Smart design of conical vortex generators for heat transfer enhancement: A synergy of CFD and Bio-inspired optimization

• Cone-shaped vortex generators are designed that boost heat transfer by 36.8% - without the huge pressure drops seen in traditional designs. • This smart optimization approach (inspired by wolf pack behavior) found the perfect balance between better cooling and energy efficiency. • The winning design uses slightly angled cones (8.2 mm radius, spaced 72 mm apart). • This isn't just theory: the improved design could help real-world heat exchangers work better while using less pumping power. • It is proved that combining computer simulations with AI-driven optimization can outsmart traditional design methods. Given this widespread utilization of heat exchangers in various industries, enhancement of their performance is very crucial in the thermal engineering field. Therefore, in the current work, a brand new design of the cone-shaped Vortex Generators (VGs) and optimization of their geometry. Accordingly, a numerical simulation was conducted to consider the influences of the heat exchanger with cone-shaped VGs inside the hot flow channel. This type of vortex generator augments the mixing of the hot fluid flow. Consequently, the Nusselt number (Nu) increases within the heat exchanger. Three different radii 5 mm, 7.5 mm, and 10 mm of VGs are considered as cases, c1 to c3. Thermal and hydraulic characteristics of different cases, such as Nu, overall heat transfer coefficient, pressure loss, effectiveness, and performance are extracted and a comparison was made between the conventional model (base) and the alternative model. The findings revealed that the VGs were capable of enhancing the thermal capability in all instances when compared to the baseline model, while concurrently elevating the pressure drop within the hot flow channel. Case 1 exhibits the most optimal thermal characteristics and performance across a range of Reynolds numbers. Also, Grey Wolf Optimization was subsequently applied to refine the vortex generator geometry, yielding an optimal design that improves thermal performance by 36.8% with only an 18.3% pressure drop increase, demonstrating the effectiveness of computational optimization in heat exchanger enhancement.