Heat transfer component and het transfer process

A heat exchanger, comprising:

• thermally-responsive features positioned along a surface of the heat exchanger, the thermally-responsive features having a first metallic layer and a second metallic layer;
• wherein the thermally-responsive features deploy from or retract toward the surface in response to a predetermined temperature change;
• wherein the deploying from or the retracting toward of the thermally-responsive features increases or decreases turbulation of a flow along the surface, thereby increasing or the decreasing velocity of the flow, acceleration of the flow, a proportion of turbulent flow within the flow, a proportion of laminar flow within the flow, a proportion of transitional flow within the flow, depth of a boundary layer adjacent to the surface, or a combination thereof.

A heat transfer process, comprising:

• providing a heat transfer component having thermally-responsive features positioned along a surface of the heat transfer component;
• and
• increasing or decreasing a rate of heat transfer between the surface and a flow by deploying the thermally-responsive features from or the retracting the thermally-responsive features toward the surface in response to a predetermined temperature change.