Page 21 - 3D Metal Printing magazine Fall 2022

AM Ideal for Battling Climate Change 3D
Fig. 2—A heat exchanger designed using 3DXpert software helps maintain stable temperatures and sustain chemical reactions.
capital-equipment showerhead applica- tions, AM diffusor plates can be manu- factured 20 times faster than via machin- ing alone.
Chillers and Distillers
The carbon-rich product exiting the filter stage can be considered “dirty” and in need of further processing. This dirty- carbon post-processing can be accom- plished outside of a self-contained system, but it implies the production of even more carbon in the logistics of collecting and transporting dirty-carbon product to sec- ondary post-processing facilities. The most valuable and promising carbon-cap- ture systems have some level of integrated dirty-carbon-product post-processing such that the output of a carbon-capture system consists of clean usable carbon product, and safe water-based byproduct.
Refinement columns, including dis- tillers with integrated chilling as well as heat exchangers, are relatively complex to assemble traditionally, featuring dozens of sheet metal shells and stages, possibly hundreds of yards of bent tube, and dozens of machined or cast flanges, fit- tings and manifolds. All of this must be
procured and assembled, which further increases the collective carbon output and pollution caused by merely manufacturing and assembling the components.
AM allows for extensive part consoli- dation and monolithic design, which enables significant consolidation and streamlining of the supply chain. It also enables a function-first, highly efficient design that can accelerate the refinement stage, providing even more output in a smaller form factor.
Manifolds—Liquid, Gas and Vapor
Carbon capture involves fluid and gas combined with chemistry, temperature and pressure. Manifold applications in carbon capture are numerous, ranging from chemistry conveyance into process chambers to efficient distribution of coolant to active cooling components such as heat exchangers, as well as general gas-distribution applications. What makes these components challenging to produce is not the requirement for chemical resist- ance or aerospace-grade special materials, but rather the need for balanced pressure across many branching lines, and even delivery of fluids through a process cham-
ber. Efficient one-to-many branching with even fluid flow, combined with space and assembly restrictions, represents a geom- etry problem that AM is uniquely posi- tioned to enable, as evidenced by its adop- tion in aerospace, defense and semiconductor capital equipment.
A Future Where
We Can Breathe Easier
AM enables significant efficiency advances in direct air capture and refine- ment, a critical technology for correcting atmospheric carbon levels. For their parts, 3D Systems and AirCapture report great strides in their collaboration by uti- lizing AM to quickly iterate and manu- facture production-ready components. They’ve reported the ability to apply never-before-used high-efficiency geom- etry to process stacks and thermal exchange that enable increased capture efficiency while reducing form factor and footprint, making the technology easy to install and, ultimately, scale. With further adoption of advanced-manufacturing technology and design tools, we see the possibility of a comfortable and livable climate for future generations. 3DMP
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