Thermal Performance of Triply Periodic Minimal Surface Lattice Structures in Single-Phase Dielectric Fluid Cooling of Power Electronics

Journal Article · Mon Sep 15 00:00:00 UTC 2025 · ASME Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4069386 · OSTI ID:3013249

Kemerli, Ubade ^[1]; Moreno, Gilbert  ^[2]; Chaudhary, Rajneesh  ^[2]; Narumanchi, Sreekant  ^[2]; Joshi, Y. ^[1]

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1. Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)
2. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Additive manufacturing has transformed thermal management by enabling the production of complex, optimized geometries that conventional manufacturing methods cannot achieve. This study investigates the single-phase convective heat transfer performance of gyroid triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) lattice structures with functional porosity. TPMS structures provide high surface area to volume ratios and are amenable to 3D printing. A gyroid numerical model was created and validated against an existing experimental study with a similar feature size to the investigated geometries. The TPMS structure has a periodic width of 1.6 mm, a length of 10 mm, and a height of 4 mm, with a functional porosity ranging from 0.5 to 0.8, decreasing with distance from the heated surface. Three different flow configurations were examined for an inlet fluid temperature of 70 °C. The inlet velocities range from 0.01 to 1.2 m/s, corresponding to a Reynolds number range of 10–900 with a heat flux of 50 W/cm² applied at the base. AmpCool^® AC-110 dielectric fluid (Prandtl number 59.5) was used as the coolant. Thermal performance and friction characteristics were studied for the three flow orientations. The parallel flow configuration was identified as the most efficient for heat removal. A detailed analysis of the numerical results highlights the underlying physics behind the thermal performance differences among the flow configurations.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC36-08GO28308; EE0008708
• OSTI ID: 3013249
• Report Number(s): NREL/JA--5700-94715
• Journal Information: ASME Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Journal Name: ASME Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 147; ISSN 2832-8469; ISSN 2832-8450
• Publisher: ASMECopyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English