ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the synthesis of various design steps discussed in earlier chapters to obtain an acceptable design for a thermal system. Starting with the problem statement and the basic concept for the system, the various steps involved in design are initial design, modeling, simulation, evaluation, iterative redesign, and convergence to an acceptable design. This systematic approach is discussed. However, several other strategies are possible, such as employing extensive results on the system behavior to vary the design variables to obtain an acceptable design. Such strategies, though not as systematic as the previous one, are nevertheless popular because extensive results can often be obtained easily from numerical simulation. These strategies are also well-suited to systems with a small number of parts and those with only a few design variables. The methods to track the iterative redesign process and to study the convergence characteristics are also discussed. In order to illustrate the coupling of the different aspects and steps involved in the design process, several important areas of application are considered and a few typical thermal systems that arise in these areas are considered as examples. Finally, this chapter presents additional considerations that are often important in the design and successful implementation of a practical thermal system. Included in this list are safety issues, control of the system, environmental effects, material selection, costs involved, availability of facilities, and regulations. The application of the basic approach for design to large practical thermal systems is outlined.
