I-Corps: TOPOLOGY OPTIMIZATION APPLIED TO ADDITIVE MANUFACTURED HEAT EXCHANGERS

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of topologically-optimized heat exchangers that may be additively manufactured. By extending topology optimization onto three-dimensional conjugate heat transfer systems and by accounting for additive manufacturing constraints, this project will demonstrate the relevance and utility of both technologies. Because of the focus on heat exchanger technology as the demonstration platform, the work also may improve energy efficiency for a host of convection related applications, ranging from automotive to aerospace, power conversion, refrigeration, etc. This I-Corps project will apply topology optimization to design novel heat exchangers and consider additive manufacturing constraints during the optimization process. The key innovation in the proposed research allows density-based topology optimization to control design-dependent physical boundary conditions. The resulting heat exchanger may be additively manufactured and tested both for performance as well as durability in order to show that the topology optimization process is acceptable for this type of application, which is highly constrained along multiple competing aspects (i.e., thermal performance, pressure drop, thermal stress, burst pressure, creep, etc.). This developed technology may lead to new heat exchangers that dissipate more heat than conventional ones by exploring a large design space opened by additive manufacturing. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.