The invention relates to a cooling module for a vehicle control unit, comprising a cooling element, connections for conducting a coolant through the cooling element, a turbulence insert placed in the cooling element comprising at least first cooling fins, and at least one first bimetal located in the cooling element, wherein the at least one first bimetal is placed such that it displaces the at least one group of first cooling fins depending on a temperature-dependent shape change of the at least one first bimetal. The invention also relates to a vehicle control unit with a cooling module and a method for water cooling a vehicle control unit.

The invention relates to a charge air cooler (5) for fuel engine comprising: a casing having an inlet (16) and an outlet (20), a heat exchanger (10) within the casing between the inlet (16) and the outlet (20), a thermally responsive draining mechanism (50, 60) for draining condensates, the draining mechanism (50, 60) being configured to drain condensates when temperature within the charge air cooler (5) is below a defined temperature, draining mechanism comprising a drain port (58, 68), a valve (51, 61, 52, 62, 53, 63) arranged on the drain port (58, 68), an actuation device (53, 63, 64) for moving the valve between an opened state and a closed state,
wherein the actuation device includes a phase change material.

Disclosed is a heat exchanger comprising a first flow path with an inlet, an outlet and a first surface and a second flow path with an inlet, an outlet and a second surface wherein at least one of the first surface and the second surface has a portion consisting of a shape memory alloy which has a first shape at a first temperature, a second shape at a second temperature different than the first temperature, and returns to the first shape in response to a return to the first temperature.

A heat exchanger element includes a body and at least one deformable surface feature disposed at an outer body surface of the body. A cross-section of the heat exchanger element is oriented parallel to a cross-sectional plane of the heat exchanger element. At least one of the body and the at least one surface feature is configured to selectively respond to a temperature change such that a physical characteristic of the heat exchanger element changes in response to a temperature change. The physical characteristic is selected from the group consisting of: a shape of the heat exchanger element, a surface area of the heat exchanger element, a surface roughness of the heat exchanger element, and combinations thereof.

A heat rejection system that employs temperature sensitive shape memory materials to control the heat rejection capacity of a vehicle to maintain a safe vehicle temperature. The technology provides for a wide range of heat rejection rates by actuation of the orientation or position of a heat rejection panel which impacts effective properties of the heat rejection system in response to temperature. When employed as a radiator for crewed spacecraft thermal control this permits the use of higher freezing point, non-toxic thermal working fluids in single-loop thermal control systems for crewed vehicles in space and other extraterrestrial environments.

An apparatus includes a thermally conductive interface assembly including a first component associated with a first interface surface and a second component associated with a second interface surface. The apparatus also includes a shape memory alloy component coupled to the thermally conductive interface assembly and configured to move one or more components of the thermally conductive interface assembly between a first state and a second state based on a temperature of the shape memory alloy component. In the first state, the first interface surface is in physical contact with the second interface surface, and in the second state, a gap is defined between the first interface surface and the second interface surface.

A heat sink assembly can comprise a heat sink and a shaping element made of a shape memory material. The shaping element is incorporated into the heat sink assembly in an assembly shape. An actuation energy can cause the shape memory material to change the shaping element to an actuation shape, and the actuation shape can produce a thermal coupling shape in the heat sink. A method comprises forming a shaping element, of a shape memory material, into an actuation shape. The method includes re-forming the shaping element from the actuation shape into an assembly shape and incorporating the shaping element in a heat sink assembly that includes a heat sink. In the method, applying an actuation energy causes the shape memory material to change the shaping element from the assembly shape to the actuation shape to produce a thermal coupling shape in the heat sink.

A thermal management system includes a heat exchanger and a housing that receives the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger defines a heat transfer region within which thermal exchange occurs between a process fluid and a thermal management fluid. The thermal management system further includes a process fluid conduit to convey the process fluid through the heat transfer region and an actuator assembly configured to position the heat exchanger relative to the housing. The actuator assembly is configured to selectively assume a position between a stowed position and a deployed position. When the actuator assembly is in the deployed position, the heat transfer region extends within a flow of the thermal management fluid such that the process fluid flow flows in heat exchange relation with the thermal management fluid flow. In some such embodiments, the actuator assembly automatically transitions between the stowed position and the deployed position.

A heat exchanger includes a flow channel operatively connecting a channel inlet to a channel outlet to channel fluid to flow therethrough. The flow channel is defined at least partially by a shape change material. The shape change material changes the shape of the flow channel based on the temperature of the shape change material.

Example heat exchangers and methods of use are described herein. An example heat exchanger includes a lattice structure including a plurality of conduits defining a plurality of interstitial voids between the plurality of conduits. Each of the plurality of conduits includes an inlet and an outlet, and the plurality of conduits are arranged such that, between the inlet and the outlet, each of the conduits intersects at least one other conduit to enable flow between the intersecting conduits. The example heat exchanger also includes a first manifold formed unitarily with the lattice structure, the first manifold comprising a first plurality of openings in fluid communication with each inlet of the plurality of conduits. The example heat exchanger further includes a phase change material (PCM) disposed within and substantially filling the plurality of interstitial voids.