Compliant heat exchangers, heat pipes and methods for making same

Abstract

A method for fabricating heat exchangers using additive manufacturing technologies. Additive manufacturing enables the manufacture of heat exchangers with complex geometries and/or with internal and external integral surface features. Additive manufacture also facilitates the manufacture of heat exchangers with regional variations, such as changes in size, shape and surface features. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a heat exchanger with a helicoidal shape that provides axial elastic compliance. In one embodiment, the internal channel of the heat exchanger varies along its length. The internal channel may have a cross-sectional area that increases progressively from one end to the other. In one embodiment, the external shape of the tubular structure may be non-circular to optimize heat transfer with an external heat transfer fluid. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a heat pipe with an internal wicking structure formed as an integral part of the additive manufacturing process.