1. Fish Gills: A New Approach to Heat Exchange
Andrew May, Kyle McIlroy, Hannah Feldstein
Engineer Design 100 Instructor: Junfeng Ma
Background
Lockheed Martin designs a variety machines used in defense, aerospace, and energy applications. The electrical components of these machines require heat exchangers to prevent overheating of the system.
Production of heat exchangers using traditional methods can be costly, time consuming, and inefficient.
Problem
Create a heat exchanger that can be produced using additive manufacturing methods quickly and cheaply, without altering external size or geometry.
Goal
Design Trait 1
Create a large surface area in layers separating opposing fluids
Design Trait 2
Create countercurrent flow to maximize heat exchange between two fluids
Mirror geometry of that found in fish gills, as this organ is extremely efficient in gas diffusion.
Solution
Conclusion
Bio-inspired engineering is an upcoming field that builds upon properties seen in biological systems. Fish gills very efficient structures in maximizing surface area for gas exchange. Modeling a heat exchanger off of fish gills allows for a large surface area and an efficient flow pattern, while taking advantage of the versatility of additive manufacturing.