Characterization of pressure drop through Schwarz-Diamond triply periodic minimal surface porous media

Additive manufacturing (3D printing) is enabling novel porous structures such as triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) that may help improve the efficiency of various applications in chemical engineering. In this work, a range of Schwarz-Diamond TPMS structures were examined experimentally in terms of printability and pressure drop. X-ray computed tomography scans were used to show that the shape of the structures was accurately printed, however a systematic reduction in porosity was observed compared with each designed structure. The pressure drop through the printed structures was measured for Reynolds numbers between 1 and 1000. Pressure drop reduced with increasing porosity and hydraulic diameter but there was no effect of printer type or column diameter on the measured pressure drop. These measurements were used to propose a new pressure drop correlation that can be used to predict the pressure drop for Schwarz-Diamond TPMS structures over a range of porosities and hydraulic diameters.

Automated summary

Additive manufacturing enables the production of novel porous structures, such as triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS), which can enhance the efficiency of chemical engineering applications. This study experimentally examined the printability and pressure drop of Schwarz-Diamond TPMS structures. X-ray computed tomography scans confirmed accurate printing of the structures, but a systematic reduction in porosity compared to the designed structures was observed. Pressure drop measurements revealed that it decreased with increasing porosity and hydraulic diameter, but printer type and column diameter had no effect. A new pressure drop correlation was proposed based on these measurements to predict pressure drop for Schwarz-Diamond TPMS structures with different porosities and hydraulic diameters.