Additively Manufactured Crossflow Heat Exchanger Core Geometry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional manufacturing techniques for crossflow heat exchangers are laborious, introduce mechanical integrity issues, and are constrained by limitations in core geometry, making it difficult to produce compact and high-performance heat exchangers with complex geometries.
Innovation Solution
A crossflow heat exchanger is constructed using additive manufacturing, with a core design featuring fluid tubes and fins optimized for vertical orientation, staggered arrangements, and turbulence-inducing structures to enhance heat transfer, allowing for a compact and efficient design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional manufacturing techniques are used to create a crossflow heat exchanger, then the manufacturing process is laborious and complex, but the heat exchanger can be produced with standard geometry
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple manufacturing steps into a single additive manufacturing process. The heat exchanger core, fins, and support structures are all produced in one integrated additive manufacturing operation, eliminating the need for separate joining and brazing operations required by traditional manufacturing methods
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the manufacturing approach from subtractive/traditional methods to additive manufacturing. This parameter change enables the production of complex geometries that would be difficult or impossible to achieve with conventional manufacturing techniques, while simplifying the overall manufacturing process
2Reliability
If traditional manufacturing techniques are used, then assembly is simpler, but mechanical integrity issues are introduced at joining/brazing regions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the core structure, fins, and support elements into a single monolithic component produced by additive manufacturing. This eliminates all joining and brazing operations, removing the mechanical integrity issues that arise at these connection points while maintaining structural reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates the joining and brazing operations from the manufacturing process. By producing the entire heat exchanger core as one integrated component, the problematic connection points are completely removed from the system
3Volume of moving object
If the heat exchanger core features are made smaller and more closely packed to increase surface area density, then compactness is improved, but manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the manufacturing method to additive manufacturing, which enables the production of small, closely packed features with high precision. This parameter change allows the heat exchanger core to achieve high surface area density and compactness without the manufacturing difficulties associated with traditional methods
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes the third dimension in additive manufacturing to create complex, multi-layered fin structures and support elements. This dimensional approach allows for high surface area density within a compact volume, achieving both compactness and manufacturability
4Manufacturing precision
If additive manufacturing is used to create sophisticated geometry, then high surface area density and compactness are achieved, but design constraints and limitations are introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the build orientation parameter in additive manufacturing to vertical orientation. This parameter change allows for the production of high-precision core geometry with sophisticated features while managing design constraints by optimizing the manufacturing parameters
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
The additive manufacturing process enables the creation of a compact, high-surface-area-density heat exchanger with improved thermal performance, reduced assembly costs, and enhanced heat transfer efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The purpose of a heat exchanger is to transfer heat between two or more separate streams of working fluids
Implementation Method 2
The fluid tubes may include turbulence-inducing interior structure designed to prevent or reduce laminar flow of the first working fluid for better heat transfer
Data Source
AI summary
A crossflow heat exchanger constructed by an additive manufacturing process defining a build direction, the heat exchanger having a core with fluid tubes extending in a first direction therethrough for carrying a first working fluid, the heat exchanger core having a plurality of heat exchange fins extending from the fluid tubes, the fins being substantially planar, parallel to one another and transverse to the first direction, wherein spaces between the fins allow for a second working fluid to flow therebetween, in use, in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.