Configuration Design for Plate Heat Exchangers and Pasteurizers:mathematical Modeling and Optimization Methods

The configuration of a plate heat exchanger comprises its number of plates, pass arrangement, location of the inlet and outlet connections and type of channel flow. The effective optimization of the configuration is a complex task since it is not possible to represent the mathematical model of the exchanger explicitly in the configuration elements. To overcome this limitation, the configuration is characterized by a set of six parameters and the model is developed in algorithmic form. The solution of the model provides the temperature profiles in all channels, pressure drops and distribution of the overall heat transfer coefficient along the exchanger. A simplified form of the model is tested and applied to the problem of configuration optimization for minimizing the operational and capital costs subject to constraints on the exchanger size and thermal and hydraulic performances. Specialized search procedures were developed, namely screening and branching, to obtain the optimal solution(s) with a very reduced number of exchanger evaluations. The screening was developed for the case of a single section exchanger, whereas the branching simultaneously optimizes the configurations of the regeneration, heating and cooling sections of the plate heat exchanger of a pasteurization unit.