Here we document the effect of flow configuration on the heat transfer performance of a spiral shaped pipe embedded in a cylindrical conducting volume. We considered several configurations with fixed volumes of fluid and solid. First, we optimized the geometry of two spiral pipes with varying spacing between the spiral turns and the vertical spacing between the two spirals. Next, we extended the method to three spiral pipes with varying the spacing between the spiral turns and the spacing between the spiral pipes, and changing the dimensions of the conducting volume. We found that optimal spacings between the spiral turns and spire planes exist, such that the volumetric heat transfer rate is maximal. The optimized features of the heat transfer architecture are robust. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.