Comprehensive review of heat transfer enhancement through constructal theory

Abstract

Abstract The constructal theory (CT) provides a novel approach to designing and optimizing heat transfer systems. This theory is based on the principle of optimizing the flow of mass, energy, or any other quantity, through the system’s geometry. The application of construction theory has shown promising results in optimizing various heat transfer systems, such as heat exchangers, heat sinks, and building facades. Constructal theory’s application in heat transfer lacks comprehensive research and standardization, limiting performance evaluation. This work summarizes the current state of research in utilizing CT for heat transfer enhancement, including the underlying principles of the theory, its applications, and the methods used for optimization. Numerical simulations and theoretical analysis provided valuable insights into the performance of heat transfer systems optimized using CT. Additionally, experimental validation is crucial for real-world applications. The interdisciplinary nature of CT, requiring collaboration among researchers from different fields, and its potential for sustainability and energy efficiency are highlighted. To demonstrate the trend in CT in terms of indexed keywords, authors’ keywords, nation citation, authors’ collaboration, and journals’ bibliographic coupling, bibliometric analysis was conducted using the VOSviewer tool. Overall, this work determines the versatility and applicability of CT in the optimization of heat transfer systems and provides insights for future research and development in this field.