One-Piece Additive Heat Exchanger with Lattice Structures
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heat exchanger fabrication techniques require expensive equipment and bonding methods that result in poor thermal conductivity and increased costs, while additive manufacturing offers improved thermal conductivity and design flexibility but is limited by the need for support structures and inability to produce certain channel designs.
Innovation Solution
The use of additive manufacturing to create a one-piece heat exchanger with internal lattice structures and multiple coolant channels, eliminating the need for bonding materials and support structures, and enabling the creation of complex channel designs that enhance thermal conductivity and structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional fabrication techniques are used, then bonding methods can join components, but thermal conductivity deteriorates and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple heat exchanger components into a single monolithic structure fabricated by additive manufacturing. This eliminates the need for bonding materials and multiple assembly steps, directly resolving the contradiction by achieving both high thermal conductivity (through continuous material without bonding interfaces) and reduced manufacturing cost (through single-step fabrication).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical bonding methods with additive manufacturing technology. This substitution eliminates bonding materials that impede heat transfer while maintaining structural integrity, thereby improving thermal conductivity without increasing manufacturing complexity or cost.
2Strength
If additive manufacturing is used, then thermal conductivity and design flexibility improve, but support structures are required and certain channel designs cannot be produced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes support structures from the final heat exchanger design. By designing channels and lattice structures that are self-supporting during fabrication or easily removable without compromising the final product, the invention achieves high thermal conductivity through additive manufacturing while eliminating the complexity and drawbacks of support structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes three-dimensional lattice structures and optimized channel geometries that leverage the inherent advantages of additive manufacturing in creating complex spatial forms. These designs optimize heat transfer pathways in multiple dimensions while maintaining structural integrity without requiring traditional support structures.
3Productivity
If additive manufacturing is used, then manufacturing time and cost are reduced, but the ability to produce certain channel designs is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying channel geometries, sizes, and distributions at different locations within the heat exchanger based on specific thermal requirements. The additive manufacturing process enables these localized design variations while maintaining manufacturing efficiency, thus achieving both rapid production and design versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by varying channel dimensions, cross-sectional shapes, and lattice structures throughout the heat exchanger body. Additive manufacturing allows these parametric variations to be easily implemented without increasing manufacturing complexity, enabling both fast production and design flexibility.
4Stability of the object's composition
If bonding materials are used to join components, then assembly is possible, but thermal conductivity and manufacturing cost are adversely affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple components into a single monolithic structure fabricated by additive manufacturing. This merging eliminates bonding materials that create thermal resistance interfaces while maintaining structural integrity through continuous material deposition, thereby resolving the contradiction between structural stability and thermal conductivity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces manufacturing costs and time, improves thermal conductivity, and allows for the integration of multiple coolant types within a single heat exchanger, enhancing cooling efficiency and structural support.
Implementation Method 1
The heat exchanger includes materials with high thermal conductivity, which transfer heat away from the components and into a coolant (e.g., air, water) circulating through the heat exchanger
Implementation Method 2
a coolant (e.g., air, water) circulating through the heat exchanger, which transports the heat away from the components
Data Source
AI summary
A one-piece heat exchanger manufactured using an additive manufacturing process is described. The heat exchanger includes a plurality of channels formed therein. At least some of the plurality of channels may be configured to provide structural support to the heat exchanger to reduce its weight. Different coolant media may be used in a first set and a second set of the plurality of channels to provide different types of cooling in an integrated one-piece heat exchanger structure.