Optimization of zigzag flow channels of a printed circuit heat exchanger for nuclear power plant application

Printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE) is recently considered as a recuperator for the high-temperature gas cooled reactor. In this study, shape optimization of zigzag flow channels in a PCHE has been performed to enhance heat transfer performance and reduce the friction loss based on three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes analysis with the Shear Stress Transport Turbulence model. A multi-objective genetic algorithm is used for the multi-objective optimization. Two non-dimensional objective functions related to heat transfer performance and friction loss are employed. The shape of a flow channel is defined by two geometric design variables, viz. the cold channel angle and the ellipse aspect ratio of the cold channel. The experimental points within the design space are selected using Latin hypercube sampling as the design of the experiment. The response surface approximation model is used to approximate the Pareto-optimal front. Five optimal designs on the Pareto-optimal front have been selected using k-means clustering. The flow and heat transfer characteristics, as well as the objective function values, of these designs have been compared with those of the reference design.