Heat exchanger assembly with a manifold additively manufactured onto a core and method of forming
AssigneeUnison Industries, LLC
InventorsGordon Tajiri, Emily Marie Phelps, Dattu G V Jonnalagadda, Joseph Richard Schmitt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method of forming a hybrid heat exchanger including a first manifold defining a first fluid inlet and a second manifold defining a second fluid inlet. A monolithic core body includes a first set of flow passages in fluid communication with the first manifold and a second set of flow passages is in communication with the second manifold. At least a portion of the first manifold or the second manifold has a tunable coefficient of thermal expansion that is less than a coefficient of thermal expansion of the structurally rigid monolithic core.
Claims22
A method of forming a heat exchanger, the method comprising:
- forming a monolithic core having a first set of flow passages;
- and
- additively manufacturing onto the monolithic core a first manifold, where the first manifold defines a first fluid inlet that is in fluid communication with the first set of flow passages and at least a portion of the first manifold has a coefficient of thermal expansion less than a coefficient of thermal expansion of the monolithic core;
- wherein the first manifold includes between 45-55% nickel and the coefficient of thermal expansion for the first manifold is below 10 ppm/C at an operational temperature up to 400° C.
A method of forming a heat exchanger, the method comprising:
- forming a monolithic core having a first set of flow passages from a first material having a first coefficient of thermal expansion;
- and
- additively manufacturing a first manifold from a second material different than the first material onto the monolithic core in fluid communication with the first set of flow passages, with the first manifold having a second coefficient of thermal expansion lower than the first coefficient of thermal expansion;
- wherein the second material is a nickel alloy having between 38-50% nickel and wherein the second coefficient of thermal expansion is below 10 ppm/C at an operational temperature up to 500° C.
A heat exchanger, comprising:
- a monolithic core body having a first set of flow passages and a first coefficient of thermal expansion;
- and
- a first manifold unitarily formed with the monolithic core body in fluid communication with and defining a first fluid inlet for the first set of flow passages, and having a second coefficient of thermal expansion that is different than the first coefficient of thermal expansion;
- wherein the first manifold includes between 45-55% nickel and the second coefficient of thermal expansion is below 10 ppm/C at an operational temperature up to 400° C.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.