Features of a cold plate design suitable for powder removal in additive manufacturing.

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a cold plate includes forming a fluid circuit on a build surface layer-by-layer from build material. The fluid circuit includes a plurality of peripheral walls, each of the plurality of peripheral walls at least partially defining a primary channel, and a longitudinal one of the peripheral walls is formed to include an opening configured to allow excess build material to pass therethrough. A central wall of the fluid circuit at least partially defines the primary channel and a plurality of secondary channels fluidly connected to the primary channel. The method further includes removing excess build material through the opening.

Description

Background Art

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to cold plates, and more specifically to a method for designing and manufacturing a cold plate fluid circuit with branched channels.

[0002] Many thermal management systems use cold plates to cool heat-generating electronic devices. Most cold plates are designed to flow a single fluid throughout the plate to absorb waste heat from the associated electronic devices. Various standard designs include internal fluid channels with U-turns or other detours, and may include fins. Current design processes and manufacturing methods limit the design of complex cold plates, and as a result, the heat transfer capacity is limited. To improve heat transfer and flow performance across the cold plate, new design methods are desirable.

Summary of the Invention

[0003] A method of manufacturing a cold plate includes forming a fluid circuit on a shaped surface layer by layer from a shaping material. The fluid circuit includes a plurality of peripheral walls, each of the plurality of peripheral walls at least partially defines a primary channel, and one of the longitudinal peripheral walls is formed to include an opening configured to allow excess shaping material to pass through. The central wall of the fluid circuit at least partially defines a primary channel and a plurality of secondary channels fluidly connected to the primary channel. The method further includes removing excess shaping material through the opening.

[0004] A method of designing a fluid circuit of a cold plate includes performing operations on a three-dimensional model of the cold plate based on input parameters, and the optimization operations include identifying a solid region of the fluid circuit using a first numerical value, identifying an open region of the fluid circuit using a second numerical value, and identifying an intermediate region of the fluid circuit using at least one numerical value between the first numerical value and the second numerical value. The method further includes generating an optimization model and converting the optimization model such that the intermediate region represents a partially open region. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0005] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a cold plate assembly. [Figure 2] This is a top view of the cold plate assembly with the cover plate removed to show the fluid circuitry routed through the cold plate. [Figure 3] This is a simplified cross-sectional view of a tertiary channel in a fluid circuit. [Figure 4] This is a simplified cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a tertiary channel in a fluid circuit. [Figure 5] This is a simplified cross-sectional view of a second, alternative embodiment of a tertiary channel in a fluid circuit. [Figure 6] This is a simplified cross-sectional view of a third, alternative embodiment of a tertiary channel in a fluid circuit. [Figure 7] This is a top view of the intermediate cold plate assembly with the cover plate removed to illustrate a feature that facilitates the removal of excess powder. [Figure 8] This flowchart shows the steps for designing and optimizing the fluid circuit of a cold plate. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0006] The figures identified above illustrate one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, but other embodiments are contemplated as described herein. In no event is this disclosure representative of the present invention, but not limiting it. Those skilled in the art should understand that numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised that fall within the scope and spirit of the principles of the present invention. The drawings may not be drawn to a specific scale, and the applications and embodiments of the present invention may include features and components not specifically shown in the drawings.

[0007] This disclosure presents a method for designing and manufacturing cold-plate fluid circuits having complex geometric shapes. The fluid circuit may have a primary channel, a secondary channel branching from the primary channel, and a tertiary channel branching from the secondary channel. Such designs can be manufactured using powder-based additive manufacturing techniques. The intermediate cold-plate structure may include openings for draining excess powder. The fluid circuit design process may include topology optimization to generate a channel layout that can be converted into a production model for additive manufacturing.

[0008] Figure 1 is a simplified perspective view of a cold plate assembly 10, which includes a cold plate 12 and at least one heat-generating component 14 that is thermally connected to the cold plate 12. Although shown schematicly, the heat-generating component 14 may be an electronic component that is physically in contact with the cold plate 12, such as being removably mounted to the cold plate 12, as will be described in more detail below.

