Compact Heat Exchanger Channels for Heat Recovery and Lower Pressure Drop

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Solution Overview

Problem

Compact heat exchangers face challenges such as higher pressure drops, uneven temperature distribution leading to thermal stresses, manufacturing complexity, and increased production costs, particularly in microchannel configurations.

Innovation Solution

Utilizing additive manufacturing techniques like 3D printing to create complex geometries, customizable internal structures, and rapid prototyping of compact heat exchangers, allowing for materials like aluminum, stainless steel, and copper, with continuous thermally conductive boundaries and lattice structures to optimize heat transfer and fluid dynamics.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Power

If microchannel configurations are used to maximize surface area, then heat transfer efficiency is improved, but pressure drop increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat transfer efficiencyVSAvoidpressure drop

Core Design Contradiction:

PowerVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by varying the cross-sectional area of channels along their length, creating non-uniform channel geometries. This allows different regions of the heat exchanger to have optimized characteristics - narrower sections for enhanced heat transfer and wider sections for reduced pressure drop, resolving the contradiction between heat transfer efficiency and pressure drop in microchannel configurations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamic characteristics by creating channels with continuously varying cross-sectional areas rather than uniform dimensions. This dynamic geometry optimization allows the channel characteristics to change along the flow path, enabling simultaneous achievement of high heat transfer efficiency in certain regions and low pressure drop in others

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Power

If compact heat exchanger designs are used to maximize surface area in confined volume, then heat transfer efficiency is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat transfer efficiencyVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

PowerVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple functions into a single monolithic structure by integrating the heat exchanger core, fluid distribution manifolds, and support features into one component. This combining approach simplifies manufacturing by eliminating the need for separate fabrication and assembly of multiple parts, while still achieving compact design with maximized surface area in confined volume

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies multi-functionality by designing the heat exchanger core to simultaneously serve as the heat transfer structure, fluid distribution system, and structural support. This universal design approach reduces manufacturing complexity by consolidating multiple functions into a single component that can be fabricated using additive manufacturing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Power

If complex geometries are used to optimize heat transfer, then thermal performance is improved, but production costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvethermal performanceVSAvoidproduction cost

Core Design Contradiction:

PowerVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces traditional mechanical manufacturing methods with additive manufacturing technology. This substitution enables the fabrication of complex geometries with optimized heat transfer surfaces without the high costs associated with conventional precision machining or forming processes, thereby achieving improved thermal performance while controlling production costs

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

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

Enhances heat exchange efficiency, reduces material waste, and lowers production costs while ensuring consistent heat transfer rates and improved thermal performance.

Implementation Method 1

Each of the partitions is defined by a wall common to adjacent hot and cold fluid channels, with the wall defining a continuous, thermally conductive boundary between the channels to facilitate heat exchange

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentUS20260016234A1Compact heat exchangers for gas purification heat recovery systems

Publication Date: 2026.01.15 ENTEGRIS INC

AI summary

A heat exchanger includes an enclosure with distinct inlets and outlets for hot and cold fluids. The enclosure also houses a heat exchanger core, which includes a partition defining sets of hot and cold fluid channels. This partition features a common boundary between a cold fluid channel and a hot fluid channel facilitating heat exchange between the hot and cold fluids. The partition is designed such that at least some cold fluid channels exhibit variations in the common boundary's area per unit length along their extensions. These changes are designed to promote a predetermined and optimized heat exchange between the cold and hot fluids, increasing heat exchanger's efficiency and offering enhanced thermal performance in a compact and well-structured configuration.