This paper presents the optimisation of the heaters and distribution
gaps in a laboratory oven with natural air circulation. The
mathematical model employed to compute the OF was taken from
the author’s previous work, in which the numerical model was
validated using numerous point temperature sensors and the PIV
technique for the velocity field. To effectively run the two optimisation
procedures using GA, the CFD model that is based on the real
device geometry was simplified. However, the resulting temperature
and velocity fields produced by the simplified models were
comparable to those produced using the full model of the entire
device.
The optimised configurations, especially the distribution gaps,
differed from the configuration of the existing device. The temperature
uniformity in the simplified models was improved substantially
by modifying the configuration of the device. The new
configurations were also implemented in the most advanced CFD
model. The studies demonstrate that the quality of the device was
improved after each step in the optimisation process. The most
spatially uniform temperature field was obtained when the combined
optimisation solutions were applied.