Abstract
The design of a multi-stream plate-fin heat exchanger is a highly integrated task with multiple opposing objectives and many degrees of freedom. This work shows how it can be fully or partially automated by the combination of a detailed three-dimensional simulation model and an optimization routine. The desired task is formulated as the target of a multi-objective optimization and solved using a genetic algorithm. The workflow is presented using a cryogenic plate-fin heat exchanger with four process streams. The design is optimized towards high efficiency, low pressure drop, and low unit weight by adjusting the outer geometry, the inlet and outlet distributor configuration, and the detailed stream geometry. A detailed analysis of the Pareto-set gives a good overview of possible solutions, and the optimization routine can automatically find a feasible design with a reasonable tradeoff between the objectives. All elements of the framework are implemented in open source software. A highlight of this research is that a very comprehensive and detailed simulation model is employed in the optimization framework. Thus, the presented method can be easily adjusted to fit the needs of other engineering tasks.
Highlights
IntroductionAluminum-brazed plate-fin heat exchangers (PFHEs) are among the most widely used types of compact heat exchangers in the process industry
Since numerous previous studies focus on layer arrangement and fin selection, this work excludes these parameters from the optimization and instead focuses on the plate-fin heat exchangers (PFHEs)
A highly detailed simulation model implemented in OpenFOAM is coupled with the external optimization software DAKOTA via an interface programmed in Python
Summary
Aluminum-brazed plate-fin heat exchangers (PFHEs) are among the most widely used types of compact heat exchangers in the process industry. Their high efficiency and relatively small package space makes them the primary design choice in many energyintensive applications such as cryogenic air separation, hydrogen and helium liquefaction, and processing of natural gas [1]. In comparison with other types of heat exchangers, PFHEs offer a high surface area for heat transfer, allowing for small stream-to-stream temperature differences [2] Their advantages further include the ability to carry more than 10 process streams with large design flexibility, which allows for high process integration [3]
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