Numerical thermal–hydraulic analysis and multiobjective design optimization of a printed circuit heat exchanger with airfoil overlap fin channels

Abstract In this study, we numerically investigated the performance of a printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE) featuring National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) 0020 airfoil overlap fins integrated into its straight flow channels. Numerical simulations were performed by solving Navier–Stokes and energy equations to analyze liquid water at temperatures ranging from 30 to 90°C, which is possible for use with a geothermal heating system, for example. The optimization of the PCHE airfoil fin geometry is performed using nondominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA‐II) with three design features: front, back, and overlap lengths. The effectiveness and pressure drop of the PCHE are evaluated as two objective functions. The present study shows that, when a Reynolds number falls between 1088 and 5000, the overlapping airfoils exhibit lower pressure drops and higher convective heat flux relative to the separate airfoils, and an increase in overlap length always decreases the pressure drop positively. It is also found that using overlapping airfoils of front length of 0.1 mm, back length of 0.119 mm, and overlap length of 0.203 mm leads to almost the same effectiveness and a 22% decrease in pressure drop (which is generally believed to preferably maintain the high heat transfer performance and minimize pressure drop, as a favorable design), compared to a base design of the airfoils with front and back lengths of 0.2 mm and an overlap length of 0.1 mm.