Heat Transfer Area Optimization for Heat Exchanger System

This paper presents an allowable-tolerance-based group search optimization (AT-GSO), which combines the robust GSO (R-GSO) and the external quality design planning of the Taguchi method. AT-GSO algorithm is used to optimize the heat transfer area of the heat exchanger system. The R-GSO algorithm integrates the GSO algorithm with the Taguchi method, utilizing the Taguchi method to determine the optimal producer in each iteration of the GSO algorithm to strengthen the robustness of the search process and the ability to find the global optima. In conventional parameter design optimization, it is typically assumed that the designed parameters can be applied accurately and consistently throughout usage. However, for systems that are sensitive to changes in design parameters, even minor inaccuracies can substantially reduce overall system performance. Therefore, the permissible variations of the design parameters are considered in the tolerance-optimized design to ensure the robustness of the performance. The optimized design of the heat exchanger system assumes that the system's operating temperature parameters are specific. However, fixing the system operating temperature parameters at a constant value is difficult. This paper assumes that the system operating temperature parameters have an uncertainty error when optimizing the heat transfer area of the heat exchanger system. Experimental results show that the AT-GSO algorithm optimizes the heat exchanger system and finds the optimal operating temperature in the absence of tolerance and under three tolerance conditions.