>>> posted by Scotts94z32 on December 04, 2003 at 12:42 PM
Message
:I never said it was a TERRIBLE metal, I said it was less then ideal because of the amount of heat it would retain - 2.5 that of mild steel and 10x that of aluminum.
Why is the heat retention of hardpipes an issue in this case?
Wouldn't thermal conductivity be the issue instead? The thermal tiles of the space shuttle retain heat pretty good, but that's because they're such a good insulator. If you're talking about pipes transferring heat, technically you'd want an insulator and not a good conductor. SS retains heat better than steel and aluminum becasue it's not a good conductor. Aluminum dissipates heat so fast because it's such a good conductor. I'd think that's what you'd be trying to avoid, not heat retention.
But I think it's a moot point anyway.
I hope I didn't go barking up the wrong tree here.
