Pore-Scale multi-objective shape optimization of triply periodic minimal surface cellular architectures: Volumetric Nusselt number versus friction factor

• TPMS structures demonstrated a prospective efficacy in heat transfer applications. • Novel multi-objective optimization approach including generation of the structure. • Pore-scale CFD heat transfer analysis of over 14,000 unique geometries. • GA optimization reveals thermo-fluid dynamic trends among non-dominated solutions. • Empirical correlations that can guide optimal TPMS design choices are provided. Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS) cellular architectures, i.e., minimal surfaces that are periodic in three independent directions, have attracted interest in the engineering community for their potential in heat transfer applications with severe volume constraints due to their high surface-to-volume ratio, unique geometrical properties and smooth porous structure. Such performance can be conveniently controlled by tuning the TPMS unit type, relative density, and structural parameters. In this study, a multi-objective optimization process is carried out to investigate how pore-scale geometric characteristics affect the heat transfer performance of TPMS, and which combinations result in an optimal trade-off between heat dissipation capability and associated pressure drop in terms of the Nusselt number and friction factor. The analysis is performed using an in-house Genetic Algorithm routine that generates the structure, allowing for a wider and denser range of investigation, and incorporates a commercial finite element CFD software as a black box fitness function. Over 14,000 unique combinations between two heat transfer boundary conditions (constant wall heat flux, fixed wall temperature) and several flow inlet conditions are investigated. The optimization achieved an increase in performance of up to 245 % in terms of volumetric Nusselt number, which was accompanied, however, by a significant, although reasonable, increase in friction factor values. The results also show specific trends among the geometric characteristics studied, which are then contextualized through the use of CFD analysis. Finally, empirical correlations are derived to cluster the non-dominated solutions obtained, enabling the reader to choose the best cellular TPMS structure by selecting the desired level of trade-off between convection heat transfer and flow resistance.