Numerical study of a Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces (TPMS) based heat exchanger

Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces (TPMS) are mathematical surfaces characterized by zero mean curvature and periodicity in three spatial directions. With advancements in additive manufacturing, multiple cell units of this structure can be realized to form lattices that can be utilized in heat exchangers. The increased surface area to volume ratio can promote increased heat transfer, and the continuous curvatures can reduce the pressure drops associated with discontinuities introduced by baffles in conventional heat exchangers. In this study, we conduct numerical simulations of conjugate heat transfer using different TPMS structures. The solid lattice is resolved in the computational domain using the Immersed Boundary Method. The thermo-fluid dynamic behavior of the flow in different types of TPMS structures are analyzed.