Study of Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces for Heat Transfer Applications

Sammanfattning: In the pursuit of enhancing heat exchanger efficiency, several heat transfer- enhancing strategies are employed. The traditional methods include surface vibrations, microchannels, and integration of vortex generators. Additionally, new solutions are being studied, taking advantage of other relevant improve- ments in the engineering field. The investigation of Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces (TPMS) is one of the most recent and offers a passive and efficient approach to enhancing heat transfer performance.Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces, characterised by their lattice structures, present an innovative opportunity for heat transfer applications. Notable TPMS configurations such as Schwarz Diamond, Schoen Gyroid, and Fischer Koch hold promise owing to their thermo-hydraulic characteristics. TPMS ex- hibits a high convection phenomenon due to its geometric attributes: great compactness (a large surface-area-to-volume ratio) and tortuosity, which pro- motes fluid mixing and turbulency. The representative periodic structures de- void of sharp edges of TPMS result in low hydrodynamic resistance and small pressure losses. Beyond their thermo-hydraulic attributes, TPMS are posi- tioned as robust candidates for high-pressure and high-temperature environ- ments. The integration of TPMS into heat exchangers offers substantial ad- vantages over traditional counterparts due to their enhanced heat transfer per- formance and reduced pressure drop.This study centres on the comparative analysis of two TPMS geometries, Fischer Koch S and Schwarz Diamond, to discern their performance in heat transfer applications. The study was conducted by simulating the two TPMS cells at different Reynolds numbers and analysing the obtained thermal and hydraulic results, which were performed using the Star-CCM+ Computational Fluid Dynamics software.The results show that for Reynolds numbers lower than 300, the Fischer Koch cell will outperform the Schwarz Diamond while maintaining compara- ble pressure drops. However, for higher Reynolds numbers, Schwarz Dia- mond performs better.