Heat exchanger and method for making same

Abstract

An improved heat exchanger is shown for indirect heat exchange between two fluid media. The heat exchanger has thin metallic walls and a multitude of convoluted shaped internal flow passages, increasing the effective contact time during which heat is transferred between the media. The heat exchanger is particularly suitable for heat exchange between fluids having low differential temperatures or specific heats, due to the thin wall structure, the elongated internal flow path created by the convoluted core structure and the absence of welds, soldering, or other thick areas which tend to inhibit heat transfer due to their relatively greater mass. The heat exchanger may be produced by a novel technique. A support matrix is assembled from a plurality of low melting point forms, each of which has angled internal passages. The passages of each form are positioned in register with the passages of adjacent forms. The entire assembly is then clamped together to establish a conductive matrix having the desired internal flow paths. The clamped assemblage is then subjected to a metal reposition technique forming a thin metallic coat, and thus creating the desired heat exchanger structure. The treated assemblage is then heated, melting the internal core matrix, removing it from the deposited surface, leaving the desired thin wall heat exchanger structure.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.