Conformal heat exchanger with triangular offset strip fins

Abstract

A fin pack for a conformal heat exchanger includes alternating rows of fins defined in a lateral plane, each row of fins having alternating upward and downward extending peaks extending upwardly and downwardly from the lateral plane, wherein adjacent rows of fins are connected by central portions in the lateral plane, and wherein upward and downward extending peaks of adjacent rows are offset from each other along the rows. The conformal heat exchanger can be curved, and a method for making the conformal heat exchanger is also disclosed.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A fin pack for a conformal heat exchanger, comprising:
 alternating rows of fins defined in a lateral plane, each row of fins comprising alternating upward and downward extending peaks extending upwardly and downwardly from the lateral plane, wherein adjacent rows of fins are connected by central portions in the lateral plane, and wherein upward and downward extending peaks of adjacent rows are offset from each other along the rows.   
     
     
         2 . The fin pack of  claim 1 , wherein each upward extending peak of one row is laterally aligned with a downward extending peak of an adjacent row. 
     
     
         3 . The fin pack of  claim 1 , wherein the upward and downward extending peaks comprise legs extending between the lateral plane and the peak, and wherein the central portions comprise horizontal connecting portions defined in the plane, wherein the horizontal connecting portions connect legs of alternating upward and downward extending peaks along each row, and the horizontal connecting portions also connect to horizontal connecting portions of each adjacent row. 
     
     
         4 . The fin pack of  claim 3 , wherein the legs are arranged at an angle with respect to the lateral plane of between 50 and 80 degrees. 
     
     
         5 . The fin pack of  claim 4 , wherein the angle is between 60 and 70 degrees. 
     
     
         6 . The fin pack of  claim 1 , wherein the fin pack is defined from sheet metal such that the central portions are contiguous sheet metal material with the adjacent rows. 
     
     
         7 . The fin pack of  claim 1 , wherein each peak terminates in a rounded peak. 
     
     
         8 . The fin pack of  claim 7 , wherein the rounded peak is defined in a material having a thickness, and wherein an inner radius of the rounded peak (IR) is greater than one-half the thickness of the material. 
     
     
         9 . The fin pack of  claim 1 , wherein the fin pack is flexible at the central portions and, when bending at the central portions, an upward extending peak of one row extends into a space created by a downward extending peak of the adjacent row. 
     
     
         10 . A conformal heat exchanger, comprising:
 the fin pack of  claim 1 ; and   at least one parting plate arranged along the fin pack in contact with at least one of the upward and the downward extending peaks.   
     
     
         11 . The heat exchanger of  claim 10 , wherein the fin pack is bonded to the at least one parting plate at the upward and downward extending peaks. 
     
     
         12 . The heat exchanger of  claim 10 , wherein the at least one parting plate comprises grooves arranged to receive peaks of the fin pack. 
     
     
         13 . The heat exchanger of  claim 12 , wherein the peaks of the fin pack are bonded to the at least one parting plate in the grooves. 
     
     
         14 . The heat exchanger of  claim 10 , further comprising side bars arranged along ends of the rows to define heat exchange flow paths along the upward and downward extending peaks. 
     
     
         15 . The heat exchanger of  claim 10 , wherein the at least one parting plate and the fin pack are curved around an axis extending parallel to the rows. 
     
     
         16 . A method for making a conformable heat exchanger, comprising:
 die stamping a sheet of metal to produce a fin pack comprising alternating rows of fins defined in a lateral plane, each row of fins comprising alternating upward and downward extending peaks extending upwardly and downwardly from the lateral plane, wherein adjacent rows of fins are connected by central portions in the lateral plane, and wherein upward and downward extending peaks of adjacent rows are offset from each other along the rows;   positioning the fin pack between a first parting plate in contact with the downward extending peaks and a second parting plate in contact with the upward extending peaks; and   bonding the upward and downward extending peaks to the first parting plate and the second parting plate to define the conformable heat exchanger.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising bending the conformable heat exchanger around an axis parallel to the rows of the fin pack. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the first parting plate and the second parting plate comprise grooves arranged to receive peaks of the fin pack, wherein the positioning step positions the peaks in the grooves, and wherein the bonding step bonds the peaks in the grooves. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising positioning side bars along non-flow edges of the fin pack between the first parting plate and the second parting plate, and wherein the bonding step also bonds the side bars to the first parting plate and the second parting plate. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising making a plurality of conformable heat exchangers and bending the plurality of conformable heat exchangers to produce a plurality of curved conformable heat exchangers, and stacking the plurality of curved conformable heat exchangers to produce a final multi-layer curved conformable heat exchanger wherein each layer has a height measured as distance between the first parting plate and the second parting plate, and wherein the plurality of curved conformable heat exchangers have different heights with respect to each other.