[0009] The cold plate 12 includes a cover plate 18, a base plate 20 located on the opposite side, and an outer housing 16 including four side walls 22. The outer housing 16 may be formed from a metallic or non-metallic material suitable for thermal management applications. Fluid inlets 24 and fluid outlets 26 are located on the lateral side walls 22, as shown in Figure 1. The fluid inlet 24 may be a port or other opening connecting to a source of cooling fluid F for receiving the cooling fluid F (shown in Figure 2), while the fluid outlet 26 may be a port or other opening for discharging the used cooling fluid F. In the illustrated embodiment, the fluid inlet 24 and fluid outlets 26 are located on the same side wall 22, but in another embodiment, the fluid inlet 24 may be located on a first side wall 22, and the fluid outlets 26 may be located elsewhere, for example, adjacent to or opposite the side wall 22.

[0010] In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the outer housing 16 provides the cold plate 12 with a substantially rectangular three-dimensional structure having a length L along the x-axis, a width W along the y-axis, and a height H along the z-axis. As shown, the dimensions of the cold plate 12 are L>W>H, but other dimensions are also considered hereby based on, for example, spatial constraints and / or heat transfer requirements. Thus, the cold plate 12 may have other polygonal geometric shapes such as a rectangular parallelepiped (L=W>H) or a cube (L=W=H). In another embodiment, the cold plate 12 may have a round shape, a shape with curved sides and flat sides, or one or more curved sides to form a more free shape.

[0011] Figure 2 is a top view of a cold plate 12, excluding the cover plate 18 to expose the fluid circuit 28 located in the internal space defined by the outer housing 16. The fluid circuit 28 of the cold plate 12 includes a primary channel 30, a secondary channel 32, and a tertiary channel 34. The peripheral wall 36 and the central wall 38 together define at least partially the primary channel 30, the secondary channel 32, and the tertiary channel 34. More specifically, the walls 36 and 38 may be formed from a solid metal or non-metallic material that extends variably along the x, y, and z axes to define the various channels. In some embodiments, the peripheral wall 36 and / or the central wall 38 may be formed as a substantially continuous single wall structure, or as separate wall portions grouped together to form a wall structure.

[0012] In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the primary channel 30 has a substantially U-shaped geometric form for fluid connection between a fluid inlet 24 and a fluid outlet 26 located on the same side wall 22. Thus, the U-shaped primary channel 30 includes an inlet leg 40, i.e., a portion of the primary channel 30 located immediately downstream of the inlet 24 and positioned substantially along the x-axis. The connecting portion 42 of the primary channel 30 is positioned substantially along the y-axis and fluid connection the inlet leg 40 to the outlet leg 44. The outlet leg 44 is located immediately upstream of the fluid outlet 26 and is substantially parallel to the inlet leg 40.

[0013] The secondary channel 32 branches off from the primary channel 30. In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the secondary channel 32 has a somewhat curved shape, but branches off almost perpendicularly from the inlet leg 40 and the outlet leg 44, respectively (with some parts aligned along the y-axis), and interlocks with each other due to the meandering / winding shape of the central wall 38. Another embodiment may additionally / alternatively include one or more secondary channels 32 branching off from the connection portion 42.

[0014] The tertiary channels 34 branch off from the secondary channels 32 and are located within the solid material of the central wall 38. The tertiary channels 34 branch in various directions such that some are located approximately along the x-axis, some are located approximately along the y-axis, and still others may be located at an angle between the x and y axes. The arrangement of the tertiary channels 34 enables fluid interconnection between the primary and secondary channels, as will be described in more detail below.

[0015] In another embodiment, the fluid circuit 28 may include further branching stages beyond tertiary channels (e.g., quintic, sixth, seventh, etc.) based on heat transfer requirements and / or design parameters. In yet another alternative embodiment, it may include only a primary channel and secondary channels that directly fluid-connect various parts of the primary channel (e.g., inlet and outlet legs). In general, the final (n) in any embodiment 番目 The branching stage of the fluid circuit fluid-connects the previous stage of the fluid circuit across the entire surface of the fluid circuit.

[0016] One or more holes 46 may be formed through the solid material of the walls 36 and / or 38, as well as a portion of the outer housing 16 (e.g., the base plate 20). The holes 46 are configured to accommodate fasteners (not shown) for removably attaching the cold plate 12 to a heating component 14 or another structure such as a mount.

