ABSTRACT
Thermal energy systems are abundant in the industrial, commercial, and residential sectors. In the design of such systems, the engineer seeks to select components of the system such that the system performs as required while minimizing cost. Optimization techniques allow a system to be designed for minimum cost while still meeting required constraints. Many computer software packages incorporate optimization algorithms to allow studies similar to this. There may be several equation solvers that calculate properties internally. However, the recommended software package in this category is Engineering Equation Solver (EES), available from F-Chart Software. In addition, there are many software packages available that can be used to calculate thermophysical properties. The real fluid properties can be compiled in a table of properties or the calculations can be embedded in software, such as REFPROP, CoolProp, or EES. In quantifying energy transport by heat, thermal conductivity is analogous to dynamic viscosity in momentum transport.
