Additively manufactured heat exchanger with special surface roughness
AssigneeHamilton Sundstrand Corporation
InventorsJohn Giuliano, Viktor Kilchyk
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A heat exchanger core comprises a plurality of tubes extending along a first fluid axis, each of the plurality of tubes comprising a leading edge, a trailing edge opposite the leading edge, and a pair of oppositely disposed sidewalls extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge. The leading edge, trailing edge, and the pair of sidewalls define an inner surface and an outer surface of each of the plurality of tubes. Each of a first subset of the plurality of tubes further comprises a roughened region on the outer surface of one of the pair of sidewalls.
Claims19
A heat exchanger core comprising:
- a first fluid inlet side and a first fluid outlet side along which a first fluid is received along a first fluid axis, a midpoint being disposed along the first fluid axis between the first fluid inlet side and the first fluid outlet side;
- a second fluid inlet side and a second fluid outlet side along which a second fluid is received along a second fluid axis, a midpoint being disposed along the second fluid axis between the second fluid inlet side and the second fluid outlet side;
- a plurality of tubes extending along the first fluid axis between the first fluid inlet side and the first fluid outlet side;
- wherein each of the plurality of tubes comprises an airfoil shape having:
- a leading edge;
- a trailing edge opposite the leading edge;
- and
- a pair of oppositely disposed sidewalls extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge;
- wherein the leading edge, trailing edge, and the pair of sidewalls define an inner surface and an outer surface of each of the plurality of tubes;
- and
- wherein each tube of a first subset of the plurality of tubes further comprises a roughened region on the outer surface of one or both of the pair of sidewalls and/or the leading edge, the first subset being less than all tubes of the plurality of tubes.
A method of forming a heat exchanger core, the method comprising:
- forming, in a layer-by-layer fashion, a plurality of core tubes along three orthogonal axes;
- the three orthogonal axes comprising a first axis, a second axis, and a third axis, the plurality of core tubes extending along the first axis from a first fluid inlet side to a first fluid outlet side and spaced along the second axis between a second fluid inlet side and a second fluid outlet side, wherein each of the plurality of tubes comprises an airfoil shape having:
- a leading edge;
- a trailing edge opposite the leading edge;
- and
- a pair of oppositely disposed sidewalls extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge;
- wherein the leading edge, trailing edge, and the pair of sidewalls define an inner surface and an outer surface of each of the plurality of tubes;
- engaging a first setting to form a relatively smooth region on a surface of a first subset of the plurality of tubes, the first subset being less than all of the plurality of tubes and the first setting comprising a first laser scanning speed and a first laser power;
- and
- engaging a second setting to form a first roughened region on the outer surface of the first subset of the plurality of tubes, the second setting comprising a second laser scanning speed and a second laser power;
- wherein the first laser scanning speed is different from the second laser scanning speed;
- wherein the first laser power is different from the second laser power;
- wherein the first roughened region is disposed on one or both of the pair of sidewalls and/or on the leading edge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.