Spatially Varied Heat Exchanger Surfaces for Stress and Pressure Drop
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heat exchangers with uniform geometries in gas turbine engines are inefficient in heat transfer due to local stress concentrations and material thickness requirements, leading to increased weight and cost, as they are sized for average fluid properties which change during operation.
Innovation Solution
The use of additively manufactured heat transfer surfaces with varying characteristics such as height, thickness, aspect ratio, and shape across different sectors within a heat exchanger system to optimize heat transfer and structural support, allowing for spatially varied heat transfer surfaces within a single or multiple flow passages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If uniform heat transfer surfaces are used throughout the heat exchanger, then manufacturing is simplified, but heat transfer efficiency decreases due to changing fluid properties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the geometry of heat transfer surfaces (such as fin height, thickness, or spacing) in different radial sectors of the heat exchanger. This allows each sector to be optimized for its local fluid conditions, improving overall heat transfer efficiency while maintaining manufacturability through systematic geometric progression.
2Strength
If material thickness is increased to accommodate local stress concentrations, then structural strength is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by applying varying material thicknesses or geometric configurations only in specific sectors where stress concentrations occur, rather than uniformly throughout the entire heat exchanger. This localized approach maintains structural strength where needed while minimizing unnecessary material usage and weight.
3Device complexity
If heat transfer surfaces are sized for average fluid conditions, then design is simplified, but optimal heat transfer is not achieved as fluid properties change
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by systematically varying geometric parameters (such as fin height, thickness, or spacing) of heat transfer surfaces across different radial sectors. This allows the heat exchanger to adapt to changing fluid properties and maintain optimal heat transfer performance throughout the device, while the systematic nature of the variation keeps design and manufacturing manageable.
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 maintains a consistent flow rate and reduces pressure drop while enhancing heat transfer efficiency by accommodating changing fluid properties and minimizing thermal stresses, thereby improving the performance and reducing the size and weight of the heat exchanger.
Implementation Method 1
as the fluids exchange heat, the fluid properties change
Data Source
AI summary
A heat exchanger system includes a plurality of additively manufactured heat transfer surfaces in a plurality of sectors, a first of the plurality of sectors including a first subset of the plurality of the additively manufactured heat transfer surfaces having a characteristic different than a characteristic in a second of the plurality of sectors.