Woven graphite fiber structures for use in ultra-light weigth heat exchangers

Abstract

As part of U.S. Department of Energy efforts to find novel approaches for thermal management and heat recovery, work was undertaken at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to investigate the use of graphite-based materials for heat exchanger and thermal management devices. From this effort, lightweight, robust woven graphite-fiber structures were developed which provide high conductivity paths along the direction of the graphite fibers. These structures were produced and characterized for air permeability/pressure drop and thermal (heat transfer) performance. Results have been shown to be favorable for using such structures in ultra-light weight heat exchanger applications such as vehicle radiators or other areas where light weight, compact, conformable heat transfer devices are needed.