Supplemental aerodynamic heat exchanger for a vehicle

An aerodynamic vehicle comprising:

• a body including upper and lower body portions extending from a front end to a trailing end, an internal vehicle passage including an air inlet disposed within an ambient airflow separation region and proximate said front end, an air outlet disposed proximate said trailing end, and an interstitial cavity disposed therebetween, said air inlet and said air outlet disposed on said body;
• and
• an aerodynamic heat exchanger disposed on said lower body portion, said aerodynamic heat exchanger comprising:
• a plurality of chambers formed from an upper sheet and a lower sheet, each chamber formed from an upper sheet and a lower sheet, each chamber comprising a plurality of indentations characterized by localized regions where said upper and lower sheet are coupled such that fluid flow within each localized region is inhibited, said upper sheet having an inlet, an outlet, and an inner heat exchange surface in fluid communication with said interstitial cavity said lower sheet forming a body panel of said body,
• wherein in an assembled configuration, said inner heat exchange surface is adapted to exchange heat with said internal vehicle passage, said internal vehicle passage adapted to exchange heat with an ambient environment;
• and wherein said upper sheet forms an outer heat exchange surface adapted to exchange heat passively with said ambient environment.

A method of transferring heat to or from one or more demand systems of a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a body including:
• upper and lower body portions extending from a front end to a trailing end;
• an internal vehicle passage including an air inlet disposed within an ambient airflow separation region and proximate said front end, an air outlet disposed proximate said trailing end, and an interstitial cavity disposed therebetween, said air inlet and said air outlet disposed on said body, and
• an aerodynamic heat exchanger including two or more chambers formed from an upper sheet and a lower sheet, each chamber having:
• a plurality of indentations characterized by localized regions where said upper and lower sheet are coupled such that fluid flow within each localized region is inhibited,
• said upper sheet having an inlet and an outlet disposed proximate a first end, said upper sheet further having an inner heat exchange surface adapted to exchange heat with said interstitial cavity which is adapted to exchange heat with an ambient environment,
• said lower sheet forming an aerodynamic body panel of said vehicle, said lower sheet having an outer heat exchange surface adapted to exchange heat with said ambient environment;
• moving air from said ambient environment to said air inlet;
• moving air from said air inlet, through said interstitial cavity, to proximate said inner heat exchange surface, to thereby exchange heat with said aerodynamic heat exchanger and air;
• moving air from proximate said interstitial cavity, through said vehicle passage, to said air outlet;
• and
• moving air from said air outlet to said ambient environment.