Expanded microchannel heat exchanger: Non-destructive evaluation

By Michigan Tech's Open Sustainability Technology Lab. Wanted: Students to make a distributed future with solar-powered open-source RepRap 3-D printing and recyclebot recycling. Contact Dr. Joshua Pearce or Apply here MOST on RepRap: Projects and Publications], Methods, Lit. reviews Twitter updates @ProfPearce

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Source

• Denkenberger, D.C., Brandemuehl, M.J., Pearce, J.M., Zhai, J., 2018. Expanded Microchannel Heat Exchanger: Nondestructive Evaluation. Heat Transfer Engineering 0, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/01457632.2018.1496976 open access

Abstract

Recent theoretical developments in expanded microchannel polymer-based heat exchangers were promising, but the initial experiments underperformed simple theory. In order to understand this discrepancy, this paper introduces a nondestructive methodology for characterizing polymer heat exchangers. A computerized tomography (X-ray) scan was performed to diagnose the problem. The method was tested on the expanded microchannel polymer heat exchanger to determine the variations in geometry between the theoretical and experimental heat exchanger. Channels were found to have variable heights causing flow maldistribution. The results are discussed to guide further technological development of this approach to heat exchanger design and fabrication and lays the groundwork for an advanced discretized modeling.

Keywords

heat exchanger; laser welding; microchannel; optimization;

See Also

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• Laser welding protocol: MOST
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Manufacturing the HX with an open source laser welding system

• Experimental Characterization of Heat Transfer in an Additively Manufactured Polymer Heat Exchanger
• Expanded microchannel heat exchanger
• Open-source laser system for polymeric welding - open source hardware design
• Laser welding protocol: MOST - operating instructions
• Open Source Laser Polymer Welding System: Design and Characterization of Linear Low-Density Polyethylene Multilayer Welds
• Design Optimization of Polymer Heat Exchanger for Automated Household-Scale Solar Water Pasteurizer