Billions of heat exchangers are used globally in various industries, including HVAC systems, refrigerators, automobiles, aircraft, wastewater treatment, data centers, and petroleum refining. These devices, designed to transfer heat between fluids, have remained largely unchanged for decades. However, a groundbreaking study published in the International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer is set to change the landscape of heat exchanger design.
Led by Bill King, a professor and Ralph A. Andersen Endowed Chair of Mechanical Science and Engineering, and Nenad Miljkovic, the research team is introducing additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, to create heat exchangers that outperform traditional models in both functionality and efficiency.
“The design of heat exchangers has stagnated for years,” says King. “The heat exchangers we use today are nearly identical to those from 30 years ago, with little innovation due to limitations in traditional manufacturing methods.”
The ability to design precise three-dimensional shapes within heat exchangers can optimize key factors: heat transfer rate, the energy required to achieve the transfer, and the device’s size. However, conventional manufacturing techniques have prevented the creation of many ideal shapes.
“Traditional designs limit what’s possible,” King explains. “With 3D printing, we can create complex geometries—shapes that were previously unachievable with standard manufacturing.”
Additive manufacturing allows for the creation of heat exchangers with intricate 3D designs, optimizing fluid flow and heat transfer. This innovation can merge large passages for efficient fluid movement with smaller ones for enhanced heat transfer, paving the way for unconventional and highly efficient fluid routing systems.
In collaboration with the U.S. Navy, the team successfully developed and tested an additively manufactured two-phase heat exchanger. This technology involves refrigerants entering the device as a vapor, cooling to a liquid state, and transferring heat to cooling water circulating within the same unit.
The new heat exchanger’s 3D structures significantly enhance heat transfer, offering a 30% to 50% performance improvement compared to traditional designs, even under the same power conditions.
“Improving two-phase heat exchangers is essential for creating more energy-efficient systems,” says Miljkovic, co-leader of the project. “With additive manufacturing, we increase both the volumetric and gravimetric power density of the heat exchanger, making them more compact and lightweight.”
These advancements have significant implications for mobile applications, such as in vehicles, ships, and aircraft, where traditional heat exchangers have often fallen short in terms of size and power efficiency.
The research team also developed advanced modeling and simulation tools to virtually test thousands of configurations, optimizing the design process. These tools enabled them to explore the expansive possibilities made available by 3D printing technologies.
For this project, the Illinois-based team collaborated with Creative Thermal Solutions Inc. and TauMat Inc., both specializing in energy efficiency technologies. Moving forward, the team is continuing to refine their models and explore even more potential designs.
As the team pushes the boundaries of heat exchanger technology, their work promises to play a key role in the development of energy-efficient systems across various industries, from transportation to industrial applications.
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