Design Optimization and Performance Prediction of Compact Heat Exchangers

Applications of genetic algorithms (GAs) and artificial neural networks (ANNs) in thermal engineering have received much attention. Compact heat exchangers (CHEs) have special merits of high-performance and compactness and are widely used in various applications of energy and power engineering. This chapter demonstrates optimization design of a plate-fin heat changer and performance prediction of three kinds of tube-fin heat exchangers by a GA and an ANN, respectively. The successful applications of optimization and prediction of CHEs suggest that GAs and ANNs have strong ability of intelligent design and prediction of CHEs