum, and alloy AC. In the comparison of copper and alloy AC, the key difference between alloy and copper AC can be given as their heat transfer coefficient. Alloy AC has a lower heat transfer coefficient, whereas copper AC has a greater heat transfer coefficient.
The below infographic presents the differences between alloy and copper AC in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Alloy vs Copper AC
Alloy AC has coils made of alloy materials, while copper AC has coils made of copper material. The key difference between alloy and copper AC is that alloy AC has a lower heat transfer coefficient, whereas copper AC has a greater heat transfer coefficient.
Reference:
1. “Copper Tube Evaporator” By Neurotronix – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia