Rapid prototyping methods of silicon carbide micro heat exchangers

Abstract

Conventional heat exchangers are mainly constructed of metal alloys. The manufacturing process of metal alloys usually requires assembling and joining techniques such as welding and diffusion bonding. In addition, the structures are limited to simple shapes due to the restrictions of the fabrication methods. This research focused on the manufacturing of compact heat exchangers made of high thermal-conductivity ceramic material, rather than on the performance of the devices. To achieve a high surface-volume ratio in heat exchangers, a strategy was adopted that fabricates miniaturized devices with a high shape complexity. This paper discusses an approach that uses a combination of mould shape deposition manufacturing (Mould SDM) and the gelcasting process to fabricate monolithic ceramic heat exchangers. This approach not only makes one-piece heat exchangers possible but introduces materials with superior thermal properties to the heat management applications. Silicon carbide is chosen for such applications because of its high thermal conductivity, thermal resistance, and corrosion resistance. The high chemical resistance of ceramic materials also extends the use of heat exchangers to chemical processing devices such as chemical reactors. The initial investigation of the process for micro reactors is also discussed.