Method for manufacturing a foam core heat exchanger
A method for manufacturing a heat exchanger, including forming at least one flexible heat exchanging assembly with first and second adjacent conduits defined therein, shaping the flexible heat exchanging assembly, and heating the heat exchanging assembly to transform at least a portion of the flexible heat conducting material into a rigid heat conducting material.
1. A method of forming a heat exchanger comprising the steps of:
forming a flexible heat exchanging assembly by:
laying a first flexible sheet composed of heal conducting impermeable material on a support surface;
laying a second flexible sheet composed of beat conducting impermeable material in a spaced apart manner over the first flexible sheet to define at least one elongated conduit for a first fluid flow between the first and second flexible sheets; and
laying a third flexible sheet composed of flexible heat conducting foam on the second flexible sheet, the hear conducting foam having a plurality of interconnected pores defining a passage therethrough for a second fluid flow;
shaping the flexible heat exchanging assembly by deformation into a desired shape, including rolling the flexible heat exchanging assembly into a spiral form, the heat exchanger being a spiralling heat exchanger with the at least conduit and the passage extending spirally; and
bonding the flexible heat exchanging assembly together to form a rigid heat exchanger, the at least one conduit and the passage extending in a superposed manner throughout the heat exchanger in heat exchange relationship with one another.
2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising laying a plurality of spacers on the first flexible sheet before the step of laying the second flexible sheet, and the second flexible sheet is laid on the plurality of spacers.
3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein a step of pre-treating the plurality of spacers with a high temperature alloy powder is performed before the step of bonding, and the step of bonding further comprises heating the flexible heat exchanging assembly to sinter the third flexible sheet with the first and second flexible sheets and the plurality of spacers with the first and second flexible sheets.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of bonding comprises heating of the flexible heat exchanging assembly.
5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the heating of the flexible heat exchanging assembly comprises sintering of the third flexible sheet with the first and second flexible sheets.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of bonding transforms the flexible heat conducting foam into a rigid heat conducting foam.