Development of a Microchannel Heat Exchanger for Aerospace Applications

Abstract

Honeywell Aerospace has been developing microchannel heat exchangers for aerospace use. These heat exchangers offer significant reduction in volume and some reduction in weight compared to state-of-the-art aerospace heat exchangers constructed using offset plate and fin interupted surfaces. A microchannel heat exchanger was designed based on the requirements and available envelope for an aerospce liquid-to-air heat exchanger presently in service. The new micochannel heat exchanger was fabricated and a full testing campaign was undertaken to validate the design approach and generate appropriate adjustment factors for pressure drop and heat transfer. Based on this correlated model, the heat exchanger was re-sized for the required conditions. This updated design shows a significant reduction in size compared to the existing heat exchanger. In addition, Honeywell now has a validated approach enabling accurate design and optimization of microchannel heat exchangers for diverse problem conditions.