Copper 3D Printed Heat Exchanger
A research lab in the need of an interdisciplinary product, came to the right place
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The equation presented by the Tao Lab was unbalanced. Their solar cogeneration system produced an excess of thermal energy, driving solar receivers past 150°C and threatening the operational limit of 80°C. The challenge was not to reduce the energy input, but to increase the efficiency of its extraction. The system required a radical improvement in thermal transfer within a constrained physical volume.
Conventional heat exchangers were inadequate. A linear increase in cooling performance required a non-linear increase in surface area. We engineered a solution whose geometry was dictated by thermal dynamics, not traditional manufacturing. A gyroidal internal structure—a triply periodic minimal surface—was selected to maximize heat transfer across a minimal volume. Such a complex form can only be realized through additive manufacturing, so the design was specified for 3D-printed copper.
The design was first proven in the digital domain. Thermal CFD analysis predicted the gyroidal lattice would dissipate the thermal load and stabilize the system at 70°C, well within the target range. The simulation was validated by the physical result. The final component was manufactured by Markforged and delivered ready for system integration, solving the thermal overload problem and, as a secondary benefit, reducing system costs by 30% compared to standard concentrated solar power heliostat designs.
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