Colloquia

Summary

Traditionally, in a point based design approach, designers create a design solution and work on enhancing it until the most optimal solution is obtained. However, set-based design offers exploring many design alternatives up-front to allow for any feasible trade-offs. A Computational Design Synthesis (CDS) tool allows an automated synthesis process to produce a widely explorable design solution space. Such a CDS tool developed at the University of Twente, known as Design Space Exploration (DSE) tool, offers a unique capability to explore the solution space of a design problem.

The Heat Pipe is one of the most remarkable achievements in Thermal Engineering because of its unique ability to transfer heat over a large distance without considerable losses. They are commonly used as a thermal solution for a wide range of applications. This include providing environmental energy conversion, fuel saving, Aeronautics as well as space applications.  Heat Pipes are two-phase flow heat transfer devices where a process of liquid to vapor and vice versa circulates between evaporator and condenser providing a high thermal conductivity. 

To sum it up all, the aim of this study is to investigate the effects of using DSE tool for Heat Pipe design. The research will also evaluate if the DSE tool is beneficial for Heat Pipe design. To conduct such a research, manual design procedure for Heat Pipes were presented. Then, a parametric model for each component of Heat Pipe is designed. This model is used to create a knowledge-base which is compiled and executed to produce the design solution space for Heat Pipes. Further, to test the tool's output, design problems from different Literature are picked and the tool's capability to provide useful design solution space is tested.