The Optimization of Thermal Performance of an Air Cooler Equipped with Butterfly Inserts by the Use of Imperialist Competitive Algorithm

The aim of this paper is to apply a novel optimization algorithm based on the imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA) to optimize the thermal performance of an air-cooled heat exchanger equipped with butterfly inserts. Experiments included inserts inclined at angles ranging from 45 to 135°. Also, the Reynolds number varied from 4021 to 16118. After data reduction, the regression equation of thermal performance was obtained as a function of the Reynolds number and the inclined angle. Then the cost function was optimized by the use of ICA. One can be sure that the thermal performance will be optimized due to the optimization of the cost function. Computational results indicate that the proposed optimization-algorithm is quite effective and powerful in optimizing the cost function. According to the results, in order to obtain maximum performance, the inclined angle must be about 95°. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res; Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/htj). DOI 10.1002/htj.20412