Air/Liquid Heat Exchanger Improvement Through Additive Manufacturing

Heat is one of the most crucial issues in many engineering design products.High surrounding and operating temperatures can severely damage a product. One way to mitigate or avoid these issues is to transfer the heat away from the system using cooling applications. Space and defense equipment operate in even more extreme environments.The design developed and produced is an additively manufactured heat exchanger, allowing greater design flexibility from super-alloys that can operate in extreme environments and meet rigorous sponsor parameters. The system is designed to remove heat, through a cross-flow, between hot fluid and coolant. The team tested the system performance at low (90 degrees Celsius) and high (400 degrees Celsius) temperatures and compared performance to that of a traditionally manufactured heat exchanger. The sponsor will use this product, which has characteristics not found in a traditional heat exchanger, as a prototype for further research and development.