Tree-Shaped Flow Architectures: Strategies for Increasing Optimization Speed and Accuracy

This article is about novel applications of computational heat transfer and fluid dynamics: the optimization and design of complex tree-shaped flow structures for cooling high-density heat-generating volumes (e.g., electronics). The focus is on computational cost, and how to reduce it by devising effective strategies for identifying paths that lead to the optimal complex flow structure. The method is illustrated by considering dendritic architectures that connect with laminar fluid flow the center of a circle with points distributed equidistantly on the circle. Optimal architectures are pursued numerically based on several methods: the optimization of every geometric detail of the complex structure, the minimization of every duct length, and the optimization of every angle of bifurcation. It is shown that strategy leads to dramatic increases in optimization speed, and provides an effective albeit approximate description of the optimal complex flow structure.