Technical Paper
Automatic Geometry Optimization of Exhaust Systems Based on Sensitivities Computed by a Continuous Adjoint CFD Method in OpenFOAM
2010-04-12
2010-01-1278
Meeting backpressure and flow uniformity requirements within severe packaging constraints presents a particular challenge in the layout of catalyst inlet cones. In these cases, a parameterized optimization of the potentially complex cone geometries is inefficient (and inappropriate). Even assuming that a parameterization of the complex surface forms is possible, the choice of parametric shapes invariably affects the achievable results. Additionally, the long computation time for solving the flow fields limits the number of shape parameters that can be considered. To overcome these restrictions, an optimization tool has been developed at EMCON Technologies that is based on the continuous adjoint method (augmented Lagrange method) of Othmer et al. The open source CFD toolbox OpenFOAM® is used as the platform for the implementation.
