# US 10,502,502 B2 · Additively manufactured heat exchanger > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,502,502 B2 - Document ID: US10502502B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/207,038 - Filed: 2018-11-30 - Published: 2019-04-04 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2017-02-28 - Assignees: General Electric Company - Applicants: General Electric Company - Inventors: Mohammed El Hacin Sennoun; James Fitzgerald Bonar; Rachel Wyn Levine - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10502502B2 ## CPC - F28F 1/40: the means being only inside the tubular element - B33Y 80/00: Products made by additive manufacturing - F28C 3/04: the heat-exchange media both being liquids - F28D 1/05391: {with multiple rows of conduits or with multi-channel conduits combined with a particular flow pattern, e.g. multi-row multi-stage radiators} - F28F 7/02: Blocks traversed by passages for heat-exchange media {(F28D7/0008 takes precedence)} - F05D 2230/31: Layer deposition - F05D 2260/213: by the provision of a heat exchanger within the cooling circuit - F28D 1/035: {with U-flow or serpentine-flow inside the conduits (F28D1/0341 takes precedence)} - F28D 1/0383: {with U-flow or serpentine-flow inside the conduits} - F28D 7/005: {the conduits for only one medium being tubes having bent portions or being assembled from bent tubes or being tubes having a toroidal configuration (F28D7/0008, F28D7/02, F28D7/04, F28D7/06, F28D7/14 take precedence)} - F28D 2001/0273: {having special shape, e.g. curved, annular} - F28D 2021/0026: {for combustion engines, e.g. for gas turbines or for Stirling engines} - F28D 2021/0089: {Oil coolers} - F28F 1/34: and extending obliquely (F28F1/38 takes precedence) - F28F 3/048: {in the form of ribs integral with the element or local variations in thickness of the element, e.g. grooves, microchannels} - Y02T 50/60: Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft - F28F: DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION (water and air traps, air venting F16) - B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - F28C: HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT WITHOUT CHEMICAL INTERACTION (safety devices in general F16P; fluid heaters having heat generating means F24H; with an intermediate heat-transfer medium coming into direct contact with heat-exchange media F28D15/00 - F28D19/00; details of heat-exchange apparatus of general application F28F) - F28D: HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT (fluid heaters having heat generating means and heat transferring means F24H; furnaces F27; details of heat-exchange apparatus of general) - F05D: INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TO NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES OR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A heat exchanger and a method for additively manufacturing the heat exchanger are provided. The heat exchanger includes a plurality of fluid passageways that are formed by additive manufacturing methods which enable the formation of fluid passageways that are smaller in size, that have thinner walls, and that have complex and intricate heat exchanger features that were not possible using prior manufacturing methods. For example, the fluid passageways may be curvilinear and may include heat exchanging fins that are less than 0.01 inches thick and formed at a fin density of more than four heat exchanging fins per centimeter. In addition, the heat exchanging fins may be angled with respect to the walls of the fluid passageways and adjacent fins may be offset relative to each other. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A heat exchanger comprising: a first passageway housing defining a first fluid passageway and a first passageway height; a first plurality of heat exchanging features positioned within the first fluid passageway; a second passageway housing defining a second fluid passageway in thermal communication with the first fluid passageway and a second passageway height; and a second plurality of heat exchanging features positioned within the second fluid passageway, wherein at least one of the first passageway height and the second passageway height varies along a length of the first fluid passageway and the second fluid passageway, respectively. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first passageway housing and the second passageway housing is curvilinear. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein each of the first plurality of heat exchanging features defines a first thickness and each of the second plurality of heat exchanging features defines a second thickness, and wherein at least one of the first thickness and the second thickness is between about 0.005 inches and 0.01 inches. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein each of the first plurality of heat exchanging features defines a first feature density and each of the second plurality of heat exchanging features defines a second feature density, and wherein at least one of the first feature density and the second feature density is between about two and thirteen heat exchanging features per centimeter. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first passageway height and the second passageway height is between about 0.05 inches and 0.5 inches. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The heat exchanger of claim 5, wherein at least one of the first passageway height and the second passageway height is less than 0.1 inches. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the first passageway housing comprises a first wall and the second passageway housing comprises a second wall, the first plurality of heat exchanging features being oriented at a first angle relative to the first wall and the second plurality of heat exchanging features being oriented at a second angle relative to the second wall, and wherein a magnitude of at least one of the first angle and the second angle is less than ninety degrees. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The heat exchanger of claim 7, wherein the magnitude of at least one of the first angle and the second angle is about forty-five degrees. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the first fluid passageway defines a first fluid flow direction and the second fluid passageway defines a second fluid flow direction, wherein at least one of the first plurality of heat exchanging features and the second plurality of heat exchanging features is staggered along the first fluid flow direction or along the second fluid flow direction, respectively. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the first passageway height is different than the second passageway height. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the second fluid passageway is defined in part by a first wall and a second wall, and wherein a third angle is defined between the first wall and the second wall. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The heat exchanger of claim 11, wherein the third angle is less than five degrees. ### Claim 13 A method of forming a heat exchanger comprising: additively manufacturing a first passageway housing within an external housing of the heat exchanger, the first passageway housing defining a first fluid passageway and a first passageway height; additively manufacturing a first plurality of heat exchanging features within the first fluid passageway; additively manufacturing a second passageway housing within the external housing, the second passageway housing defining a second fluid passageway and a second passageway height; and additively manufacturing a second plurality of heat exchanging features within the second fluid passageway, wherein at least one of the first passageway height and the second passageway height varies along a length of the first fluid passageway and the second fluid passageway, respectively. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the first passageway height is different than the second passageway height. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the second fluid passageway is defined in part by a first wall and a second wall, and wherein a third angle is defined between the first wall and the second wall. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the third angle is less than five degrees. ### Claim 17 An additively manufactured heat exchanger comprising: a passageway housing comprising a wall and defining a fluid passageway that defines a passageway height that varies along a length of the fluid passageway, the fluid passageway extending between an inlet and an outlet and being configured for receiving a flow of fluid; and a plurality of heat exchanging features additively manufactured within the fluid passageway, at least some of the heat exchanging features extending from the wall of the passageway housing at an angle between about twenty and seventy degrees. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The heat exchanger of claim 17, wherein the passageway height is defined perpendicular to a direction of the flow of fluid, wherein the passageway height is between about 0.05 inches and 0.5 inches. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The heat exchanger of claim 17, wherein the passageway housing comprises a first wall and a second wall that at least partially define the fluid passageway, and wherein a third angle is defined between the first wall and the second wall. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The heat exchanger of claim 19, wherein the third angle is less than five degrees.