A chaotic quantum-behaved particle swarm approach applied to optimization of heat exchangers

Particle swarm optimization (PSO) method is a population-based optimization technique of swarm intelligence field in which each solution called particle flies around in a multidimensional problem search space. During the flight, every particle adjusts its position according to its own experience, as well as the experience of neighboring particles, using the best position encountered by itself and its neighbors. In this paper, a new quantum particle swarm optimization (QPSO) approach combined with Zaslavskii chaotic map sequences (QPSOZ) to shell and tube heat exchanger optimization is presented based on the minimization from economic view point. The results obtained in this paper for two case studies using the proposed QPSOZ approach, are compared with those obtained by using genetic algorithm, PSO and classical QPSO showing the best performance of QPSOZ. In order to verify the capability of the proposed method, two case studies are also presented showing that significant cost reductions are feasible with respect to traditionally designed exchangers. Referring to the literature test cases, reduction of capital investment up to 20% and 6% for the first and second cases, respectively, were obtained. Therefore, the annual pumping cost decreased markedly 72% and 75%, with an overall decrease of total cost up to 30% and 27%, respectively, for the cases 1 and 2, respectively, showing the improvement potential of the proposed method, QPSOZ. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.