[0017] The primary channel 30, secondary channel 32, and tertiary channel 34 may have a cross-sectional area A. The cross-sectional area may be defined by the cross-sectional shape of the channel; for example, in the case of a circular cross-sectional shape, A = πr 2 As shown in Figure 3, in the case of an ellipse, A = πr1r2, where r1 and r2 represent the major and minor axes, respectively. In the case of a quadrilateral cross-sectional shape, A = LW, where L is the length and W is the width. Other, more irregular geometric shapes, including curved and / or flat portions, are also contemplated herein. The cross-sectional shape and / or area of ​​any of the primary channel 30, secondary channel 32, and / or tertiary channel 34 may vary along the length of the individual channel based on flow requirements and / or design optimization.

[0018] Generally, the average cross-sectional area of ​​the primary channel 30 is larger than the average cross-sectional area of ​​the secondary channel 32, and the average cross-sectional area of ​​the secondary channel 32 is larger than the average cross-sectional area of ​​the tertiary channel 34. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the number of secondary channels 32 is greater than the number of primary channels (1), and the number of tertiary channels 34 is greater than the number of secondary channels 32.

[0019] Figure 2 includes arrows illustrating the flow pattern of the cooling fluid F through the fluid circuit 28. However, it should be understood that not all possible flow paths are indicated by arrows. The cooling fluid F could be water, air, oil, ethylene glycol, or a refrigerant, to give a few non-limiting examples. Any cooling fluid, such as a refrigerant, may also be a two-phase (e.g., vapor-liquid) flow.

[0020] During operation, the cooling fluid F enters the fluid circuit 28 through the fluid inlet 24 and moves in a first direction along the inlet leg 40 of the primary channel 30. A portion of the cooling fluid flows into a secondary channel 32 (inlet-side secondary channel 32) branching off from the inlet leg 40, while another portion of the cooling fluid remains in the primary channel 30 and flows along the connection portion 42 and the outlet leg 44. The cooling fluid flows along the outlet leg in the opposite direction to the cooling fluid in the inlet leg 40. The cooling fluid entering the inlet-side secondary channel 32 flows through branching tertiary channels 34 formed in a portion of the central wall 38 that defines a particular secondary channel 32. As shown in Figure 2, a subset of the tertiary channels 34 fluid-connects the inlet-side secondary channel 32 to the outlet leg 44. Another subset of the tertiary channels 34 fluid-connects the inlet-side secondary channel 32 to a secondary channel 32 (outlet-side secondary channel 32) branching off from the outlet leg 44. Another subset of the tertiary channel 34 fluidly connects the inlet secondary channel 32 to the connection section 42. Finally, yet another subset of the tertiary channel 34 branches directly from the inlet leg 40 and extends to the outlet secondary channel 32, fluidly connecting the inlet leg 40 and the outlet secondary channel 32. The used cooling fluid F is discharged from the fluid circuit 28 via the fluid outlet 26. The used cooling fluid generally has a higher temperature than the cooling fluid F at the fluid inlet 24 due to the absorption of waste heat from the heat-generating components 14. The branching design and interconnection of the channels in the fluid circuit 28 allows the cooling fluid F to flow almost simultaneously across the plane of the fluid circuit 28 defined by the x and y axes using the primary, secondary, and tertiary channels, enabling a more uniform distribution of fluid flow and heat transfer across the entire cold plate 12.

[0021] In another embodiment, the fluid circuit 28 can be configured to receive warm fluid and return heat from the fluid to associated components that require heating instead of cooling, alternatively or additionally. In such an embodiment, the fluid discharged from the fluid circuit will generally have a lower temperature than the fluid entering the fluid circuit. Receiving a relatively high temperature fluid can, for example, help improve the overall performance of the associated electronic devices when the system or vehicle is in or after a cold soak condition, or generally.

[0022] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, both the fluid inlet 24 and the fluid outlet 26 are disposed on the common side wall 22, but other arrangements are possible. For example, in another embodiment, the fluid outlet 26 can be disposed within an adjacent or opposing side wall 22. In yet another alternative embodiment, a plurality of fluid inlets 24 and / or a plurality of fluid outlets 26 can be included in the common side wall 22 or separate side walls 22. In any case, the fluid circuit 28 can be arranged such that the primary channel 30 fluidly connects all the fluid inlets 24 and all the fluid outlets 26.

