Elements of an advanced and smart HEX software tool

The analytical tools for modern aviation heat exchangers, such as those that are additively manufactured, have to be advanced and smart. In this paper, a few of the expected features of such tools are presented in detail. Some of the features include on-the-fly-access to thermophysical database for solids and fluids, including refrigerants; more versatile procedures than the standard ε − ETU method, automatic access to heat transfer unit problems, and multiple-rating capabilities; including CFD-based multiple-rating. The tools must also support the generation and exporting of lookup tables-tables that could be readily inserted into a system-level multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) platform. Other requirements include fast optimizers that can handle discontinuous functions, and the ability to interpret complex keyboard input of performance correlations. The software must also be smart – and predictive of user needs. Finally, user data management is a crucial component of developing a smart HEX analysis tool. Since intelligence is driven by the effectiveness and abundance of training data, a desirable tool should support modern database management techniques. The mathematical and qualitative details of a few of these requirements are presented, as are two case studies pertaining to optimization.