Enhancing PCM-based thermal management with 3D-printed metal lattices: A comprehensive numerical analysis

Abstract

This study presents a three-dimensional coupled multiphase numerical model to explore how 3D-printed metallic lattices can boost the conduction pathways of a PCM-based thermal control device. Source terms in the flow equations have been modeled in line with the Carman-Kozeny framework using the enthalpy-porosity technique. Multiple lattice configurations, each maintaining a fixed 20 % lattice volume fraction but differing in cell density. The geometry is representative of a compact electronic module in a typical small satellite subsystem. Results indicate that even a modest lattice design reduces the TCD's maximum base-plate temperature by approximately 2.9 K (a drop from ∼319.4 K to ∼316.5 K, ∼0.9 % in absolute terms) compared to a no-lattice baseline, whereas the densest lattice design achieves a temperature drop of over 10 K (reducing the peak to ∼309.3 K, ∼3.2 % lower than baseline). Moreover, melt fraction rises by up to 70–80 % for higher cell density lattices. Critically, the duration spent above key temperature thresholds (e.g., 35 °C or 36 °C) declines by as much as 96 %, underscoring the design's efficacy in mitigating thermal stress. The lattice designs allowed mass efficient peak temperature suppression and faster thermal recovery, that extend operational safety margins and open new opportunities for reliably managing cyclical heat loads in space-based hardware and other applications where precise thermal regulation is paramount.