Vascular composite heat exchanger

A method of making a vascular composite heat exchanger, the method comprising the steps of:

• identifying an overall heat transfer coefficient requirement for the vascular composite heat exchanger;
• selecting working fluid, mass flow rate, and operating temperature ranges for the vascular composite heat exchanger based on total heat load required of the heat exchanger;
• determining material and network geometries of the vascular composite heat exchanger based on operation of the vascular composite heat exchanger in a proper temperature regime associated with the selecting and to provide the identified overall heat transfer coefficient requirement;
• and
• based on the determining:
• sandwiching a first fluid network between upper plies comprising a composite material having fibers and central plies;
• and
• sandwiching a second fluid network fluidly isolated from the first fluid network between the central plies and lower plies,
• wherein a thickness of each of the upper plies is between a height of a tow of the fibers and a diameter of one of the fibers,
• wherein the first fluid network and the second fluid network are each configured to receive a respective working fluid and to operate at a respective flow rate,
• wherein the first fluid network and the second fluid network each have a respective inlet fluid interface and a respective outlet fluid interface, for a total of four fluid interfaces for the first fluid network and the second fluid network,
• wherein the thickness is based on a bend radius associated with observed fiber breakage during an observation, wherein a minimum value for the bend radius (rmin) is determined according to rmin≈rlib+0.22×(rcons−rlib),
• wherein rlib is a liberal value for the bend radius determined based on the observed fiber breakage during the observation and is based on an expectation that each of the fibers in a tow of the fibers acts individually,
• wherein rcons is a conservative value for the bend radius determined based on the observed fiber breakage during the observation and is based on an expectation that each of the fibers in a tow of the fibers acts together as one.