Conformal heat exchanger

A conformal heat exchanger for disposition within a curved passage and comprising multiple layers each comprising:

• parting sheets;
• and
• a fin sheet interposed between the parting sheets and corrugated along a first axis to form fins, each of the fins comprising:
• base portions;
• sidewalls extending from edges of the base portions, respectively;
• and
• a connecting portion extending between edges of the sidewalls,
• the base portions and the connecting portion being bonded to corresponding ones of the parting sheets, and
• the sidewalls and the connecting portion being segmented to define gaps, which are arranged along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis, and which cooperatively accommodate curvatures of the parting sheets and the fin sheet, which conform to a curvature of the curved passage, in a third axis perpendicular to the first and second axes,
• wherein for each fin between neighboring gaps and in an uncurved state of the fin sheet:
• the fin sheet comprises first and second base portions, first and second sidewalls extending from proximal edges of the first and second base portions, respectively, and a connecting portion extending between distal edges of the first and second sidewalls,
• first and second groups of the neighboring gaps extend along the first and second sidewalls and the connecting portion and are equally wide at the connecting portion and the proximal edges of the first and second base portions and wider at the connecting portion than at the proximal edges of the first and second base portions, respectively, to be closable for accommodating negative curvatures of the parting sheets and the fin sheet in the third axis, and
• the second groups of the neighboring gaps are closable to a greater degree than the first groups of the neighboring gaps.

A method of assembling a conformal heat exchanger, the method comprising:

• forming a fin sheet corrugated along a first axis to form fins extending along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis;
• segmenting the fins along the second axis;
• imparting a fin sheet curvature to the fin sheet in a third axis perpendicular to the first and second axes;
• interposing the fin sheet with the fin sheet curvature between parting sheets having parting sheet curvatures similar to the fin sheet curvature;
• and
• bonding the fin sheet to each of the parting sheets,
• wherein for each fin between neighboring gaps and in an uncurved state of the fin sheet:
• the forming of the fin sheet is executed such that the fin sheet comprises first and second base portions, first and second sidewalls extending from proximal edges of the first and second base portions, respectively, and a connecting portion extending between distal edges of the first and second sidewalls,
• the segmenting is executed such that first and second groups of the neighboring gaps extend along the first and second sidewalls and the connecting portion and are equally wide at the connecting portion and the proximal edges of the first and second base portions and wider at the connecting portion than at the proximal edges of the first and second base portions, respectively, to be closable for accommodating negative curvatures of the parting sheets and the fin sheet in the third axis, and
• the second groups of the neighboring gaps are closable to a greater degree than the first groups of the neighboring gaps.