alt Hacker NewsI don't think they are claiming an efficiency breakthrough on their heat exchanger, just that they've made a competitive heat exchanger that also blocks light very effectively.
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ggm • today at 1:24 AM
In context, an important innovation. Perhaps this technology can retrofit into hot gas heat exchangers like in steel works, but they use the thermal energy directly so it may be robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Thanks for a clarification which makes sense.
we're not aiming to break records with the absolute heat exchanger efficiency, which can get into the high 90s (%) if you're willing to devote a lot of space and mass, but we are innovating in the heat exchanger area. to capture more of the waste heat up to a higher temperature, and preheat the incoming air and possible fuel to a higher temperature, we have to exceed 1000 C and want to drive towards the 1600-1800C maximum working temperature of the high alumina 3d printed material we're using. Thankfully Formlabs has already done some of the preliminary development on the material, but it's bleeding edge both as a material and in use in heat exchangers.