Reduced thermal expansion closure bars for a heat exchanger

• Main Authors: KAN, GEORGE, MCCOLGAN, CHARLES J, ARMY, DONALD E, ZAGER, MICHAEL, PALMER, NIGEL
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 06.04.2016
• Subjects: AIRCRAFT; ARRANGEMENTS OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSIONTRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; BLASTING; COSMONAUTICS; DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OFGENERAL APPLICATION; EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLYING SUITS; HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL; HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS,IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT; HEATING; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; PARACHUTES; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING; WEAPONS

A plate fin heat exchanger is configured to receive hot flow from a hot source and cool flow from a cool source. The plate fin heat exchanger (10) includes a plurality of plates (18) arranged in parallel to define a plurality of flow passages (24, 26) there between, and a set of closure bars (20) arranged at a first side (30) of the plurality of plates (18) to seal a first set (26) of the flow passages (24, 26) against ingress of the hot flow, thereby directing the hot flow into a second set (24) of the flow passages (24, 26). Each respective closure bar (20, 22) includes an inner core (46) formed of a first material having a first coefficient of thermal expansion and an outer cladding (48) arranged about the inner core (46), the outer cladding (48) formed of a second material having a second coefficient of thermal expansion. The first coefficient of thermal expansion is less than the second coefficient of thermal expansion.