Additive Heat Exchanger Characterization and Optimization

Project goal: To design a heat exchanger using additive manufacturing.The heat exchanger of an auxiliary power unit maintains the oil running through the unit at the appropriate operating temperature.The design includes a lattice fin to dissipate heat from the working fluid. Direct metal laser sintering 3-D printing is used to create a one-piece lattice fin to reduce production cost and eliminate assembly time. Modular features are incorporated in the final design to allow easy scalability and a wide range of geometric configurations.Heat transfer characterization and optimization were analyzed extensively using finite element methods and experimental tests verified the results obtained.