[0023] In addition to complex channel shapes and branching patterns, the individual channels can include features in the inner portion of the channel (i.e., the fluid processing portion). FIG. 3 is a simplified cross-sectional view of a tertiary channel 34, shown as an open channel (i.e., nothing is formed in the internal space). FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 are simplified cross-sectional views of another tertiary channels 34’, 34’’, and 34’’’ having internal features, respectively.

[0024] As shown in Figure 3, the tertiary channel 34 has a cross-sectional area defined by its radius r. Although shown as a nearly circular cross-section, it should be understood that, as previously mentioned, the tertiary channel 34 can have other types of symmetrical or irregular geometric shapes. In the embodiment of Figure 4, the tertiary channel 34' includes internal fins 48. The fins 48 can be distributed uniformly or non-uniformly within the tertiary channel 32A based, for example, on desired fluid flow characteristics (e.g., direction, velocity, etc.). Although shown with relatively straight edges, the fins 48 can have a variety of geometric shapes. Thus, the fins 48 can be formed by additive manufacturing to achieve the desired distribution and shape. Figure 5 shows another embodiment in which the tertiary channel 34'' includes holes 50 within a solid matrix material 52. The solid matrix material 52 can be equivalent to the solid material forming the central wall 38, since the tertiary channel 34'' can be located within the central wall 38 as in the tertiary channel 34 of Figure 2. The tertiary channel 34'' may be formed, for example, by additively fabricating the central wall 38 at selected locations such that the fabrication material is filled at a lower density compared to the more densely packed (solid) regions of the central wall 38, and the holes 50 form a porous channel 34'', allowing a certain amount of cooling fluid F to pass through the tertiary channel 34''. The tertiary channel 34'' may be desirable, for example, when a more solid material is convenient for structural requirements and the holes 50 are sufficient to meet the fluid flow requirements. Figure 6 shows a tertiary channel 34'''' with an internal grid network. Such an embodiment may be desirable, for example, to increase the structural rigidity of the fluid circuit. Furthermore, another embodiment may include one or a combination thereof of the tertiary channels 34, 34', 34'', and / or 34'''. In another embodiment, the features of the tertiary channels 34', 34'', and / or 34''' may be additionally or alternatively included within the primary channel 30 and / or secondary channel 32.

[0025] In exemplary embodiments, the cold plate 12 may be formed partially or entirely by additive manufacturing to achieve complex geometric shapes within the fluid circuit 28. For metal components (such as Inconel, aluminum, and titanium), examples of additive manufacturing processes include powder bed fusion techniques such as direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), laser net-shape fabrication (LNSM), and electron beam fabrication (EBM), to name a few non-limiting examples. For polymer or plastic components, stereolithography (SLA) can be used. For ceramic materials, binder jetting, photopolymerization, SLA, or material deposition methods can be used. Additive manufacturing is particularly useful for obtaining unique geometric shapes, such as the shapes of walls 36 and 38, branching patterns of the fluid network 28, and / or various geometric shapes of individual fluid channels. However, other suitable manufacturing processes, such as brazing, can also be used.

[0026] In powder-based additive manufacturing technology, powder / powder-based material can be deposited onto the build surface and solidified using an energy source. These common steps of powder deposition and solidification can be repeated as the three-dimensional structure (e.g., walls 36 and 38) is formed layer by layer. Some excess (free) powder may remain in the cold plate 12, particularly in open areas of the cold plate 12 (e.g., fluid channels). Due to the meandering design of the fluid circuit 28, it may be difficult to remove the excess powder once the cold plate 12 is fully assembled with the outer casing 16.

