Multi-Objective Optimization of the Design Parameters of a Shell and Tube Type Heat Exchanger Based on Economic and Size Consideration

Abstract

A heat exchanger is a device that is used to transfer heat between two or more fluids that are at different temperatures. These are essential elements in a wide range of systems, including the human body, automobiles, computers, power plants and comfort heating /cooling equipment. The most commonly used type is the shell and tube type heat exchanger. Owing to their wide utilization, their cost minimization is an important target and instead of traditional iterative procedures, we implement a software-based (MATLAB), genetic algorithm in order to achieve the minimization of the total cost of equipment including capital investment and the sum of discounted annual energy expenditures including pumping. Simultaneously, the minimization of length of the heat exchanger is also targeted. The multi-objective algorithm searches for the optimal values of design variables such as outer tube diameter, outer shell diameter and baffle spacing, for two types of tube layout arrangement (triangular and square) with the number of tube passes being two or four.