About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
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| Symposium
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Advancing the Frontier of Powder Materials Processing and Sintering: A MPMD/EPD Symposium in Honor of Eugene Olevsky
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| Presentation Title |
From Powder to Performance: Additive and Electric Field-Assisted Manufacturing of Refractory Alloy Heat Exchangers |
| Author(s) |
Xinchang Zhang, Jorgen Rufner , Michael McMurtrey , Stephen Raiman , Yanliang Zhang, Raymond Weitekamp , Arin Preston |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Xinchang Zhang |
| Abstract Scope |
Refractory alloy heat exchangers (HXs) are essential for high-efficiency thermal systems in extreme environments. The capability to fabricate intricate channel geometries in refractory alloys remains a challenge due to their high melting points and poor machinability. This work presents a hybrid manufacturing approach combining electric field-assisted sintering (EFAS) and additive manufacturing (AM) to fabricate refractory alloy HXs from powders. The methodology leverages the geometric freedom of AM for internal channel architectures and the rapid densification capabilities of EFAS. Initial efforts focused on fabricating and evaluating several refractory alloys to assess their high-temperature mechanical properties and molten salt corrosion resistance. To create flow channels, sacrificial channel molds (SCMs) were 3D printed via extrusion printing and digital light processing. The SCMs were embedded in refractory powder and consolidated using EFAS. Post sintering, the SCMs were chemically dissolved to obtain the flow paths. This method offers a scalable route to fabricate high-temperature HXs. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
High-Temperature Materials, Powder Materials, Process Technology |