[0027] Figure 7 is a top view of the cold plate assembly in an intermediate state of fabrication, excluding the cover plate 18. As shown in Figure 7, a tertiary channel 34 is formed in the central wall 38. Three sides of the peripheral wall 36 are also formed. One side of the peripheral wall 36, extending longitudinally (along the x-axis), is partially formed. More specifically, a portion of the peripheral wall 36 includes spaced fins 54 to define an opening 56. The fins 54 may be formed from the same material as the rest of the wall 36. After the fluid circuit 28 and outer housing 16 are formed, excess powder is removed or discharged from the internal space of the cold plate 12 through the opening 56. One method of removing excess powder may include rotating the cold plate 12 so that the fins 54 and the opening 56 face downward (along the z-axis). In this orientation, some of the excess powder may be drawn out through the opening 56 by gravity. Shaking or vibrating the cold plate 12 while it is oriented in this manner may further facilitate the removal of excess powder. Additionally and / or alternatively, an airflow or reduced pressure may be applied to one or more openings 56 to remove excess powder. In another embodiment, depending on, for example, the complexity of the design of the fluid circuit 28 or the amount of excess powder expected from a particular additive manufacturing technique, additional portions of the perimeter wall 36 may be formed with fins 54 and openings 56. Alternatively, for the same reasons, only separate portions of the wall 36 may be formed to include fewer fins 54 and openings 56 than those shown in Figure 7. After sufficient removal of excess powder, one or more post-processing steps may be performed on the portions of the wall 36 having fins 54 and openings 56 to fluidically seal the cold plate 12 (excluding the fluid inlet 24 and fluid outlet 26). Such steps may include material joining techniques (e.g., welding or brazing) for joining one or more solid material pieces to the wall 36 to cover the openings 56. In another embodiment, the longitudinally extending side of the wall 36 may be formed as a porous material having pores of a size that allows excess powder to be discharged.Post-processing for sealing porous materials may include joining materials as discussed above, or a further series of additive manufacturing processes to form a high-density, fluidly sealed layer on the porous material. Furthermore, in either finned or perforated embodiments, it is possible to seal the wall portion using a resin (e.g., epoxy) material to close the opening 56.

[0028] Figure 8 is a method flowchart showing selected steps of Method 100 for designing a fluid circuit 28 of a cold plate 12. In step 102, optimization operations are performed on the proposed three-dimensional model of the fluid circuit. These operations may be based on various input parameters, to give some non-limiting examples, such as weight and dimensional constraints, required mechanical properties, fluid inlet and outlet locations, heat transfer requirements, and fluid flow requirements. In step 104, the optimizer identifies solid, open, and intermediate regions of the fluid circuit. Solid regions (e.g., walls 36) may be assigned a value of 1.0 or close to it, while open regions (e.g., primary channels 30) may be assigned a value of 0 or close to it. Intermediate regions may be assigned a value between 0 and 1.0. In step 106, an optimized model is generated that includes all / any of the solid, open, and intermediate regions. Step 108 is a conversion step in which the intermediate regions of the optimized model are interpreted as partially open structures for a subsequent manufacturing model (e.g., a CAD model). For example, the tertiary channel 34 can be included in the optimization model and further designated as an intermediate region. Thus, the tertiary channel 34 may be designed to contain densely packed fins, similar to the tertiary channel 34' in Figure 4. The tertiary channel 34 may also be designed as a porous channel or lattice structure similar to the tertiary channels 34'' and 34''', respectively. Such interpretations are suitable for subsequent additive manufacturing processes that can produce such structures.

[0029] The method described herein not only enables the optimal design of cold plates 12, which may require complex fluid circuit geometry and various material densities, but also allows for the manufacture of such designs and the efficient removal of waste material.

[0030] Consideration of Possible Embodiments The following is a non-exclusive description of possible embodiments of the present invention.

[0031] A method for manufacturing a cold plate involves forming a fluid circuit on the printed surface layer by layer from the printing material. The fluid circuit includes a plurality of peripheral walls, each of which at least partially defines a primary channel, and one of the longitudinal peripheral walls is formed to include an opening configured to allow excess printing material to pass through. The central wall of the fluid circuit at least partially defines a primary channel and a plurality of secondary channels that fluidly connect to the primary channel. The method further includes removing excess printing material through the opening.

[0032] The methods described in the preceding paragraph may optionally include, in addition and / or alternatively, one or more of the following features, configurations, and / or additional components:

[0033] In the above method, one of the multiple peripheral walls that extends in the longitudinal direction may be formed from a porous material and one of the multiple fins.

[0034] In any of the above methods, the molding material may be a powder.

[0035] In any of the above methods, the fluid circuit can be formed using powder-based additive manufacturing technology.

[0036] Any of the above methods may further include forming an outer cover on the cold plate.

[0037] In any of the above methods, removing excess material involves using shaking, vibration, or vacuum techniques to expel the excess material through a first of multiple sidewalls.

[0038] Any of the above methods may further include sealing the first of the multiple peripheral walls after removing the excess molding material.

