SwRI offers megawatt-scale heat exchanger testing and research

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is expanding its heat exchanger testing capabilities to include megawatt-scale performance evaluations, an offering matched by only a handful of facilities worldwide. Heat exchangers efficiently transfer heat between two or more fluids without mixing for a wide variety of heating and cooling applications.

“SwRI’s expanded heat exchanger testing capabilities will address a significant market gap for high-heat transfer rates involving high-temperature and -flowrate applications,” said Research Engineer Dr. Eugene Hoffman of SwRI’s Fluids Engineering Department. “This was the perfect time to advance our capabilities and expertise to meet increasing demands for specialized and custom heat exchanger testing capabilities that only a few facilities can accommodate.”

The heat exchanger market is growing rapidly and is expected to reach more than $30 billion in the next 10 years. While everyday systems like heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and automobiles require heat exchangers to operate, the technology is also vital in data centers, aerospace and defense applications. Rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach, SwRI has adapted existing equipment and infrastructure to offer customized heat exchanger testing to clients. The facilities offer a wide range of unique and complex testing requirements to meet diverse and robust market demands.

“Our testing capabilities apply to many different systems needing thermal management,” Hoffman said. “From drones to power systems, we provide a comprehensive equipment suite to help clients manage a variety of thermal systems while supporting their design and testing needs.”

Typical car radiators can handle a few kilowatts of heat transfer, while military trucks and heavy-duty vehicles require hundreds of kilowatts. High-speed hypersonic vehicles and data center mechanical skids will require megawatts of heat exchange rates. As the power requirements increase, fewer organizations are equipped to perform testing at this scale. Because SwRI has existing research facilities that can handle large power requirements, it is ideally positioned for customized heat exchanger testing.

The increasing demand for high-speed computing and systems that support artificial intelligence, which produce a considerable amount of heat, make high-capacity heat exchangers essential. SwRI’s customizable testing facilities also make it well-positioned to evaluate these types of heat exchangers for data center operations.

“With access to substantial power and space, there is no strict upper limit to what we can test. We are prepared to scale our facilities to meet higher demands as needed,” said SwRI Research Engineer Dr. Ashok Thyagarajan. “Our customizable testing setups and the broad spectrum of heat exchangers we can evaluate — from tens of kilowatts to up to a few megawatts — are indeed unique. With this adaptability, coupled with diverse industrial experience, SwRI offers solutions for a wide range of applications.”