Integrated Header Horn Structures for Additive Printing and Thermal Stress
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heat exchangers operating at elevated temperatures face reduced service lives due to thermal stress, particularly at the interface between headers and the core, and internal support structures can complicate additive manufacturing and induce thermal stress during operation.
Innovation Solution
A heat exchanger design featuring integrated horns and a sacrificial support structure allows for additive manufacturing in a near-vertical orientation, reducing thermal stress and enabling efficient heat transfer while allowing for easy removal of support structures post-manufacture.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If internal support structures are added to reinforce additive manufacturing builds, then manufacturing feasibility is improved, but thermal stress increases during operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes internal support structures from the heat exchanger design by using external support structures that are attached to the outer surface of the header. These external supports provide necessary manufacturing reinforcement during additive printing but are designed to be removable after manufacturing, thereby eliminating the thermal stress problem caused by permanent internal supports while maintaining manufacturing feasibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces external support structures as intermediary elements that temporarily assist the additive manufacturing process but do not become part of the final operational component. These supports act as mediators between the manufacturing requirements and the operational requirements, providing structural reinforcement during printing while being removable before operation to prevent thermal stress.
2Stress or pressure
If internal support structures are removed after manufacturing, then thermal stress is reduced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts support structures from the internal volume to the external surface, making them accessible and removable without complex internal operations. By positioning supports on the outer surface rather than embedding them internally, the design simplifies the post-manufacturing removal process while still providing necessary structural support during additive manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent treats external support structures as temporary, disposable elements that serve their purpose during manufacturing and are then removed. These supports are designed to be sacrificial components that do not need to survive operation, allowing for simpler removal processes and reduced overall system complexity.
3Reliability
If headers are designed with complex branching ducts, then heat transfer efficiency is improved, but manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the header structure with external support structures into a single integrated component manufactured in one additive printing process. By combining the complex branching duct geometry with removable external supports, the design achieves high heat transfer efficiency through optimized fluid pathways while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through unified additive manufacturing.
Data Source
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AI summary
A heat exchanger header includes a primary fluid duct (30) extending between a fluid port (13) and a first branched region (32), a plurality of secondary fluid ducts (34) fluidly connected to the primary fluid duct (30) at the first branched region (32), wherein an overhang region (28) is formed laterally between adjacent ones of the plurality of secondary fluid ducts (34), and wherein each of the plurality of secondary fluid ducts (34) extends between the first branched region (32) and a second branched region (36), a plurality of tertiary fluid ducts (38) fluidly connected to each of the plurality of secondary fluid ducts (34) at the second branched regions (36), a primary horn (18) integrally formed with and extending from the overhang region (28), an at least one secondary horn (20) integrally formed with and extending from one of the plurality of tertiary fluid ducts (38), and a sacrificial support structure (22) extending between the primary horn (18) and the at least one secondary horn (20).