GE Research is currently developing an advanced heat exchanger for power generation equipment. It’s called UPHEAT, which stands for Ultra Performance Heat Exchanger enabled by Additive Technology. The $2.5 million project started at the Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (ARPA-E) High Intensity Thermal Exchange through Materials and Manufacturing Processes program (HITEMMP).
GE Research will be collaborating with the University of Maryland (UMD) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for two years to perfect the UPHEAT design. It will be compact and able to withstand high temperatures (1,650°F) and pressure (3,600 psi), resulting in improved efficiency in current and next-generation power plant equipment. The UPHEAT will increase power output and reduce emissions thanks to a 4% improvement in thermal efficiency for supercritical CO2 power cycles power cycles.
Heat exchangers are used in many applications, from refrigeration to aviation. Peter deBock, a Principal Thermal Engineer for GE Research, explains: “Lungs are the ultimate heat exchanger, circulating the air you breathe to keep the body functioning at peak performance while also regulating your body’s temperature. Heat exchangers in power generation equipment like a gas turbine essentially perform the same function, but at much higher temperatures and pressures. With additive manufacturing, GE and University of Maryland will now explore more intricate biological shapes and designs to enable a step change in heat exchanger performance that delivers higher efficiency and lower emissions.”
Only 3D printing can produce those biological shapes that improve efficiency. “We’re taking our deep knowledge in metals and thermal management and applying it in ways we couldn’t have before through the power of 3D printing,” deBock said. “With 3D printing, we can now achieve new design architectures previously not possible. And this will allow us to create an ‘UPHEAT’ device that can operate cost effectively at temperatures 250°C (450°F) degrees higher than today’s heat exchangers.”
The UPHEAT will be printed in a high-temperature capable, crack-resistant nickel superalloy and then tested at full temperature and pressure capabilities. GE Research has over 1,000 scientists and engineers, more than 600 of which are Ph.Ds, so there will be no shortage of ingenuity and brilliance at their disposal. After successful testing of the UPHEAT in power generation systems, it will be tested in aerospace applications.
