Are 3D printed heat exchangers viable?
A team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is working with new materials in an effort to produce a viable energy efficient 3D-printed heat exchanger.
The capability of a heat exchanger to transmit energy is determined both by its geometry and the material from which it is manufactured. The metals used to produce conventional heat exchangers transmit heat highly efficiently, but may only be machined in a limited scope of shapes. While heat exchanger design is crucial to efficient heat transfer, the optimum shape for heat transfer may not be feasible for conventional manufacturing…