Segmented conformal heat exchanger

Abstract

A heat exchanger capable of conforming to expansion / contraction due to external stresses as well as adjusting / adapting to surface imperfections at the interface of the heat exchanger with additional components is disclosed. The heat exchanger is made up of various heat exchanger elements wherein the elements are interconnected in such a manner that they can shift relative to one another along and / or about different axes while maintaining fluid flow through the heat exchanger. Each element has a fluid inlet, fluid outlet and a flow passage extending therebetween, the elements being arranged such that the outlet of one element is fluidly connected to the inlet of the adjacent element. The individual elements are also physically interconnected to allow for longitudinal and / or lateral shiftingin response to external expansion / contraction forces while maintaining fluid flow through the entire heat exchanger, as well as to tilting about each of these axes to account for surface imperfections / tolerances at the interface surface.

Description

[0001] Cross References to Related Applications [0002] This application claims priority to and benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 270,638, filed December 22, 2015, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. technical field [0003] The present disclosure relates to segmented conformal heat exchangers. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a heat exchanger capable of conforming under external stress by having an Simultaneous movement of segments along and / or around different axes is achieved. Background technique [0004] In general, heat exchangers are often subjected to external stresses, often related to the various temperatures to which they are exposed. For example, heat exchangers included in thermoelectric generators (TEGs) are exposed to a wide range of temperatures, which imposes certain limitations on the construction of TEGs. [0005] Thermoelectric generators are known and used to convert heat into electrical ene...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

A suitable thermal interface material (TIM) is placed at the interface of the thermoelectric module and the hot heat exchanger as well as at the interface with the cold heat exchanger, however, due to the wide temperature range to which the device is exposed, this material is usually subjected to high stress, and the The temperature will cause the expansion / contraction of the hot heat exchanger to be much larger compared to the cold heat exchanger

Considering that the whole unit is usually tightly packed or clamped together to ensure good thermal contact between the various parts, the difference in the expansion / contraction rate at the interface of the thermoelectric module with the hot heat exchanger and the cold heat exchanger will heat the Interfacial materials are exposed to high stress, which often leads to cracking or failure of the material at the interface, which adversely affects the functionality of the TEG

Although thicker and / or stronger thermal interface materials can be used in an effort to prevent cracking and / or failure, choosing a thicker and / or stronger material will generally reduce the thermal contact between the heat exchanger and the thermoelectric module, which have an adverse effect on the overall performance of the TEG

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