[0039] In any of the above methods, sealing the first of the multiple peripheral walls may involve attaching a solid material to the first of the multiple peripheral walls using welding or brazing techniques.

[0040] In any of the above methods, the first peripheral wall of the plurality of walls may abut against the second peripheral wall of the plurality of walls, and the second wall of the plurality of walls may include one of a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet.

[0041] Any of the above methods may further include forming a central wall having multiple tertiary channels that penetrate the central wall.

[0042] In any of the above methods, the first channel among the multiple tertiary channels can fluidly connect the first channel among the multiple secondary channels to the primary channel.

[0043] In any of the above methods, the second channel among the multiple tertiary channels can fluidly connect the first channel among the multiple secondary channels to the second channel among the multiple secondary channels.

[0044] In any of the above methods, at least one of the multiple tertiary channels may include a fin.

[0045] In any of the above methods, at least one of the multiple tertiary channels may include one of a porous material and a lattice structure configured such that a certain amount of fluid can flow through it.

[0046] A method for designing a fluid circuit in a cold plate involves performing operations on a three-dimensional model of the cold plate based on input parameters, wherein the optimization operation includes identifying solid regions of the fluid circuit using a first numerical value, identifying open regions of the fluid circuit using a second numerical value, and identifying intermediate regions of the fluid circuit using at least one numerical value between the first and second numerical values. The method further includes generating an optimized model and transforming the optimized model so that the intermediate regions represent partially open regions.

[0047] The methods described in the preceding paragraph may optionally include, in addition and / or alternatively, one or more of the following features, configurations, and / or additional components:

[0048] The above method may further include additive manufacturing of the fluid circuit based on an optimization model.

[0049] In any of the above methods, the solid region can be formed as one of several peripheral and central walls.

[0050] In any of the above methods, the open region can be a primary channel and one of several secondary channels.

[0051] In any of the above methods, the partially opened region may be formed as multiple tertiary channels equipped with fins.

[0052] In any of the above methods, the partially open region may be formed as a tertiary channel containing a porous material configured to allow a certain amount of fluid to flow through it.

[0053] While the present invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention, and that equivalents can be substituted for its elements. In addition, many modifications can be made without departing from the essential scope of the invention to adapt the teachings of the invention to specific situations or materials. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and is intended to include all embodiments that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a cold plate having a rectangular shape when viewed from above, The process involves forming a fluid circuit on the surface of each layer of the fabrication material, wherein the fluid circuit is Multiple surrounding walls, Each of the aforementioned plurality of peripheral walls defines at least partially a primary channel, The first peripheral wall, which extends longitudinally in the top view, is formed to include an opening that allows excess molding material to pass through. The aforementioned peripheral wall and, The primary channel and a central wall that at least partially defines a plurality of secondary channels fluidly connected to the primary channel, Including the formation of, Removing the excess molding material from the opening, Includes, The first peripheral wall of the peripheral wall is formed from a plurality of fins, the plurality of fins are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction when viewed from above, and the plurality of openings are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction when viewed from above and penetrate the first peripheral wall of the peripheral wall in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The molding material is a powder, The method further includes forming an outer cover on the cold plate, Removing the excess material includes using shaking, vibration, or vacuum techniques to expel the excess material through the opening formed in the first of the plurality of peripheral walls. The method further includes removing the excess molding material and then sealing the first of the plurality of peripheral walls. A method in which the plurality of peripheral walls are arranged along the side walls inside the side walls of the cold plate.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the fluid circuit is formed using powder-based additive manufacturing technology.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein sealing the first peripheral wall of the peripheral walls includes attaching a solid material to the first peripheral wall of the plurality of peripheral walls using welding or brazing techniques.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the first peripheral wall of the plurality of peripheral walls abuts against the second peripheral wall of the plurality of peripheral walls, and the second peripheral wall of the plurality of peripheral walls includes one of a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising forming the central wall having a plurality of tertiary channels extending through the central wall.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the first channel among the plurality of tertiary channels fluidly connects the first channel among the plurality of secondary channels to the primary channel.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the second channel among the plurality of tertiary channels fluidly connects the first channel among the plurality of secondary channels to the second channel among the plurality of secondary channels.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of tertiary channels is a fin.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of tertiary channels includes one of a porous material and a lattice structure configured to allow a certain amount of fluid to flow through it.

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