Entropy weighted WASPAS and MACBETH approaches for optimizing the performance of solar water heating system

Abstract

In this work, multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques namely the weighted aggregated sum product assessment (WASPAS) method and the measuring attractiveness by a categorical based evaluation technique (MACBETH) are applied for predicting the optimum performance of a solar water heating system (SWHS) equipped with perforated delta-shaped obstacles. In total fifteen SWHS design alternatives based on the variation of pitch ratio (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2.0), angle of attack (15°, 30°, 45°), and Reynolds number (400, 800, 1200) were selected. The Nusselt number, friction factor, and thermohydraulic efficiency were fixed as the selection criteria in evaluating SWHS alternatives. By the entropy method, the importance of the identified criteria is quantified as weight, whereas the ranking of SWHS alternatives is determined by the WASPAS and MACBETH methods. The results show that the SWHS design alternative with a Reynolds number of 1200, pitch ratio of 1, and 45° angle of attack exhibits the optimal performance in selected criteria. Sensitivity analysis was used to demonstrate the robustness of the acquired ranking findings, which were further, validated using ten popular decision-making models.