To design an ideal tree-like branching networks with good performance on both heat transfer and flow of working fluid, the thermal conductivity and permeability of the tree-like branching networks are calculated. In addition, the thermal conductivity created by heat convection is analyzed and compared with that created by heat conduction. It's found that when the temperature difference between wall and fluid in each branching level is treated as different, heat convection accounts for larger proportion than heat conduction in heat transfer. Furthermore, the difference of each branching level's temperature difference between wall and fluid plays a key role in heat transfer. There exists large error in calculation of heat transfer, if the difference of each branching level's temperature difference between wall is not considered. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.