# US 2021/0276087 A1 · Heat exchange structures and methods of exchanging heat between fluid flows in heat exchange structures

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- Number: US 2021/0276087 A1
- Document ID: US20210276087A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/811,254
- Filed: 2020-03-06
- Published: 2021-09-09
- Earliest claimed: 2020-03-06
- Assignees: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
- Applicants: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
- Inventors: Paul M. Colson
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210276087A1

## CPC

- B22F 10/00: Additive manufacturing of workpieces or articles from metallic powder (apparatus or devices therefor B22F12/00)
- F28D 9/00: Heat-exchange apparatus having stationary plate-like or laminated conduit assemblies for both heat-exchange media, the media being in contact with different sides of a conduit wall {(F28F3/083, F28F3/086 take precedence)}
- F28D 1/0341: {with U-flow or serpentine-flow inside the conduits}
- F28D 1/035: {with U-flow or serpentine-flow inside the conduits (F28D1/0341 takes precedence)}
- F28D 1/0383: {with U-flow or serpentine-flow inside the conduits}
- F28D 1/05391: {with multiple rows of conduits or with multi-channel conduits combined with a particular flow pattern, e.g. multi-row multi-stage radiators}
- F28D 7/005: {the conduits for only one medium being tubes having bent portions or being assembled from bent tubes or being tubes having a toroidal configuration (F28D7/0008, F28D7/02, F28D7/04, F28D7/06, F28D7/14 take precedence)}
- F28F 1/003: {Multiple wall conduits, e.g. for leak detection (leak-detection in metal cooled nuclear reactor steam generators F22B1/066)}
- F28F 3/005: {Arrangements for preventing direct contact between different heat-exchange media (F28F3/10 takes precedence)}
- F28F 7/02: Blocks traversed by passages for heat-exchange media {(F28D7/0008 takes precedence)}
- F28F 9/02: Header boxes; End plates
- B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing
- B33Y 30/00: Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
- B33Y 80/00: Products made by additive manufacturing
- F28D 9/02: the heat-exchange media travelling at an angle to one another (F28D9/04 takes precedence)
- F28D 2001/0273: {having special shape, e.g. curved, annular}
- F28D 2021/0021: {for aircrafts or cosmonautics}
- F28D 2021/0026: {for combustion engines, e.g. for gas turbines or for Stirling engines}
- F28F 2265/16: for preventing leakage
- Y02P 10/25: Process efficiency
- B22F: WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER (making alloys by powder metallurgy C22C); APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER
- F28D: HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT (fluid heaters having heat generating means and heat transferring means F24H; furnaces F27; details of heat-exchange apparatus of general)
- F28F: DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION (water and air traps, air venting F16)
- B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

