Regression analysis of a curved vane demister with Taguchi based optimization

• A Taguchi coupled CFD analysis used L25 OA to identify optimal vane shape.
• Friction factor, droplet separation efficiency was chosen as objective functions.
• Responses from CFD fed to Minitab and ANOVA estimates were carried out.
• Parameters that influence the objective functions were identified.
• Regression analysis was done to develop correlations for objective functions.

Regression analysis was carried out using least squares method to develop correlations for the objective functions: friction factor (f) and droplet separation efficiency (η) of curved vane demisters used in seawater desalination. A Taguchi coupled CFD analysis performed earlier by the authors, to select the optimal geometrical parameters for a curved vane demister, was the baseline for this work. Responses of the chosen objective functions from the CFD analysis were fed to the statistical tool Minitab. ANOVA estimates were carried out for identifying the significant factors that control f, η and ranked. Linear model analysis was carried out for the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios with ‘smaller the better’ approach for f and ‘larger the better’ approach for η. The R-square value for the correlation developed for f and η was found to be 98% and 87.9% respectively. The ranking of the parameters correlates very well with the numerical estimates. The factors like ‘vane pitch’ and ‘hook height above the vane’ were identified to have most significant influence when compared to other parameters.