Hierarchical triply periodic minimal surface structures as heat exchangers and reactors
The present disclosure relates to a transport mechanism apparatus for transporting at least one of a gas or a fluid. The transport mechanism may have an inlet, an outlet and a triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structure. The TPMS structure is formed in a layer-by-layer three dimensional (3D) printing operation to include cells propagating in three dimensions, where the cells include wall portions having openings, and where the cells form a plurality of flow paths throughout the transport mechanism from the inlet to the outlet, and where the cells form the inlet and the outlet.
1. A transport mechanism apparatus for transporting at least one of a gas or a liquid, the apparatus comprising:
an inlet;
an outlet;
a triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structure formed in a three dimensional (3D) printing operation to include cells propagating in three dimensions, where the cells include wall portions having openings, and where the cells form a plurality of flow paths throughout the transport mechanism apparatus from the inlet to the outlet, and where the cells form the inlet and the outlet, and where the cells have an engineered construction feature which creates a non-uniform construction for the cells over a length of the TPMS structure between the inlet and the outlet; and
wherein the cells form a hierarchical structure.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the engineered construction feature causes the cells to decrease smoothly in size from the inlet moving towards the outlet.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the engineered construction feature causes the cells to decrease smoothly in size moving from the outlet to the inlet.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the engineered construction feature causes the cells to decrease smoothly in size moving from the inlet and outlet towards a central portion of the apparatus.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the engineered construction feature causes a thickness of the wall portions of the cells to be non-uniform across at least one of a length (X plane), a height (Y plane) and a depth (Z plane) of the apparatus.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the wall portions comprise at least one of:
a gas separation membrane; or
a gas absorption monolith.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the TPMS structure is defined by a level set function which helps to produce the engineered construction feature.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the level set function comprises:
F(x, y, z)=t, where:
t=constant which determines a volume of fractions of two domains separated by a level set surface; and
F(x, y, z) controls a shape of a geometry of the cells of the TPMS structure.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the TPMS structure is defined using level set surfaces that divide the TPMS structure into three continuous volumes, to produce the engineered construction feature.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the TPMS structure comprises at least one of:
a Gyroid surface structure;
a Schwarz-D surface structure;
a Schwarz-P surface structure; and
a I-WP bi-continuous surface structure.
11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the engineered construction feature creates the cells to be non-uniform in size over at least one of a length (X plane), a height (Y plane) and a depth (Z plane) of the apparatus.
12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein a size gradient of the cells is controlled in accordance with the formula:
L modified =L+ (1− H ε (φ)) Lf
where L is a length of the cell, and f a shrinkage or expansion factor of the cell;
where H ε (φ) is a smoothed Heaviside function which determines the nature of variation of a graded zone:
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and where φ(x, y, z) is a level set function to determine where a modification in the size gradient takes place along the apparatus.
13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the TPMS structure is formed using at least one of:
fused deposition modeling; and
direct metal laser sintering.
14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cells are formed such that the walls comprise at least one of:
a permeable printed support;
a printed composite sorbent; or
an impermeable conductive support; or
a permeable membrane that forms at least one of a gas contacting surface or a liquid contacting surface.
15. A transport mechanism apparatus for transporting at least one of a gas or a liquid, the apparatus comprising:
an inlet;
an outlet;
a triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structure formed in a layer-by-layer three dimensional (3D) printing operation to include cells propagating in three dimensions, where the cells include wall portions having openings, and where the cells form a plurality of flow paths throughout the transport mechanism apparatus from the inlet to the outlet, and where the cells form the inlet and the outlet, and where the cells have an engineered construction feature which creates a non-uniform construction for the cells over a length of the TPMS structure between the inlet and the outlet; and
at where the engineered construction feature creates the cells with at least one of a wall thickness or a dimension which is non-uniform to form a hierarchical structure, in a predetermined manner, across at least one of a length (X plane), a height (Y plane) or depth (Z plane) of the apparatus.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the wall thickness is non-uniform such that the wall thickness decreases along a length of the apparatus from the inlet to the outlet.
17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the wall thickness of the cells is non-uniform such that the dimension of the cells decreases over a portion of a length of the apparatus.
18. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the TPMS structure comprises at least one of:
a Gyroid surface structure;
a Schwarz-D surface structure;
a Schwarz-P surface structure; and
a I-WP bi-continuous surface structure.
19. A method for forming a transport mechanism for transporting at least one of a gas or a liquid, comprising:
using a three dimensional (3D) printing operation to form the transport mechanism with an inlet and an outlet;
controlling the 3D printing operation in inlet to create the transport mechanism as a triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structure formed in a layer-by-layer process using the 3D printing operation; and
further controlling the 3D printing operation such that the TPMS structure includes cells propagating in three dimensions, where the cells include wall portions having openings, and where the cells form a plurality of flow paths throughout the transport mechanism from the inlet to the outlet, and where the cells where the cells have an engineered construction feature which creates a non-uniform construction for the cells over a length of the TPMS structure between the inlet and the outlet, and where the engineered construction feature causes the cells to be formed with at least one of:
a varying dimension throughout the transport mechanism; or
a varying wall thickness throughout the transport mechanism; to form a hierarchical structure.
20. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cells are formed such that the walls comprise a permeable membrane that forms at least one of a gas contacting surface or a liquid contacting surface with a heat exchange operation.
21. A transport mechanism apparatus for transporting at least one of a gas or a liquid, comprising:
an inlet;
an outlet;
a central portion between the inlet and the outlet;
a triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structure formed in a three dimensional (3D) printing operation to include cells propagating in three dimensions, where the cells include wall portions having openings, and where the cells form a plurality of flow paths throughout the transport mechanism apparatus from the inlet to the outlet, and where the cells form the inlet and the outlet; and
wherein the cells decrease smoothly in size moving from the inlet and outlet towards the central portion of the transport mechanism apparatus.