In this work, an in house topology optimization (TO) solver is developed to optimize a conjugate heat transfer problem: realizing more complex and efficient coolant systems by minimizing pressure losses and maximizing the heat transfer. The TO method consists in an idealized sedimentation process in which a design variable, in this case impermeability, is iteratively updated across the domain. The optimal solution is the solidified region uniquely defined by the final distribution of impermeability. Due to the geometrical complexity of the optimal solutions obtained, this design method is not always suitable for classic manufacturing methods (molding, stamping....) On the contrary, it can be thought as an approach to better and fully exploit the flexibility offered by additive manufacturing (AM), still often used on old and less efficient design techniques. In the present article, the proposed method is developed using a Lagrangian optimization approach to minimize stagnation pressure dissipation while maximizing heat transfer between fluid and solid region. An impermeability dependent thermal conductivity is included and a smoother operator is adopted to bound thermal diffusivity gradients across solid and fluid. Simulations are performed on a straight squared duct domain. The variability of the results is shown on the basis of different weights of the objective functions. The solver builds automatically three-dimensional structures enhancing the heat transfer level between the walls and the flow through the generation of pairs of counter rotating vortices. This is consistent to solution proposed in literature like v-shaped ribs, even if the geometry generated is more complex and more efficient. It is possible to define the desired level of heat transfer and losses and obtain the closest optimal solution. It is the first time that a conjugate heat transfer optimization problem, with these constraints, has been tackled with this approach for three-dimensional geometries.
The new possibilities offered by additive manufacturing (AM) can be exploited in gas turbines to produce a new generation of complex and efficient internal coolant systems. The flexibility offered by this new manufacturing method needs a paradigm shift in the design approach, and a possible solution is offered by topology optimization. The overall goal of this work is to propose an innovative method to design internal channels in gas turbines that fully exploit AM capabilities. The present work contains a new application of a fluid topology sedimentation method to optimize the internal coolant geometries with minimal pressure losses while maximizing the heat exchange. The domain is considered as a porous medium with variable porosity: the solution is represented by the final solid distribution that constitutes the optimized structure. In this work, the governing equations for an incompressible flow in a porous medium are considered together with a conjugate heat transfer equation that includes porosity-dependent thermal diffusivity. An adjoint optimization approach with steepest descent method is used to build the optimization algorithm. The simulations are carried out on three different geometries: a U-bend, a straight duct, and a rectangular box. For the U-bend, a series of splitter is automatically generated by the code, minimizing the stagnation pressure losses. In the straight duct and in the rectangular box, the impact of different choices of the weights and of the definition of the porosity-dependent thermal diffusivity is analyzed. The results show the formation of splitters and bifurcations in the box and “riblike” structures in the straight duct, which enhance the heat transfer.
This work presents an innovative design method to obtain valves without moving parts that can be built using additive manufacturing and applied to gas turbines. Additive manufacturing offers more flexibility than traditional manufacturing methods, which implies less constraints on the manufacture of engineering parts and it is possible to build complex geometries like the Tesla valve. The Tesla valve is a duct that shows a diodicity behavior: it allows a fluid to flow in one direction with lower losses than in the other one. Unfortunately the design of the Tesla valve is two dimensional and it relies on the designer experience to obtain good performance. The method presented here allows the automatic generation of valves similar to the Tesla one, obtained automatically by a topology optimization algorithm. It is the first time that a three dimensional method is presented, the available algorithms in the open literature works in two dimensions. A fluid sedimentation process enables the creation of a new geometry optimized to meet a prescribed set of performance, such as pressure losses. The steepest descent method is used to approximate the integrals met during the calculation process. The optimizer is used to obtain three dimensional geometries for different multi-objective functions. The geometry is compared to an existing similar solution proposed in the open literature and validated. The results are compared to a Tesla valve to show the performance of the optimized geometries. The advantage of the proposed solution is the possibility to apply the design method with any spatial constraints and for a wide range of mass flow.
The new possibilities offered by Additive Manufacturing (AM) can be exploited in gas turbines to produce a new generation of complex and efficient internal coolant systems. The flexibility offered by this new manufacturing method needs a paradigm shift in the design approach and a possible solution is offered by Topology Optimization. The overall goal of this work is to propose an innovative method to design internal channels in gas turbines that that fully exploit AM capabilities. The present work contains a new application of a Fluid Topology sedimentation method to optimize the internal coolant geometries with minimal pressure losses while maximizing the heat exchange. The domain is considered as a porous medium with variable porosity: the solution is represented by the final solid distribution that constitutes the optimised structure. In this work the governing equations for an incompressible flow in a porous medium are considered together with a conjugate heat transfer equation that includes porosity dependent thermal diffusivity. An adjoint optimisation approach with steepest descent method is used to build the optimisation algorithm. The simulations are carried out on two different geometries: a U-Bend and a straight duct. For the U-Bend a series of splitter is automatically generated by the code, minimizing the stagnation pressure losses. In the straight duct the impact of different porosity dependant thermal diffusivity is analysed to achieve high thermal exchange. The results show “rib like” structures that enhance the heat transfer.
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