Systematic study of the thermal and hydraulic characteristics of a heat exchanger based on the Schwartz-D structure for aviation application

• Published in: International communications in heat and mass transfer Vol. 156; p. 107611
• Main Authors: Song, Yu, Sun, Yiwei, Zou, Ziwen, Li, Menglin, Chen, Wenhua, Du, Faqing, Zheng, Wenyuan, Hao, Menglong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2024
• Subjects: Aviation application; Heat exchanger; Schwartz-D structure; Thermal and hydraulic characteristics; Triply periodic minimal surface; Aviation application; Thermal and hydraulic characteristics; Schwartz-D structure; Heat exchanger; Triply periodic minimal surface
• ISSN: 0735-1933; 1879-0178
• DOI: 10.1016/j.icheatmasstransfer.2024.107611

Triply periodic minimal surface (TMPS) structures show great potential in serving as high-performance compact heat exchangers, especially in aerospace. This work systematically studies the heat transfer performance and hydraulic characteristics of the Schwartz-D structure, a specific type of TPMS, with countercurrent arrangement fluids in aviation application scenarios. The effects of fluid velocity on heat transfer and pressure drop are quantified in the Reynolds number range including laminar and turbulent flows. When the Reynolds number remains constant, the mass-averaged heat transfer coefficient decreases by 61% as the wall thickness rises from 0.3 to 0.7 mm, and the volume-averaged heat transfer coefficient decreases by 72% as the hydraulic diameter rises from 2 to 4 mm. Furthermore, the correlation of Nusselt number, Reynolds number and Prandtl number based on Schwartz-D structure is given. The results provide a reference for designing high-performance compact heat exchangers with Schwartz-D structure.