A meta-heuristic approach for reliability-based design optimization of shell-and-tube heat exchangers

This study introduces a new framework for optimizing Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchanger (STHE) layouts using a reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) approach. The framework combines a control variate-based surrogate model and a hybrid metaheuristic algorithm. The proposed hybrid algorithm, k-means clustering and whale optimization algorithm (kWOA), was evaluated using CEC’2020 and a case study for optimizing STHE design under static conditions. kWOA showed superior performance in minimizing STHE's total annual cost and solving benchmark functions effectively. In our case study, the RBDO framework optimized the STHE design under two scenarios with target failure probabilities of 1% and 5%, resulting in cost increases of 112% and 82%, respectively, compared to deterministic optimization (DO). The integration of the RBDO approach with the STHE mathematical model, considering factors like inlet flow temperatures, mass flow rates, and fouling resistance, demonstrated the framework's ability to balance the trade-off between cost and reliability under uncertainty. Hybrid control variate radial basis function (RBF) models and Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) were used to assess safety levels, showing the RBDO framework's superiority in improving safety and significantly reducing failure probability from 89% to 1% and 5%. The RBDO framework offers a robust approach for designing STHEs that achieve optimal performance while ensuring high reliability under uncertain conditions.