Multifunctional Heat Exchanger for Aerodynamic Aircraft Inlets

Candent Technologies is proposing to continue and advance the Phase I design and development of a light weight, robust state of the art aircraft aerodynamic engine inlet heat exchanger system, capable of dissipating large amounts of waste heat produced by various aircraft systems, such as electronic and weapon systems. The final design will be optimized to minimize pressure losses and flow distortion, to maximize heat exchanger effectiveness, and to improve other aircraft engine inlet characteristics, particularly in serpentine duct inlets. The design process will utilize state of the art CFD, FEA, and multi-objective optimization tools to define the optimum system within the stated requirements and design constraints. Fabrication and testing of prototype hardware will be used to validate and confirm the aerodynamic and thermal characteristics and performance of the heat exchanger system.