Led by Tony Rollett, a professor of materials science and engineering, a team at Carnegie Mellon University is working to create high-temperature heat exchangers using new methods and techniques for 3D printing. They have received a USD2.4 M grant from the U.S. Department of Energys Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E) as one of 18 projects being supported for high-temperature materials projects. It is part of the High-Intensity Thermal Exchange through Materials and Manufacturing Processes (HITEMMP) program.
This collaborative project includes advances in materials research, additive manufacturing, and heat exchanger design. Rolletts lab at Carnegie Mellon is partnering with Vinod Narayanans group at the University of California, Davis on heat exchanger design and analysis. The team also includes a national lab and five industrial partners.
The overall ARPA-E initiative is supporting the creation of critical heat exchangers for thermal energy use in electricity, nuclear reactors, and transportation, among others. The grant will bolster Rolletts research for three years and financially support Ph.D. students.