Optimum design of crossflow plate-fin heat exchangers through genetic algorithm

Abstract

A genetic algorithm based optimisation technique has been developed for crossflow plate-fin heat exchangers. The optimisation program aims at minimising the total annual cost for a specified heat duty under given space and flow restrictions. A multilayer plate-fin heat exchanger has been considered and the optimum values of the design variables consisting of the core and the fin geometrical parameters are obtained for the minimum total cost. For the validation, optimisation of a reduced model of a two-layer heat exchanger has been compared with the solution obtained by the conventional optimisation technique. Comparison of the solutions has been made between the cases when no restriction is there on the upper limit of Reynolds number and with the laminar flow restriction. The effect of fixing the heat exchanger dimensions on the optimum solution has also been studied.