Clean dull stainless

[durcan]

HI,
I am looking for stainless steel which needs to have a dull fininsh, i need the best heat transfer, heat transfer to teh stainless is due to radiation on one side, and water flow (forced convection) the other.
What finish can I get?

Thanks

 

[mcguire]

Get a rolled-on matte surface. Producers such as J%L and Allegheny sell them under trade names. Check their websites. These surfaces are made non-reflective by being temper passed with rolls that have been roughened by an electro-discharge technique. This gives them a much more uniform texture and better corrosion resistance than blasted steel.
J%L's surface is called Architex,I think. It was used on the Reagan Airport roof very successfully. It has enhanced surface area for heat transfer, but no crevices or exposed inclusions.

 

[BobUXL]

Pickling the material will create a very matt finish.

 

[mcguire]

BobUXL is right. Pickling will give you as rough a surface as a polish will. It won't have a uniform appearance, but that is probably a secondary concern. Despite the widespread use of stainless for heat exchanger tubes, no serious development has been attempted to optimize finishes in this regard.

 

[ijzer]

Just order hot finished not pickled.

 

[mcguire]

If you can stand the tolerances. Also, it's not available below 0.080 inch thickness.

 

[BobUXL]

Be careful ordering hot finished. This, many times, means the material still has hot mill scale on the product.