Plate fin heat exchanger flexible manifold structure

1. A flexible manifold adapted for use on a plate-fin heat exchanger core, the flexible manifold comprising:

a plurality of individual layers, each individual layer defining a lower floor, an upper floor, and two side walls;

a first end with at least one port adapted to receive or discharge the medium; and

a second end distal from the first end, adapted to transfer the medium to or from the plurality of individual layers;

wherein:

two adjacent horizontal guide vanes define the respective individual layer there between;

each of the plurality of individual layers is adapted to channel a flow of a medium therethrough;

the plurality of individual layers are configured to be metallurgically joined to respective ones of a plurality of layers of the plate-fin heat exchanger core;

each of the plurality of individual layers includes a plurality of vertical members;

each of the plurality of vertical members extends vertically from the lower floor to the upper floor of the respective individual layer;

each of the plurality of vertical members is configured to provide structural support for the respective individual layer; and

the flexible manifold is configured to be mechanically and thermally compliant.

2. The flexible manifold of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of vertical members is configured to direct a flow of the medium through the respective individual layer.

3. The flexible manifold of claim 1 , wherein the plate-fin heat exchanger core comprises a plurality of core layers, each core layer including:

two parting sheets, each defining a parting sheet thickness; and

two closure bars, each defining a closure bar thickness.

4. The flexible manifold of claim 3 , wherein:

each side wall has a first end side wall thickness and a first end floor thickness adjacent a first end of the flexible manifold;

the first end side wall thickness is equal to the closure bar thickness; and

the first end floor thickness is equal to the parting sheet thickness.

5. The flexible manifold of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of individual layers comprise one or more of nickel, aluminum, titanium, copper, iron, cobalt, and alloys thereof.

6. The flexible manifold of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of individual layers comprise Inconel 625, Inconel 718, Haynes 282, or AlSi10Mg.

7. The flexible manifold of claim 1 , wherein the vertical members comprise vertical guide vanes dividing each of the plurality of individual layers into a plurality of discrete manifold flow passages extending at least part of a distance from a first end to a second end of the flexible manifold.

8. The flexible manifold of claim 1 , wherein the vertical guide vanes further define at least one end radius configured to reduce material stress in a region of the individual layer.

9. The flexible manifold of claim 1 , wherein the vertical guide vanes further define at least one end radius configured to reduce flow turbulence in the medium.

10. The flexible manifold of claim 1 , wherein the vertical members comprise vertical columns.

11. The flexible manifold of claim 10 , wherein the vertical columns have a hydrofoil cross section configured to control the flow of the medium through each of the plurality of individual layers.

12. A plate-fin heat exchanger, comprising at least one of the flexible manifolds of claim 1 .

13. A method of additively manufacturing a flexible manifold for a heat exchanger, comprising the steps of:

additively building a housing for the first flexible manifold;

within the housing, additively building a plurality of horizontal guide vanes defining a plurality of individual layers for a medium; and

additively building a plurality of vertical members within each of the plurality of individual layers;

wherein:

each of the plurality of individual layers is adapted to channel a flow of the medium therethrough;

each of the plurality of vertical members extends vertically from a lower floor to an upper floor of the respective individual layer;

each of the plurality of vertical members is configured to provide structural support for the respective individual layer; and

the vertical members comprise vertical guide vanes dividing each of the plurality of individual layers into a plurality of discrete manifold flow passages extending at least part of a distance from a first end to a second end of the flexible manifold.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the steps of additively building comprise performing laser powder bed fusion.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the vertical guide vanes further define at least one end radius configured to reduce material stress in a region of the respective individual layer.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the vertical members comprise vertical columns configured to provide structural support for each of the plurality of individual layers.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the vertical columns have a hydrofoil cross section configured to stabilize flow of the medium through each of the plurality of individual layers.

18. A method of making a plate-fin heat exchanger comprising the method of claim 13 , and further comprising the steps of:

forming a heat exchanger core, comprising a plurality of individual core layers; and

metallurgically joining each of the individual layers to respective ones of the plurality the individual core layers, thereby metallurgically joining the first flexible manifold to the heat exchanger core;

wherein the metallurgical joining comprises brazing or welding.