Open-Cell Metal Foams for Use in Dehumidifying Heat Exchangers

Metal foams with an open-cell structure have physical and mechanical properties suggesting they might have advantages over conventional fin materials for use in air-cooling heat exchangers. For example, metal foams are low weight, have high to very high specific surface area (up to over 10000 m2/m3), have high gas permeability, and have relatively high thermal conductivity (for open-cell bodies). Due to these properties, open-cell metal foams have been studied for many heat transfer applications, especially as a material for constructing efficient compact heat exchangers. In this work, dynamic dips tests are undertaken to explore the water-drainage behavior of the metal foams. Experiments are also undertaken in a closed-loop wind tunnel to evaluate the pressure drop and heat transfer performance of metal foam heat exchangers under dry- and wet-surface conditions