Raytheon Company

Jonathan Balducci

David H Altman

Nicholas Ian Maniscalco

Joshua D Sole

Christian O Rodriguez

John G Bustamante

A heat exchanger includes a housing configured to contain a working fluid. The heat exchanger also includes a plurality of chambers disposed within the housing and arranged so as to be surrounded by the working fluid when the working fluid is within the housing, each chamber configured to contain a phase change material (PCM) that expands upon freezing. The walls of each chamber are formed of a high thermal conductivity material that allows transfer of thermal energy between the working fluid and the PCM in each chamber. The walls of each chamber include expandable bellows configured to deform to increase an internal volume of the chamber as the PCM expands upon freezing.

Thermal storage heat exchanger structures employing phase change materials

A heat exchanger includes at least one conduit configured to carry a working fluid. The heat exchanger also includes a plurality of chambers in proximity to the at least one conduit, each chamber configured to contain a phase change material (PCM) that expands upon freezing. The at least one conduit and the plurality of chambers are thermally coupled for transfer of thermal energy between the working fluid and the PCM in each chamber. One wall of each chamber is formed of a compliant layer configured to deform to increase a volume of the chamber as the PCM expands upon freezing.

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Sterling, MA, United States of America

Jonathan Balducci