Thermal management system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11802734-B2
Application number	US-202117204507-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2021
Priority date	Sep 3, 2020
Publication date	Oct 31, 2023
Grant date	Oct 31, 2023

Abstract

A thermal management system includes a plurality of thermal management assemblies. Each of the thermal management assemblies has a monolithic foil structure having a body with an external surface and a differently shaped and opposing internal surface. The external surface forms an outer profile and the internal surface forming an internal conduit with the outer profile and the internal conduit having different shapes. The monolithic foil structure is configured to physically isolate a first fluid flowing along the external surface from a second fluid flowing in the internal conduit. The body is configured to transfer thermal energy between the first fluid flowing along the external surface and the second fluid flowing in the internal conduit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a plurality of thermal management assemblies, each of the thermal management assemblies having a monolithic foil structure that includes a body with an external surface and an opposite internal surface that is shaped differently than the external surface, the external surface forming an outer profile and the internal surface forming an internal conduit extending between an inlet end and an outlet end with the outer profile and the internal conduit having different shapes such that the shape of the outer profile of the external surface is asymmetric and the shape of the internal conduit is symmetric in a cross-sectional plane extending along a length of the internal conduit, the internal surface being rounded at an interface between the internal surface and each of the inlet end and the outlet end, the body also including fins projecting from the external surface of the body with the fins of a first thermal management assembly of the thermal management assemblies crossing over and disposed above the fins of a second thermal management assembly of the thermal management assemblies relative to the cross-sectional plane, the first thermal management assembly located adjacent to the second thermal management assembly, the monolithic foil structure configured to physically isolate a first fluid flowing along the external surface from a second fluid flowing in the internal conduit, wherein the body is configured to transfer thermal energy between the first fluid flowing along the external surface and the second fluid flowing in the internal conduit.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the internal surface has a cross-sectional profile that is wider at the cross-sectional plane than in locations farther from the cross-sectional plane.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the outer profile formed by the external surface has a leading side with a smaller radius of curvature than a trailing edge of the outer profile.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the internal surface is rounded.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the shape of the internal conduit is symmetric but differs at different locations along a length of the body.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the body from the internal surface to the external surface is different at different locations along a length of the body.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein no seams, joints, or welds are present in the body between the internal and the external surfaces.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fins project from the external surface at non-orthogonal angles relative to an underlying portion of the external surface.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein no seams, joints, or welds are present between the external surface of the body and the fins.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fins have foil shapes.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the outer profile of the external surface of the body has an ovoid shape.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the ovoid shape of the outer profile of the external surface of the body is configured to reduce a pressure drop of the first fluid flowing orthogonal to the cross-sectional plane.

13. An assembly, comprising:
a plurality of monolithic foil structures, each of the monolithic foil structures having a body with opposite external and internal surfaces that, respectively, form an asymmetric outer profile relative to a cross-sectional plane and a symmetric internal conduit relative to the cross-sectional plane, the outer profile and the internal conduit having different shapes, the internal surface of the body extending from an inlet end of the body to an opposite outlet end of the body, the internal surface being rounded at an interface between the internal surface and each of the inlet end and the outlet end, the body also including fins projecting from the external surface of the body with the fins of a first monolithic foil structure of the monolithic foil structures disposed crossing over and above the fins of a second monolithic foil structure of the monolithic foil structures relative to the cross-sectional plane, the first monolithic foil structure located adjacent to the second monolithic foil structure, the body configured to physically isolate a first fluid flowing along the external surface from a second fluid flowing in the internal conduit, the body configured to transfer thermal energy between the first fluid flowing along external surface and the second fluid flowing in the internal conduit.

14. The assembly of claim 13 , wherein the inlet ends of the internal surfaces of the plurality of monolithic foil structures are operatively coupled to a common fluid source of the second fluid.

15. The assembly of claim 13 , wherein the inlet ends of the internal surfaces of at least two of the monolithic foil structures are operably coupled to different fluid sources of the second fluid.

16. The assembly of claim 13 , wherein the fins project from the external surfaces at non-orthogonal angles relative to underlying portions of the external surfaces.

17. The assembly of claim 13 , wherein some of the fins have a staggered leading edge with respect to adjacent fins.

18. The assembly of claim 13 , wherein the fins of the first monolithic foil structure are spaced apart from the bodies of remaining ones of the monolithic foil structures.

19. The assembly of claim 13 , wherein the outer profile of the external surface of the body has an ovoid shape configured to reduce a pressure drop of the first fluid flowing orthogonal to the cross-sectional plane.

20. A method, comprising:
forming a first layer of material on a build platform; and
forming one or more additional, second layers of the material above the first layer to additively manufacture a monolithic foil structure having a body with opposite external and internal surfaces that, respectively, form an outer profile and an internal conduit having different shapes, the shape of the outer profile being asymmetric on opposite sides of a cross-sectional plane extending along a length of the internal conduit, the shape of the internal conduit being symmetric on the opposite sides of the cross-sectional plane, the internal conduit extending from an inlet end to an outlet end with the internal surface being rounded at an intersection between the internal surface and each of the inlet end and the outlet end, the body including fins projecting from the body at non-orthogonal angles, wherein the monolithic foil structure is configured to physically isolate a first fluid flowing along the external surface from a second fluid flowing in the internal conduit while transferring thermal energy between the first fluid and the second fluid.

Assignees

• Transp Ip Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Vaidyanathan Krishnamurthy
• Kayal Partho
• Hosur Mahantesh Mallappa
• Dhass S Naren
• Ravindranath Balaji Hosadurgam

Classifications

• F28D1/0535 Primary

  the conduits having a non-circular cross-section · CPC title

• F28F1/022

  with multiple channels · CPC title

• F28F1/34

  and extending obliquely (F28F1/38 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F28F1/38

  and being staggered to form tortuous fluid passages · CPC title

• F28F2215/00

  Fins · CPC title