A heat exchange structure includes a primary heat exchange body with a first fluid channel fluidly separated from a second fluid channel by a barrier channel, an inlet manifold in fluid communication with the first fluid channel, and a secondary heat exchange body. The secondary heat exchange body is in fluid communication with the barrier channel, is arranged within the inlet manifold, and fluidly couples the barrier channel to the external environment. Fluid systems and heat exchange methods are also described.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A heat exchange structure, comprising:
a primary heat exchange body with a first fluid channel fluidly separated from a second fluid channel by a barrier channel;
an inlet manifold in fluid communication with the second fluid channel; and
a secondary heat exchange body in fluid communication with the barrier channel, wherein the secondary heat exchange body is arranged within the inlet manifold and fluidly couples the barrier channel to an external environment outside the heat exchange structure.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The heat exchange structure of claim 1, wherein the secondary heat exchange body has a vent fluidly coupling the barrier channel to the external environment.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The heat exchange structure of claim 1, wherein the secondary heat exchange body has a conduit portion with a plurality of conduit turns, the conduit portion of the secondary heat exchange body arranged within the inlet manifold.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The heat exchange structure of claim 1, wherein the secondary heat exchange body includes a header portion connected to the primary heat exchange body and fluidly coupling the barrier channel to the secondary heat exchange body.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The heat exchange structure of claim 1, wherein the barrier channel is unsealed with respect to the external environment and is in fluid communication with the external environment through a vent, and further comprising a collection tank in fluid communication with the barrier channel.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The heat exchange structure of claim 1, wherein the primary heat exchange body includes an outer wall portion bounding the first fluid channel, the first fluid channel having a plurality of first fluid channel segments.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The heat exchange structure of claim 6, wherein the primary heat exchange body includes an intermediate wall portion bounding the barrier channel, the barrier channel having a plurality of barrier channel segments interleaved among the plurality of first fluid channel segments.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The heat exchange structure of claim 6, wherein the primary heat exchange body includes an inner wall portion bounding the barrier channel and the second fluid channel, the second fluid channel having a plurality of second fluid channel segments interleaved among the plurality of first fluid channel segments and thermally coupled to the first fluid channel by the barrier channel.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The heat exchange structure of claim 1, further comprising a first fluid source fluidly coupled to the heat exchange structure by a heat source.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The heat exchange structure of claim 9, wherein the heat source includes hot engine structure in a gas turbine engine.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The heat exchange structure of claim 9, wherein the first fluid source is a fuel source, and further comprising a heated fuel flow traversing the first fluid channel.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The heat exchange structure of claim 11, wherein the heated fuel flow has a temperature that is greater than an auto-ignition temperature of fuel within the heated fuel flow.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The heat exchange structure of claim 1, further comprising:
a leakage flow including fuel flowing from the first fluid channel to the secondary heat exchange body through the barrier channel; and
a second fluid including an oxidizer traversing the second fluid channel of the primary heat exchange body.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The heat exchange structure of claim 1, further comprising at least one of (a) a heat transfer enhancement feature connected to the secondary heat exchange body and thermally coupling the secondary heat exchange body to fluid traversing the inlet manifold, and (b) a leakage flow sensor arranged within the inlet manifold and in communication with the secondary heat exchange body.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

A fluid system, comprising:
a heat exchange structure as recited in claim 1, wherein the secondary heat exchange body has a vent fluidly coupling the barrier channel to the external environment;
a heated fuel flow traversing the first fluid channel; and
an oxidizer flow traversing the second fluid channel.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The fluid system of claim 15, further comprising a heat source including hot engine structure in a gas turbine engine, and wherein the barrier channel is unsealed with respect to the external environment.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The fluid system of claim 15, wherein the primary heat exchange body further includes:
an inner wall portion arranged within the primary heat exchange body and bounding the first fluid channel;
an intermediate wall portion arranged within the primary heat exchange body and bounding the barrier channel; and
an outer wall portion arranged within the primary heat exchange body bounding the second fluid channel,
wherein the primary heat exchange body and the secondary heat exchange body are formed as a solid one-piece body of homogenous composition using an additive manufacturing technique.

### Claim 18

A heat exchange method, comprising:
at a heat exchange structure including a primary heat exchange body with a first fluid channel fluidly separated from a second fluid channel by a barrier channel, an inlet manifold in fluid communication with the first fluid channel, and a secondary heat exchange body in fluid communication with the barrier channel that is arranged within the inlet manifold and fluidly couples the barrier channel to an external environment outside the heat exchange structure,
flowing a hot fluid flow through the first fluid channel;
receiving a cold fluid flow at the inlet manifold;
cooling the secondary heat exchange body with the cold fluid flow;
flowing the cold fluid flow to the second fluid channel; and
communicating heat from the hot fluid flow to the cold fluid flow through the barrier channel.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The heat exchange method of claim 18, further comprising:
leaking a hot leakage flow from the first fluid channel to the barrier channel;
cooling the hot leakage flow with the secondary heat exchange body; and
venting the cooled leakage flow to the external environment through the secondary heat exchange body.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The heat exchange method of claim 18, wherein the hot fluid flow includes fuel having a temperature greater than an auto-ignition temperature of the fuel, wherein the cold fluid flow includes an oxidizer, and wherein the barrier channel and an interior of the secondary heat exchange body are maintained at ambient pressure.