Toward a New Generation of Additively Manufactured Heat Exchange Technologies

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The vision for this Discovery Research Program is to enable the development of a new generation of heat transfer technologies which leverages the recent scientific and technical advances in both high-performance polymer composites (PCs) and additive manufacturing (AM). This will enable the creation and optimization of an entirely new class of lightweight, high performance, two-phase thermosyphons, heat pipes, and heat exchangers. *** The combination of AM with PCs for heat transfer applications presents an exciting opportunity to leverage the potential of both the exceptional material properties offered by high conductivity PCs and the unique fabrication possibilities offered by AM. However, there is a distinct gap between the development of these new materials and fabrication methods and a fundamental understanding of their associated thermal physics.*** This program's long-term goal is to develop a fundamental understanding of thermal transport mechanisms in and on additively manufactured polymer composite (AM-PC) solids and structures. The short-term objectives that will be addressed in the next 5 years are:***1. To characterize the effective thermal conductivity of AM-PC structures and to develop theoretical models for predicting their mechanical and thermal behaviour. ***2. To understand and control the characteristics of AM-PC surface geometries for the prediction and mitigation of thermal contact resistance and to understand working fluid-surface interactions between AM-PCs as they pertain to their use in two-phase heat exchangers.***3. To characterize boiling heat transfer on AM-PC surfaces and develop predictive models along with novel boiling enhancement techniques that are unique to the materials and fabrication possibilities afforded by AM. *** This research program will be multidisciplinary and will combine thermal fluid sciences, materials characterization, and AM for heat transfer applications. It will yield a comprehensive understanding of the important heat transfer mechanisms and phenomena associated with AM-PCs and help enable the development of a new generation of compact, high-performance, and lightweight heat transport, exchange, and conversion technologies to meet the needs of Canadian industries such as automotive, aerospace, telecoms, and mobile devices. For these industries, thermal targets must be achieved with severe weight constraints on all parts, including heat exchangers. Lightweight, two-phase AM-PC heat exchangers offer an innovative solution to an extremely pressing problem.*** This program will also train and develop much-needed highly qualified personnel (HQP) for Canada's high-tech industries.