Thermal management system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022065539-A1
Application number	US-202117204507-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 17, 2021
Priority date	Sep 3, 2020
Publication date	Mar 3, 2022
Grant date	—

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 having a body with an external surface and a and opposing internal surface that is shaped differently relative to the external surface, the external surface forming 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 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 tear-dropped shaped cross-sectional profile.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the outer profile formed by the external surface has a leading edge with an airfoil shape and a trailing edge has a circular radius.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the internal surface forms a rounded arch.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the outer profile formed by the external surface has an asymmetric shape in a cross-sectional plane and the internal conduit formed by the internal surface has a symmetric shape in the cross-sectional plane, or the outer profile formed by the external surface has the symmetric shape in the cross-sectional plane and the internal conduit formed by the internal surface has the asymmetric shape in the cross-sectional plane.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the symmetric shape remains symmetric but differs from one area relative to another area at different lengths of the body.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the internal surface of the body extends from an inlet end of the body to an opposite outlet end of the body, and edges of the internal surface are rounded at the inlet end of the body.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the internal surface of the body extends from an inlet end of the body to an opposite outlet end of the body, and edges of the internal surface are rounded at the outlet end of the body.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the body from the internal surface to the external surface is different at different lengths of the body.

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

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the body includes one or more fins projecting from the external surface at angles relative to an underlying portion of the external surface.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein no seams, joints, or welds are present between the external surface of the body and the one or more fins.

13 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more fins have foil shapes.

14 . 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 outer profile and an internal conduit having different shapes, wherein the internal surface of the body extends from an inlet end of the body to an opposite outlet end of the body, 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, and wherein the body is configured to transfer thermal energy between the fluid flowing along external surface and the fluid flowing in the internal conduit.

15 . The assembly of claim 14 , wherein the inlet end of the internal surface of one or more of the plurality of monolithic foil structures are operatively coupled to a common fluid source.

16 . The assembly of claim 14 , wherein the inlet end of the internal surface of at least two of the plurality of monolithic foil structures are operably coupled to different fluid sources.

17 . The assembly of claim 14 , wherein the body includes fins projecting from the external surface at angles relative to an underlying portion of the external surface.

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

19 . The assembly of claim 17 , wherein the fins are spaced apart from the bodies of the remaining ones of the monolithic foil structures.

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, 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.

Assignees

• Transp Ip Holdings Llc

Inventors

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

Classifications

• F28F2215/04

  Assemblies of fins having different features, e.g. with different fin densities · CPC title

• F28D7/1653 Primary

  the conduit assemblies having a square or rectangular shape · CPC title

• F28F1/26

  the means being integral with the element (F28F1/32 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B33Y80/00

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• F28F1/38

  and being staggered to form tortuous fluid passages · CPC title