xpensive,
You said:
"To the best of my experience, you are perhaps missing the point here, thermal conductivity of the material itself is very often not the most critical parameter, when getting enough surface-area is."
I would somewhat disagree. The reason the radiator material thermal conductivity is important is because a typical radiator is not simply a liquid-to-air heat exchanger, as it is commonly referred to. It is more correctly a liquid-to-metal-to-air heat exchanger. The rate at which heat is transferred from the liquid to the passing airflow is partially a function of the thermal conductivity of the metal tubes and fins the core is constructed of.
For any radiator installation besides a drag sensitive F1 car, an aluminum core would seem to give the best compromise of weight, cost, efficiency and durability. But for an F1 car, where cost and durability are not so much of an issue, I still think a carefully designed copper core might win out due to its lower drag, despite the fact that it would be slightly heavier.
Unfortunately, it would seem to be a very complex trade study to determine which core material would be better overall. One would have to have an intimate knowledge of heat exchanger design and how it affects a modern F1 chassis aero configuration. And there's not too many people around with that level of expertise.
This is probably the best reference on the subject:
http://www.amazon.com/Compact-Heat-Exch ... 1575240602
Regards,
Terry
