Design, Manufacturing, and Numerical Simulation of a Tube-in-tube High-temperature Heat Exchanger with Microstructures to Enhance Heat Transfer

Abstract

The ever-increasing demands of the industry for higher power densities in heat transfer have led to the miniaturization of heat exchangers, which have been proven to provide an increased heat transfer capacity. Furthermore, the demand for increasing thermal efficiency, associated with high temperatures, calls for the implementation of high temperature-resistant materials. For this purpose, ceramics represent a good option as they can withstand high temperatures and corrosive environments whilst keeping good mechanical properties. In the present work, the design, simulation, and manufacturing of a novel ceramic tube-in-tube heat exchanger with integrated microstructures for the enhancement of heat transfer is presented. The fabrication was done by means of lithography-based ceramic manufacturing (LCM), a novel technique for additive manufacturing of ceramics.