Al-Ce Alloy Based Compact Heat Exchanger for Refrigerant Charge Reduction and Unprecedented Durability

Next-generation heat-exchanger technologies will require high thermal stability, good mechanical properties, excellent thermal transfer, geometric stability, multimaterial compatibility, and design and production flexibility. Furthermore, heat exchangers must exhibit a high corrosion resistance, since corrosive media can lead to significant degradation of the heat exchanger material. The overall goal of the proposed project proposed by ORNL and Eck Industries is to develop a scaled-up, die casted Al-Ce heat exchanger with excellent performance and 50% lower material cost than state-of-the-art condensing heat exchangers used in commercial furnaces. The major objectives include the evaluation of the most critical properties relevant to the heat exchanger casting process, which include castability, thermal conductivity, fluidity, high temperature mechanical behavior, corrosion resistance, enthalpy of solidification, and engineered mold design lab scale and field demonstration of the prototype over an extended period of time while demonstrating a sustainable performance.

Project Impact

This project's new lower-cost casting manufacturing process will reduce heat exchanger cost and improve resilience. As a result of the process' significant decrease in refrigerant charge and CO2 emissions, the linked GHG emissions will experience a decline. This project will also introduce higher corrosion resistance than typical aluminum alloys, allowing for higher-pressure and temperature applications.