Forward and inverse analyses of two-dimensional eccentric annular fins for space-restriction circumstances

Abstract

Heat transfer under space restriction is a challenging task in many energy systems due to unavoidable design constraints. For such conditions, the use of regular fin shapes cannot be possible, and eccentric geometry becomes a necessity. In this work, an optimization technique based on the inverse analysis using the differential evolution (DE) has been proposed to identify the dimensions of two-dimensional eccentric annular disk fins. For maximizing the rate of energy transport under a prescribed volume, DE search is first used in the present paper to discover numerous combinations of critical geometrical variables satisfying a constrained volume. Thereafter, all parameters relating to the energy transport are obtained from a direct analysis aided by a semi-analytical technique. It is envisaged from the current inverse analysis that under a given volume of the fin, although the same maximum value of heat transmission rate can be acquired with multiple combinations of fin dimensions, there is a sufficient scope to minimize the fin surface area. Here, the optimized temperature contour acts as a significant cause in selecting the unique combination of the optimized fin geometry. Finally, the role of fin thickness is found more influential to control the rate of energy exchange.