Heat Exchangers with Variable Unit-Area Thermal Conductivities

Abstract

A heat exchanger with a heat-exchanging portion is electrochemically deposited onto a base (for thermal coupling to a heat source) or directly on the heat source. The heat-exchanging portion comprises extensions that define openings (e.g., channels) for passing heat transfer fluid through the heat exchanger. The geometry of these c and/or openings varies throughout the exchange to achieve different unit-area thermal conductivities for at least two different portions of the heat-receiving surface. For example, the thickness, height, spacing, shape, and/or materials of the heat-exchanging extensions may be selected to achieve the desired heat transfer at each zone. This variability in unit-area thermal conductivities may be used to accommodate for “hot spots”, heating of the heat transfer fluid, fluid dynamics, and other factors associated with the heat exchanger operation. Electrochemical additive manufacturing (ECAM) is used to fabricate at least heat-exchanging extensions thereby enabling precise and zone-specific thermal transfer characteristics.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.