Development and flow optimization of “Gyroid” based additive manufacturing heat exchanger: Both computational and experimental analyses

Abstract

There is a pressing demand for lightweight, space-saving, and high-performance heat exchangers (HEXs) in the aerospace industry. This study explores the Gyroid structure for efficient thermal energy management. Employing laser powder bed fusion, an optimized Gyroid HEX model is designed and comprehensively analyzed. Both computational and experimental analyses investigate thermal responses, considering various inlet flow rates and temperatures. Computational results are validated against experimental data, revealing favorable concurrence. The Gyroid HEX exhibits superior performance compared to a conventional plate HEX, demonstrating a 73.28 % increase in heat transfer rate. The Gyroid HEX demonstrated significantly greater stiffness than a single unit cell under a 2 kN compressive load, exhibiting a deflection of only 0.0056 mm compared to 0.2 mm for the single cell. With a von Mises stress of 42.6 MPa and a factor of safety of 4.81 against the yield strength of stainless steel 316L (205 MPa), the Gyroid structure exhibits excellent potential for high-strength aerospace applications. Additionally, compared to a Gyroid HEX made with 316L stainless steel, an aluminum Gyroid HEX demonstrates a 6.37 % increase in heat transfer rate. This study provides valuable insights into Gyroid HEX fluid flow and thermal characteristics, offering potential applications in the aerospace industry while acknowledging influencing factors on Gyroid structure strength.