Metal foam heat exchangers for air and gas cooling and heating applications
AssigneesUT-Battelle, LLC, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
InventorsKashif Nawaz, Anthony M. Jacobi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Improved heat exchangers according to several embodiments are provided. The heat exchangers provide improved heat transfer for air flow in wet and dry operating conditions, while minimizing pressure drop across the heat exchanger in some applications. According to one embodiment, an improved heat exchanger includes a plurality of metal foam fins between adjacent heat exchange conduits, the heat exchange conduits being arranged parallel to each other to define parallel flow paths between an inlet header and an outlet header. The metal foam fins occupy a cross-flow region between adjacent conduits, the fins having a fixed angular orientation or being rotatable in unison to vary the thermal capacitance of the heat exchanger.
Claims8
A heat exchanger comprising:
- a plurality of flow conduits in fluid communication with an inlet header and an outlet header, the plurality of flow conduits including first and second flow conduits extending parallel to each other and defining a first cross-flow region therebetween, the plurality of flow conduits extending orthogonal to a lengthwise axis of the inlet header and a lengthwise axis of the outlet header;
- and
- a first plurality of fins disposed in the first cross-flow region between the first flow conduit and the second flow conduit, wherein each of the plurality of fins are rectangular and include an upper edge in direct physical contact with the first flow conduit and a lower edge in direct physical contact with the second flow conduit, the first plurality of fins being formed from metal foam wherein adjacent ones of the first plurality of fins are spaced apart from each other and having a common angular orientation, wherein the common angular orientation of each of the first plurality of fins is a non-zero angle of between 30 and 60 degrees as defined between a flow direction of an incoming fluid flow and an axis connecting a leading edge and a trailing edge of each of the plurality of fins, the leading edge and the trailing edge interconnecting the upper edge and the lower edge of the corresponding fin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.