Compliant Polymeric Sheet-Based Heat Exchangers

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Traditional metal heat exchangers are costly, prone to fouling and corrosion.
• Existing polymer heat exchangers face challenges with cost, complexity, and thermal performance.
• Lack of theoretical models hinders the design of advanced polymer heat exchangers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize novel polymer heat exchangers using thin, transparent sheets.
• To achieve high heat transfer performance and cost-effectiveness compared to existing solutions.
• To establish an analytical model for predicting the performance of these new heat exchangers.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of thin (∼50 µm) transparent polymeric sheet heat exchangers.
• Experimental characterization of heat transfer coefficients and capacity.
• Development and validation of an analytical model for performance prediction.

Main Results:

• Achieved heat transfer coefficients up to 2000 W/m²K.
• Demonstrated 2-4 times greater heat exchange capacity per cost than metal and previous polymer exchangers.
• Exchangers are deployable up to 60 times their initial volume.
• Analytical model accurately predicts device performance.

Conclusions:

• Thin, transparent polymer sheets offer a viable and cost-effective alternative to traditional heat exchangers.
• The developed sheet-based approach enables compact, deployable thermal management solutions.
• Theoretical modeling supports the design and optimization of future polymer heat exchanger systems.