Thermodynamic analysis and optimisation of an irreversible radiative-type heat engine by using non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm

Finite-time thermodynamics with an ecological principle is used for a heat engine with an irreversible radiative along with losses owing to internal irreversibilities and the heat transfer through finite-temperature differences. In this study, the ecological function is optimised regarding the cycle temperature ratio and the effects of the extreme temperature ratio and the internal irreversibilities are investigated on the optimum cycle performance. Paper presented here used a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm called NSGA-II to optimise the thermal efficiency, the dimensionless ecological function and the dimensionless power simultaneously. Rather than a sole ultimate optimum outcome resulting in conventional single-objective optimisation, a set of optimum solutions were obtained called the Pareto optimal frontier. Hence, in order to select a final optimal answer, a progression of decision making was utilised. Two decision-making procedures were employed in the objectives’ space to obtain the optimum answers from the Pareto optimum outcomes.