Plate fin heat exchanger flexible manifold structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10801790-B2
Application number	US-201816193723-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2018
Priority date	Mar 16, 2018
Publication date	Oct 13, 2020
Grant date	Oct 13, 2020

Abstract

A flexible manifold adapted for use on a plate-fin heat exchanger core, the flexible manifold comprising a plurality of individual layers, each individual layer defining a lower floor, an upper floor, and two side walls. Each of the plurality of individual layers is adapted to channel a flow of a medium therethrough, each of the plurality of individual layers includes a plurality of vertical members, each of the plurality of vertical members extends vertically from the lower floor to the upper floor of the respective individual layer, and each of the plurality of vertical members is configured to provide structural support for the respective individual layer. The vertical members can be vertical guide vanes and/or vertical columns having a round and/or hydrofoil cross-sectional shape.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A flexible manifold adapted for use on a plate-fin heat exchanger core, the flexible manifold comprising:
a plurality of individual layers, each individual layer defining a lower floor, an upper floor, and two side walls;
a first end with at least one port adapted to receive or discharge the medium; and
a second end distal from the first end, adapted to transfer the medium to or from the plurality of individual layers;
wherein:
two adjacent horizontal guide vanes define the respective individual layer there between;
each of the plurality of individual layers is adapted to channel a flow of a medium therethrough;
the plurality of individual layers are configured to be metallurgically joined to respective ones of a plurality of layers of the plate-fin heat exchanger core;
each of the plurality of individual layers includes a plurality of vertical members;
each of the plurality of vertical members extends vertically from the lower floor to the upper floor of the respective individual layer;
each of the plurality of vertical members is configured to provide structural support for the respective individual layer; and
the flexible manifold is configured to be mechanically and thermally compliant.

2. The flexible manifold of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of vertical members is configured to direct a flow of the medium through the respective individual layer.

3. The flexible manifold of claim 1 , wherein the plate-fin heat exchanger core comprises a plurality of core layers, each core layer including:
two parting sheets, each defining a parting sheet thickness; and
two closure bars, each defining a closure bar thickness.

4. The flexible manifold of claim 3 , wherein:
each side wall has a first end side wall thickness and a first end floor thickness adjacent a first end of the flexible manifold;
the first end side wall thickness is equal to the closure bar thickness; and
the first end floor thickness is equal to the parting sheet thickness.

5. The flexible manifold of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of individual layers comprise one or more of nickel, aluminum, titanium, copper, iron, cobalt, and alloys thereof.

6. The flexible manifold of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of individual layers comprise Inconel 625, Inconel 718, Haynes 282, or AlSi10Mg.

7. The flexible manifold of claim 1 , wherein the vertical members comprise vertical guide vanes dividing each of the plurality of individual layers into a plurality of discrete manifold flow passages extending at least part of a distance from a first end to a second end of the flexible manifold.

8. The flexible manifold of claim 1 , wherein the vertical guide vanes further define at least one end radius configured to reduce material stress in a region of the individual layer.

9. The flexible manifold of claim 1 , wherein the vertical guide vanes further define at least one end radius configured to reduce flow turbulence in the medium.

10. The flexible manifold of claim 1 , wherein the vertical members comprise vertical columns.

11. The flexible manifold of claim 10 , wherein the vertical columns have a hydrofoil cross section configured to control the flow of the medium through each of the plurality of individual layers.

12. A plate-fin heat exchanger, comprising at least one of the flexible manifolds of claim 1 .

13. A method of additively manufacturing a flexible manifold for a heat exchanger, comprising the steps of:
additively building a housing for the first flexible manifold;
within the housing, additively building a plurality of horizontal guide vanes defining a plurality of individual layers for a medium; and
additively building a plurality of vertical members within each of the plurality of individual layers;
wherein:
each of the plurality of individual layers is adapted to channel a flow of the medium therethrough;
each of the plurality of vertical members extends vertically from a lower floor to an upper floor of the respective individual layer;
each of the plurality of vertical members is configured to provide structural support for the respective individual layer; and
the vertical members comprise vertical guide vanes dividing each of the plurality of individual layers into a plurality of discrete manifold flow passages extending at least part of a distance from a first end to a second end of the flexible manifold.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the steps of additively building comprise performing laser powder bed fusion.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the vertical guide vanes further define at least one end radius configured to reduce material stress in a region of the respective individual layer.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the vertical members comprise vertical columns configured to provide structural support for each of the plurality of individual layers.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the vertical columns have a hydrofoil cross section configured to stabilize flow of the medium through each of the plurality of individual layers.

18. A method of making a plate-fin heat exchanger comprising the method of claim 13 , and further comprising the steps of:
forming a heat exchanger core, comprising a plurality of individual core layers; and
metallurgically joining each of the individual layers to respective ones of the plurality the individual core layers, thereby metallurgically joining the first flexible manifold to the heat exchanger core;
wherein the metallurgical joining comprises brazing or welding.

Assignees

• Hamilton Sundstrand Corp

Inventors

• Streeter James
• Feng Feng
• Miller Matthew W

Classifications

• B22F10/28

  Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] · CPC title

• F28F9/0268

  in the form of multiple deflectors for channeling the heat exchange medium · CPC title

• B33Y10/00 Primary

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• F28F2009/0297

  Side headers, e.g. for radiators having conduits laterally connected to common header · CPC title

• F28F2009/029

  with increasing or decreasing cross-section, e.g. having conical shape · CPC title