• cfd
• lattice structure
• microchannel
• performance evaluations

This thesis is the starting point of a study about lattice structures in heat transfer applications. The case studied is a microchannel liquid-cooled heat exchanger based on a lattice structure. Thanks to advancements in additive manufacturing, nowadays it is possible to create lattice architectures composed by cells. Many types of cell geometries are available and these type of structures can be used in order to achieve requirements such as high heat dissipation rates, lightweight design, and miniaturization. Lattice structures have aroused a considerable interest in the field of heat exchange enhancement research. Heat exchanged and pressure drop in microchannels are two key parameters of interest that must be monitored during the design of these devices. In this study the performances of microchannels have been investigated with a numerical approach through three dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations. Additionally, a comparison has been conducted between the performance of conventional microchannel devices and the proposed lattice-structured design.