Verification and validation of turbulence modeling of flow through Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces porous structures

This work is devoted to verification and validation (V&V) activities of modeling and simulation of flow through porous media, with a particular focus on Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces (TPMS) porous structures. TPMS is a class of porous materials that have attracted significant attention in recent years due to their unique properties, including high porosity, large surface area to volume ratio, and tunable pore structures. Within the context of energy sector decarbonization, several power generation technologies demand components with high heat removal capabilities, as is the case for solar or nuclear fusion machines. TPMS-based devices can be designed to equip heat sinks and heat exchangers introducing significant advantages with respect to traditional solutions. However, accurately predicting the complex flow behavior through TPMS porous media remains a challenge due to the intricate geometry and intricate flow patterns. Consequently, V&V activities play a crucial role in assessing the credibility of various models applied in modeling flow through these structures, establishing a foundation for reliable predictions. This work presents the results of V&V activities on the simulations of three-dimensional CFD using three turbulence models, namely Realizable k-epsilon two-layer, Lag-EB k-epsilon and SST (Menter) k-omega. Spatial resolution limitations in the application simulation were identified via solution verification. The experimental data obtained from our experimental setup were used for our validation assessment. All TPMS cases were fabricated using 3D printing technology. The discrepancy between simulation and experiments was evaluated and discussed.