Patent — available for licensing
High-Performance, Lightweight, Easy-to-Fabricate Heat Exchanger
A NASA invention available to explore as a licensing opportunity.
About this technology
Overview
Researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have developed an advanced heat exchanger that addresses problems typically associated with metal-based systems. Unlike typical metal heat exchangers, which suffer from high thermal expansion and high density, JPL's innovation offers several improved properties. Its lightweight, high heat flux design offers a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE)—and therefore low expansion characteristics—and reduces the pressure drop during heat transfer. The design can handle high-temperature gases (up to 650 °C). This technology has undergone successful preliminary testing. Developed for an aircraft exhaust energy recovery application, the system meets the requirements of high-temperature, high-specific-power thermoelectric generators and other energy recovery systems for industrial, automotive, military, and space applications.