Smart heat exchangers: thermal efficiency comes from patents
While data centers consume large amounts of energy and aeronautical engines seek lighter solutions, a new generation of 3D-printed heat exchangers promises to cool better while consuming less, without pumps or fans.
Cited patents
- HEAT EXCHANGERS INCLUDING PARTIAL HEIGHT FINS HAVING AT LEAST PARTIALLY FREE TERMINAL EDGES — 4 September 2025
- ENGINE-INTEGRATED HEAT EXCHANGER — 14 January 2026
What problem does it solve
Traditional heat exchangers must balance thermal efficiency, weight, and integration complexity: improving one of these aspects often means worsening the others.
Conventional cooling systems face stringent physical constraints. In aeronautical engines, every gram counts: adding heat exchange surfaces means weighing down the system. In data centers, air or liquid cooling with pumps can consume up to 40% of the facility's total energy. When it comes to integrating a heat exchanger into an engine bay or a server rack, the logistics of assembly and maintenance become problematic: tubes, connections, and seals must be assembled in tight spaces.
The AM2PC project by the Danish Technological Institute has demonstrated that an aluminum evaporator printed in 3D can reach 600 watts of cooling capacity without pumps or fans, exceeding the initial goal by 50%. Passive two-phase cooling exploits the natural evaporation of the refrigerant: the vapor rises due to density difference, condenses releasing heat, and falls back by gravity. No energy is spent to move fluids, only elementary physics applied with complex geometries.
The idea in 60 seconds
Two patents show how rethinking the internal geometry of heat exchangers and their integration into systems can unlock significant gains in efficiency and operational simplicity.
The first patent introduces “partial height” fins with free terminal edges. Instead of extending completely between two parallel surfaces, these fins stop short, leaving a gap that reduces fluid flow resistance. The structure is monolithic: parallel substrates define separate paths for different fluids, while partial fins optimize heat transfer without blocking passage. The single body eliminates brazing and joints, typical weak points of assembled heat exchangers.
The second patent addresses the problem of integration in aeronautical engines. The heat exchanger is pre-installed on the engine before it enters the bay: when the engine slides into position, an air intake manifold automatically seals with the engine bay gasket. Cooling air passes through apertures distributed circumferentially in the manifold, crosses the heat exchanger, and exits into the engine bay. Connections for oil, coolant, or fuel are already ready: during engine insertion, the tubes connect automatically. No manual operations in hard-to-reach spaces.
Both solutions leverage 3D printing to create geometries impossible with traditional methods. Partial fins require precision in managing internal spaces; engine-exchanger integration benefits from the ability to print manifolds with complex shapes and optimized internal channels.
What really changes (tangible improvements)
Partial fins and pre-loaded integration promise measurable energy savings and reduced assembly times, with direct impacts on operating costs and reliability.
Free-edge fins improve thermal efficiency by reducing pressure drop: the fluid flows more freely, so less energy is needed to pump it. At the same time, the exchange surface remains high because the fins still cover most of the path. The monolithic body eliminates leaks: no brazing that breaks under thermal stress, no gaskets that fail. And weight drops: less material to achieve the same (or better) heat transfer.
In the AM2PC project, passive two-phase cooling demonstrated heat removal at temperatures between 60 and 80°C, higher than traditional air systems. This means waste heat can be reused directly in district heating networks or nearby industrial processes, without needing additional energy. Preliminary life cycle analyses indicate a 25-30% reduction in total emissions per unit, thanks to the single-material (aluminum) structure that is easily recyclable.
Pre-loaded integration in the aeronautical heat exchanger cuts assembly times. Multimatic Motorsports used a configurable oil cooler from Conflux Technology, printed in two weeks and installed in a very tight space. The component completed an endurance race without issues, providing 20% more heat dissipation than the previous solution in the same footprint. In aeronautical production, where each hour of assembly costs thousands of euros, eliminating manual connection operations means direct savings and fewer human errors.
Example in company / on the market
Some HVAC manufacturers and aerospace builders are already testing similar solutions in the prototype phase, with results confirming the theoretical advantages.
The AM2PC project, recently completed with a budget of 10 million Danish kroner, involved the Danish Technological Institute, Heatflow, Open Engineering, and Fraunhofer IWU. The aluminum prototype was printed on a Nikon SLM280 dual-laser system, with print times of 90 minutes per part. Paw Mortensen, CEO of Heatflow, emphasizes that “with our two-phase solution we can remove heat passively without pumps or fans, significantly reducing energy consumption for cooling.”
In motorsport, Multimatic integrated the configurable oil cooler from Conflux into a shared circuit with the engine coolant to manage transmission oil temperatures. Julian Sole, Design Manager at Multimatic Motorsports, confirms: “The Conflux cooler, built from their configurable design and efficiently packaged in a very tight space, provided the reliability required for the entire distance of an endurance race.”
Conflux Technology has already supplied printed heat exchangers for high-profile applications: a water-charge air cooler for the Donkervoort P24 RS Supercar, a heat exchanger for the Pagani Utopia hypercar, and thermal solutions for the Airbus ZEROe project and the Honeywell-led TheMa4HERA consortium for next-generation hybrid-electric aircraft.
There are no mass production announcements yet for finned heat exchangers or for pre-integration into commercial engines, but field tests indicate that the technology is mature for high-performance niche applications.
Trade-offs and limits
The complexity of geometries may limit compatibility with common materials and require specific validations for each use case.
Partial fins work well in theory, but each application has different thermo-fluid dynamic constraints. The optimal distance between fins and the upper substrate, the fin distribution, the orientation relative to the flow: everything needs to be calibrated. There is no universal solution. And printability depends on the material: aluminum is suitable, but more resistant alloys or composite materials may present difficulties in realizing such thin and complex geometries.
Pre-integration requires standardization. Each engine manufacturer has different specifications for connections, gaskets, tolerances. Pre-installing the heat exchanger means everything must fit perfectly on the first attempt, without the possibility of manual adjustments. And during transport, the pre-integrated component must be protected: impacts or vibrations could damage delicate connections before the engine even reaches the assembly line.
The patent on the heat exchanger integrated into the engine mentions
article written with the help of artificial intelligence systems
Q&A
- What main problems do the smart heat exchangers described in the article solve?
- These heat exchangers solve the trade-off between thermal efficiency, weight, and integration complexity. They offer more effective cooling without the use of pumps or fans, reducing energy consumption and simplifying assembly.
- How does passive two-phase cooling work in 3D-printed heat exchangers?
- Passive two-phase cooling exploits the natural evaporation of the refrigerant. The vapor rises due to density difference, condenses releasing heat, and then falls back by gravity, without the need for energy to move the fluids.
- What innovations do the cited patents introduce regarding fins and integration in engines?
- Fins at 'partial height' with free edges reduce flow resistance, improving thermal efficiency. Pre-loaded integration in heat exchangers allows for automatic installation, eliminating complex manual operations.
- What practical benefits arise from the use of these new heat exchangers?
- Energy savings, lighter weight, and greater reliability are achieved thanks to the absence of joints and leaks, along with reduced assembly times. Furthermore, waste heat can be recovered for external uses.
- In which sectors or applications is this technology already being tested?
- The technology is being tested in the HVAC and aerospace sectors. It has also been successfully employed in motorsport, as in the case of Multimatic Motorsports, and in advanced projects such as those of Airbus and Pagani.
